Krista Stevens

2 weeks ago | longreads.com | Krista Stevens

Homeless people of Portland’s Multnomah County die at a rate higher than “any major West Coast county with available mortality data.” Could it be the sweep-heavy tactics that dismantle encampments and displace residents that puts them in harm’s way? For this piece at ProPublica published in partnership with Street Roots, reporter K. Rambo set out to learn more.

2 weeks ago | longreads.com | Krista Stevens

The State of South Carolina executed Brad Sigmon by firing squad on March 7, 2025. Sigmon chose the firing squad over electrocution, fearing that electrocution would “burn and cook him alive.” Why, though, would he choose the violence of the firing squad over lethal injection? Because lethal injection can spawn all kinds of complications that cause pain and suffering.

3 weeks ago | longreads.com | Krista Stevens

For Alta Journal, Katya Apekinarecounts living through the Palisades and Eaton Fires that started in California on January 7, 2025. In a piece as evocative as it is apocalyptic, she recounts the flames through her window and the toxic smoke that blanketed the area during the fire and in the immediate aftermath. As a relative newcomer to Los Angeles, she finds that the disaster has forced her to reckon with the price she’s willing to pay to live in paradise. Things are OK/things aren’t OK.

3 weeks ago | longreads.com | Krista Stevens

In September, 1982, people were collapsing, falling into a coma, and dying in Chicago, Illinois, for reasons unknown. Two members of Janus family had died. A third member of the family was in a coma. Dr. Thomas Kim, Chief of Critical Care in the emergency room at Northwest Community Hospital couldn’t understand why young, seemingly healthy people were becoming catastrophically ill so suddenly. Was it botulism? Carbon monoxide poisoning?

1 month ago | longreads.com | Krista Stevens

Recently, I’ve read a lot about how microplastics can get into your blood and your brain. All of it scares me. Like Elyse Hauser, I’ve been worrying about the plastic around me. I’m trying to ditch my Tupperware for glass and eliminate using freezer bags. Is that enough? Will it ever be enough in this plastic-infused world? For Slate, Hauser attempts to get some baseline data on her body by measuring the microplastics present in her blood with a $150 kit she bought online.