Brooke Kushwaha

The science the South Coast lost in 2025 - The New Bedford Light Federal funding cuts have put a number of environmental research projects on ice, from severe storm monitoring systems to studies on the impacts of offshore wind.

Federal funding cuts have put a number of environmental research projects on ice, from severe storm monitoring systems to studies on the impacts of offshore wind.

I spoke to some of the New England scientists who had their projects abruptly terminated.
newbedfordlight.org/wind-water-a...

I’m very excited to join the Metcalf Institute’s Climate Ready Newsrooms fellowship later this month!

Brooke Kushwaha - The New Bedford Light Brooke Kushwaha Reporter Brooke Kushwaha covers climate and the environment for The New Bedford Light. Prior to joining The Light, she covered education in underserved communities for the Houston Land...

Help congratulate 👏 Light reporter Brooke Kushwaha, who covers climate and the environment. She's been chosen for a @metcalfuri.bsky.social Metcalf Institute's Climate Ready Newsrooms fellowship this fall at URI. The program aims to provide the training and resources to be "climate ready."

Mass. explores buyout program to return flood-risk property to marshland - The New Bedford Light The proposal would provide resources to empower homeowners to move out of high-risk areas and relocate to safer ones.

A new draft plan released by the state sounds the alarm on how rising tides will reshape the waterfront — and what homeowners could do to help. Read the full story by The Light's new environmental reporter @brookekushwaha.bsky.social 🌎

After a brief hiatus, I'm excited to announce that I'm back on the East Coast and today was my first day at the @newbedfordlight.bsky.social !

I'll be covering climate and the environment on the South Coast. Hmu at bkushwaha @ newbedfordlight . org with any tips, questions or to just say hi.

More fine arts, extra STEM classes, an ad blitz: How Alief ISD plans to win back students The Houston-area district is launching new fine arts and STEM initiatives, investing in ads and debating other changes to stop enrollment losses.

NEW: Alief ISD leaders are redesigning five campuses in a bid to win back students from charter schools, forming 2 STEM schools and 3 fine arts academies.

The rebrand and ad push come after the district lost 18% of its total enrollment this past decade.
houstonlanding.org/more-fine-ar...

TONIGHT: Join me and @byangelicaperez.bsky.social in a community newsroom as we talk about our work in Aldine ISD, answer your questions, and get feedback on how we can better cover the Aldine community.

Event starts at 6pm. Food provided.

Free RSVP here:
www.eventbrite.com/e/community-...

Spring is on track to reduce suspensions by 40%, but questions remain about how they’ve accomplished such a steep drop.

If you subscribe to our education newsletter The Homeroom, you can get more stories like these—plus my own embarrassing anecdotes.
houstonlanding.org/newsletters/

Spring ISD has the highest student suspension rates in the region, district leaders promise change Spring ISD suspension’s rate is roughly three times the state average, but the district is on track to reduce those rates by 40% this year.

Spring ISD has the highest out of school suspension rate in the region—roughly three times the state average. One middle school issued more suspensions last school year than it had total students.

District officials are trying to change:
houstonlanding.org/spring-isd-h...

Aldine ISD board votes to close 6 schools amid declining enrollment, budget deficit School board members said they reluctantly supported the closures as the district faces dwindling enrollment and a growing budget deficit.

Breaking: Aldine ISD board voted on Tuesday to close six schools at the end of the school year. The campuses closing are Stovall, De Santiago, Eckert, Oleson, Raymond and Smith.

houstonlanding.org/aldine-isd-b...

omg gwen stop 🥰

A shorter summer vacation? These Houston schools tried it — and not everyone got on board. State education leaders are pushing to keep Texas’ youngest students in school longer, but many parents and teachers aren’t on board.

Four years ago, the TEA rolled out a limited program to allow schools to cut back summer vacation for more classroom time.

While early academic gains have been promising, not everyone is ready to part with their full summer break.

w/ @byangelicaperez.bsky.social
houstonlanding.org/a-shorter-su...

Aldine ISD parents fear losing ‘family school,’ find reasons for hope amid closure talks Families voiced concern Thursday about transportation, academics and more during Aldine’s first public meeting on a school closure proposal.

At the first Aldine ISD community meeting about the district’s proposal to close seven schools, parents mourned the potential loss of an entire community.

