Stories
The COVID-19 pandemic instantly increased demand for some types of medical waste management, such as the disposal of personal protective equipment and testing supplies. Now there’s a new test. Health care providers must dispose of hundreds of millions of needles and empty vaccine vials. The process for sharing data about COVID-19 vaccine distribution is something of a Rube Goldberg machine, and the disconnect between the federal government, states and vaccine administration sites is slowing the vaccination campaign. Drug shortages have plagued the U.S. for years, but the scarcity of certain drugs during the pandemic energized some experts to renew efforts to address the problem. The remote location of many jails and prisons, extra security measures and the unpredictability of a prison setting have complicated the vaccine supply chain for incarcerated people. Middle Tennessee companies see an opportunity for artificial intelligence in the wake of COVID-19 Therapists in Middle Tennessee are moving their practices online en masse, but regulatory confusion is making it harder Middle Tennessee nonprofits have to find new ways to fundraise during the coronavirus pandemic Coronavirus is devastating for the wedding industry, but couples and companies are adapting In 2017, the Tennessee Department of Correction, The Tennessee Department of Transportation and several construction companies from Middle Tennessee started a construction training program for prisoners. About a third of the Brentwood based senior living company Brookdale’s California communities were affected by wildfires in 2017. Many of the companies that have recently relocated to Middle Tennessee—and many of the workers they are hiring—come from places that are much more diverse than Williamson County. Over the summer, a tech industry advocacy group calculated that the U.S. tech industry had a 1.3% unemployment rate. The Brentwood health care company Corizon hopes to make medication assisted treatment more easily available for people addicted to opioids in jails and prisons. Spring Hill has started investigating how to turn the water coming out of its wastewater treatment plant into drinking water. I created a nonprofit science podcast called Big Biology with biologists Art Woods from the University of Montana and Marty Martin from the University of South Florida. I write and produce most of the episodes. JD.com wants to buy more of its beef from Montana, but many of the state’s residents are preparing for a fight over a proposed slaughterhouse. Read the story on Civil Eats. The Thomas Fire burned through Ventura in December 2017, but that didn’t stop birders from conducting their annual Christmas Bird Count there. Read the story on the Earth Island Journal. When the Thomas Fire approached a California Condor nest last month, the chick’s radio signal went dark. Biologists recently returned to the burn area to find her. Read the story on Audubon. Photo by Stephanie Cruz Herrera. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality says there might be disease causing bugs in Big Timber’s water. The people living there say they’d rather roll the dice than pay for a treatment plant. Listen to the story on Montana Public Radio. Here is a longer version of that story with extra reporting from Wilsall, MT. Excessive logging landed the Mexican spotted owl on the list of threatened species under the endangered species act, but now government agencies are cutting trees down to save it from wildfire. Read the story on Treesource. George Gruell re-took photos of western forests to document the effects of fire suppression. Read the story on Treesource. Photo taken by Alfred Shultz in 1906. For decades, the U.S. Forest Service has used wilderness areas as a laboratory to learn more about wildfire behavior and effects. Read the story on Treesource. Photo by Bob Mutch. Can a tax on dive tourists stop the lionfish invasion? Read the story from Hakai. I wrote a longer version of this story for my master’s portfolio at the University of Montana. You can read that here. The first lionfish in Cozumel, an island off Mexico’s southern coast, appeared in 2009, but according to dive… In Montana too many people end up in the ER because of meth. Listen to the story on The Meth Effect. Cancún’s underwater museum looked like a conservation success story, but some conservationists were skeptical. Read the story in the Earth Island Journal. How to stop cancer-with rabies. Scientists are using rabies-inspired nanoparticles to attack brain tumors. Published in Science.
Demand surge, supply shortages complicate COVID-19 waste management
Convoluted IT systems slowing vaccine rollout
Pandemic builds momentum for tackling drug shortages
Security measures, remote locations complicate vaccine supply chain for prisons
Middle Tennessee companies see an opportunity for artificial intelligence in the wake of COVID-19
Therapists in Middle Tennessee are moving their practices online en masse, but regulatory confusion is making it harder
Middle Tennessee nonprofits have to find new ways to fundraise during the coronavirus pandemic
Coronavirus is devastating for the wedding industry, but couples and companies are adapting
Construction companies are giving prisoners a second chance — and a job
Climate change is threatening Williamson County businesses, but few are monitoring the risks
Williamson County business leaders are tackling issues of diversity to attract talent and corporate headquarters
Local tech companies hope middle schoolers will solve the industry’s labor shortage
A Brentwood health care company wants to expand access to medication for addiction treatment in jail
Spring Hill investigates using treated wastewater to supplement drinking water supply
Big Biology
Can a Chinese Mega-Retailer Make a Killing off Montana Beef?
Birders get a First Look at how 2017 California Wildfires Affected Wildlife
The search and recovery of condor chick 871, wildfire survivor
Big Timber Locals Say DEQ Water Worries Overblown
Will forest thinning and burning save Mexican spotted owls, or harm them?
Photographs document habitat changes in western forests
Wilderness areas are a laboratory for fire scientists
Money might not be enough to stop the lionfish invasion
ERs emerge as the frontline in the meth war
Is Mexico’s Underwater Museum Diverting Attention from Bigger Environmental Issues?
How to stop brain cancer-with rabies
About
A biologist by training, Matt chased jaguars in Mexico and condors in California before pursuing a master’s degree in journalism at the University of Montana. In another life he would have been the lead singer of a rock ‘n’ roll band. He still sings for fun. Lover of radio. Easily distracted by colorful birds.
Contact
Email: mattblois@gmail.com
Tel: (805) 233-1686
