MinnPost Picks: on Burk Uzzle, vehicle ranching, and the true crime-entertainment complex

“How a State Plans to Turn Coal Country Into Coding Country,” The New York Times As the coal and other fossil fuel industries decline in Wyoming, lawmakers in the deeply conservative state have turned to coding for a spark to the rural economy. The Legislature approved an ambitious curriculum for K-12 schools that requires computer science classes across the state. There are questions about whether such a strategy will work when tech jobs are often clustered in big cities, but the New York Times reports locals believe the Microsoft-backed plan is one way to try to diversify Wyoming's economy. — Walker Orenstein, workforce and environmental reporter “From Woodstock to Wilson,” The Bitter Southerner This story is about Burk Uzzle, a photographer who took iconic photos for LIFE magazine, and today lives in a small town in eastern North Carolina. I've driven through Wilson many times, and I've seen Uzzle's work without knowing who did it, but found it interesting to learn about his career and what he's doing now in trying to photograph black life in the South. — Jonathan Stegall, user experience engineer “‘Vehicle ranching’ in Seattle: Inside the underground market of renting RVs to homeless people,” The Seattle Times With a growing homeless population, Seattle residents have established an underground, unregulated market of renting RVs to homeless people, dubbed "vehicle ranching." Lining neighborhood streets, the vehicles are often dilapidated and unsafe for living, according city inspectors. So now the mayor is proposing tighter rules and the elimination of the most rundown mobile homes. "It is unclear if the strategy will reduce homelessness," the Seattle Times reports. "Homeless people and advocates say defining the practice as predatory is shortsighted. Many people living in RVs and cars, even the dilapidated ones, own their vehicles." — Jessica Lee, local government reporter “Victims, Families and America’s Thirst for True-Crime Stories,” The Washington Post Magazine The true crime fad, fed by podcasts and even an annual conference called CrimeCon, presents the families of crime victims a chance to draw publicity — and maybe police attention — to their lost loved ones. But they have to endure a scene that treats them and their family members as entertainment. In the Washington Post Magazine, Britt Peterson takes a look at the mixed emotions of survivors and family. — Peter Callaghan, state government reporter

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MinnPost Picks: on Burk Uzzle, vehicle ranching, and the true crime-entertainment complex

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MinnPost Picks: on Burk Uzzle, vehicle ranching, and the true crime-entertainment complex