“It’s like a family school.”

w/ @byangelicaperez.bsky.social
houstonlanding.org/aldine-isd-p...

@byangelicaperez.bsky.social and I spoke to 18 parents with children at schools slated for closure. Only one of them knew their school could be shuttered by the end of the school year.

After some delay, the district has now scheduled community meetings to get families caught up.

Aldine ISD leaders pledge more communication, public meetings on proposed school closures District leaders said they will post details online and hold community meetings after staying mum on a proposal released last week to shutter seven schools.

ICYMI: A week after Aldine ISD leaders mulled a proposal to close seven schools, many parents remained in the dark.

Aldine’s school board president initially criticized the Landing for putting the word out, saying “I wish you had waited until we made decisions.”
houstonlanding.org/aldine-isd-l...

Outgoing DA Kim Ogg donates forfeiture funds to respected charities, plus political allies In under a year, Ogg cut her asset forfeiture fund in half, donating more than $2.4 million to a range of charities — and political allies.

NEW: Harris County DA Kim Ogg has spent more than $2.4 million in asset forfeiture funds on donations this year, almost all of it after she lost March's Democratic primary.

At least $150,000 in funds went to political allies in the bail bond industry. 🧵
houstonlanding.org/outgoing-da-...

‘I want to fight’: Alief ISD confronts enrollment losses, charter growth as budget cuts loom The southwest Houston district has lost about 8,000 students over the past decade, mostly due to charter school growth.

HISD gets a lot of attention, but @brookekushwaha.bsky.social is on the Alief ISD beat and putting out really important stories like this one... where she reveals that the budget-strapped district's enrollment has dropped 18% (!) in the past decade. houstonlanding.org/i-want-to-fi...

‘I want to fight’: Alief ISD confronts enrollment losses, charter growth as budget cuts loom The southwest Houston district has lost about 8,000 students over the past decade, mostly due to charter school growth.

“It’s the battle of Coca-Cola and Pepsi.”

Alief ISD is losing thousands of students to charter schools each year, putting a major dent in the district’s fast-shrinking budget.

Some district leaders see it as a branding war.
houstonlanding.org/i-want-to-fi...

Across Texas, U.S. vehicles crash into pipelines, spark explosions, fires, gas leaks After an SUV caused a pipeline explosion in Deer Park, Houston Landing reviewed dozens of incidents nationwide where vehicles crashed into pipelines.

We found pipeline companies can be slow to protect lines from traffic. At the the site of a fiery and fatal vehicle crash in October 2020 a gas transmission pipeline didn’t have any protective barrier until after @Hou_Landing started asking questions this month.
houstonlanding.org/across-texas...

reminder that if you subscribe to my team’s education newsletter The Homeroom i will write you a letter occasionally:
houstonlanding.org/newsletters/

Free school starting at age 3? Why Spring ISD wants to get more toddlers in the classroom Spring joins a small but growing group of local districts offering free prekindergarten classes to some students, despite the financial challenges.

Looking to capitalize on a time when children learn and grow faster, Spring ISD is testing out full-day pre-K for 3-year-olds.

The benefits of pre-K are well-researched. District leaders just have to argue they outweigh the costs.
houstonlanding.org/free-school-...

nutmeg maple cream pie with chocolate pecan pie

success. texture is delicate like a flan

i know i grew up watching it!! so glad it’s back but the holiday made it even more special

this is how i learn it’s not even a thanksgiving game…

this could be true on some level but i’m curious how the parents who choose to homeschool would frame it. from what i’ve already heard it’s lack of trust

nutmeg-maple cream pie A luxe longtime favorite, this is a sleeper recipe for a gloriously rich, deeply maple-y pie, creamy baked pie.

when the holidays come around i make this sleeper hit. tastes like a cross between eggnog and a warm maple soaked pancake
smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/nutm...

i do

i need to get into the mind of a parent that homeschools their child

‘I don’t want her to be forgotten’: The election is over. Alexis Nungaray’s grief remains. The death of Alexis Nungaray’s 12-year-old daughter set her mother on a political crusade in her memory, often at the expense of her ability to grieve.

After the death of her daughter, Jocelyn, Alexis Nungaray became an unlikely anti-immigration crusader for President-elect Donald Trump and Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz’s campaigns. But outside of the spotlight, she mourns alone to keep Jocelyn's memory alive.
houstonlanding.org/i-dont-want-...

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