Newsletter Archive

Social segregation is still apparent these days in St. Francisville, Louisiana — population 1,700. That’s OK with Tommy Lamar Jr., 70, an African American contractor who says ‘people like their own kind,’ but racial discrimination is another matter. VOA travels down south along the Mississippi River where some African Americans worry the fight for equality will be a long one, while Donald Trump supporters ponder whether all this talk about race relations is an attempt to discredit the president.

All the evils have happened in 2017.’ Conditions in Venezuela have only worsened since 2016, when many Venezuelans reported losing up to 19 pounds after skipping meals because they couldn’t afford to buy food. 2017 was rife with severe shortages of basic goods and services, a surge in violent crime, and deadly anti-government of protests. On the streets of Caracas, VOA catches up with ordinary Venezuelans who aren’t exactly optimistic that 2018 will be any better.

Rena Sard decided to turn a 5-year prison sentence into an opportunity to better her life. The 47-year-old enrolled in a program that allowed her to work toward earning a college degree while behind bars. For students like Sard, the chance to spend a prison sentence as a student can be life-changing.

Cheers to that. China could become the world’s second-largest wine consumer, behind the United States, by 2020. Napa Valley is already seeing signs of that Chinese enthusiasm. From students learning the art of wine making to visitors touring the wine region, China was the number one international market in Napa Valley last year.

VIDEO: Off the coast of Miami, divers plant twigs of coral to the ocean bottom. Coastal communities worldwide depend on coral reefs for food, storm protection and tourism. But many reefs are suffering under the onslaught of climate change. Florida scientists are attempting to restore degraded reef by growing coral in the lab and transplanting it to the ocean floor.