What Else Happened? Prison Injustice, a Rural Water Crisis, and Philando Castile’s Legacy

Rewire managing editors Regina Mahone and Kat Jercich explore this week’s important underreported stories.

FALCON HEIGHTS, MN - JULY 07: A memorial left for Philando Castile following the police shooting death of a black man on July 7, 2016 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Philando Castile was shot and killed last night, July 6, 2016, by a police officer in Falcon Heights, MN. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) Stephen Maturen / Getty Images

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Rewire managing editors Regina Mahone and Kat Jercich explore this week’s important underreported stories: jail policies around in-person visitation further dehumanize those behind bars, a new report exposes an alarming source of water contamination in rural communities, and a memorial fund in the name of Philando Castile changes the lives of schoolchildren in need. Plus, Kat interviews Rewire‘s Sofia Resnick about an anti-choice group purchasing an abortion clinic just to shut it down.

An edited excerpt:

Regina: Due to an overuse of fertilizer that contains a cancer-causing chemical, millions of people in rural America are at risk of being exposed to nitrate, which can be fatal to young children who ingest too much of it. There’s also the issue nitrate presents for pregnant women, who are typically eligible for free bottled water in affected areas. But when water is treated to remove these cancer-causing chemicals, there’s likely to be chemical byproducts that have been linked to reproductive harm, among other things.

Kat: The Environmental Working Group found that the states with the most people at risk are California, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Kansas.

Regina: The report comes as Congress is considering a new farm bill. And the Environmental Working Group is asking lawmakers to include a provision requiring farmers and landowners to take precautions and eliminate runoff. I don’t know about you, but I definitely prefer my water without a side of cancer.

Transcript (PDF)