Matthew Russell

Matthew Russell

Matthew Russell is a West Michigan native and with a background in journalism, data analysis, cartography and design thinking. He likes to learn new things and solve old problems whenever possible, and enjoys bicycling, spending time with his daughters, and coffee.

Articles by Matthew Russell

On the left, a worker in red gloves harvests fish from a crowded net at a fish farm; on the right, a dead fish lies tangled in fishing nets and.

Industrial Fish Farms Are Coming to US Waters and Experts Say Wild Oceans Could Pay

The federal government is designating new offshore zones where industrial-scale fish farms could operate in U.S. waters. 

Industrial Fish Farms Are Coming to US Waters and Experts Say Wild Oceans Could Pay

The federal government is designating new offshore zones where industrial-scale fish farms could operate in U.S. waters. 

On the left, a person in a wheelchair moves down a hospital corridor; on the right, a U. S.

Federal Inspectors Keep Finding the Same VA Safety Failures and Nothing Changes

Federal inspectors have repeatedly flagged the same safety failures at VA medical centers — infection control lapses, improperly stored equipment, patients sent home without understanding their own care.

Federal Inspectors Keep Finding the Same VA Safety Failures and Nothing Changes

Federal inspectors have repeatedly flagged the same safety failures at VA medical centers — infection control lapses, improperly stored equipment, patients sent home without understanding their own care.

On the left, a gloved hand holds an MMR vaccine vial and syringe in a clinical setting; on the right, a sick child with a measles rash rests in bed.

Debunked Myths Behind Federal Medical Guidance Are Putting Children at Risk

A federal executive order is calling for childhood vaccines to be spaced out — a move that directly contradicts decades of research and the guidance of every major medical organization...

Debunked Myths Behind Federal Medical Guidance Are Putting Children at Risk

A federal executive order is calling for childhood vaccines to be spaced out — a move that directly contradicts decades of research and the guidance of every major medical organization...

On the left, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) aircraft carrier sits anchored at sea with aircraft on deck; on the right, three people stand on an empty carrier flight deck overlooking.

USS Abraham Lincoln Sailors Are Trying to Jump Overboard as Their Nine-Month Deployment Drags On with No End in Sight

A sailor with 13 years of service now sits on medical hold, terrified that a moment of desperate exhaustion will cost him the career he spent over a decade building....

USS Abraham Lincoln Sailors Are Trying to Jump Overboard as Their Nine-Month Deployment Drags On with No End in Sight

A sailor with 13 years of service now sits on medical hold, terrified that a moment of desperate exhaustion will cost him the career he spent over a decade building....

On the left, a swarm of Eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies gathers and takes flight from a mossy log in a sunlit forest; on the right, excavators clear fallen pine trees.

A New Federal Rule Lets Developers Destroy Endangered Species Habitat Without Penalty

For decades, destroying the habitat of a threatened or endangered species was considered harm under federal law. A rule finalized in July 2026 changed that — and now economic value...

A New Federal Rule Lets Developers Destroy Endangered Species Habitat Without Penalty

For decades, destroying the habitat of a threatened or endangered species was considered harm under federal law. A rule finalized in July 2026 changed that — and now economic value...

On the left, a gloved scientist holds an Erlenmeyer flask containing water and colorful microplastic fragments; on the right, a fish swims beneath a ocean surface littered with floating plastic.

Billions of Plastic Pellets Are Poisoning Our Waterways

They're smaller than a pea, but nurdles — the raw plastic pellets used to make nearly every plastic product — are now among the most common forms of pollution on...

Billions of Plastic Pellets Are Poisoning Our Waterways

They're smaller than a pea, but nurdles — the raw plastic pellets used to make nearly every plastic product — are now among the most common forms of pollution on...