December 2021 Archive
New Documents Prove Tennessee County Disproportionately Jails Black Children, and It’s Getting Worse
Newly obtained reports show that Black children in Rutherford County are locked up more than twice as often as population size would suggest. And as the rest of the country has made progress on racial disparities, the county has gotten far worse.
The Cruel Failure of Welfare Reform in the Southwest
A ProPublica series has found that in Nevada and neighboring states, boom times hastened the demise of cash assistance for the poor — but not poverty.
After Years of Complaints, Florida Improves Pollution Monitoring Near Burning Sugar Cane Fields
Regulators updated air-monitoring equipment following a ProPublica/Palm Beach Post investigation that found shortcomings in the way authorities police air quality during the cane burning season in Florida’s heartland.
Burning Sugar Cane Pollutes Communities of Color in Florida. Brazil Shows There’s Another Way.
Florida’s largest sugar companies say cane burns are safe and can’t be stopped without economic harm. But Brazil has successfully transitioned away from the controversial practice, and experts there say the U.S. can follow their lead.
When Dangerous Strains of Salmonella Hit, the Turkey Industry Responded Forcefully. The Chicken Industry? Not So Much.
Consolidation in the poultry industry may be fueling widespread salmonella outbreaks. Turkey companies worked with researchers to eradicate one. So why can’t the chicken industry do the same?
Accused of Refusing Aid to Disabled Kids, a State Agency Responded — by Hiring a PR Firm
Charging nearly $200k, the firm promised to help Florida’s NICA program “win in the court of public opinion.” But in the end, state lawmakers insisted that administrators listen to parents and make changes.
States Are Hoarding $5.2 Billion in Welfare Funds Even as the Need for Aid Grows
Bonnie Bridgforth supported five children with an $8.50-an-hour job when she was told she no longer qualified for welfare in Maine. But the state — like so many others — was sitting on a huge stockpile of funds.
El monóxido de carbono que producen los generadores envenena a miles de personas al año. Estados Unidos ha fallado en exigir cambios de seguridad.
Los generadores portátiles están entre los productos de consumo más mortales. Dos décadas después de que el gobierno identificará el peligro, el sistema deja a la gente vulnerable al permitir que la industria se regule a sí misma.
Your Free-Range Organic Chicken May Have Been Processed at a Large Industrial Poultry Plant
To help us make sense of the opaque poultry supply chain, hundreds of ProPublica readers sent in details about their chickens and turkeys. Here’s what we learned.
They Were the Pandemic’s Perfect Victims
The pandemic killed so many dialysis patients that their total number shrunk for the first time in nearly half a century. Few people took notice.
A Plant That Sterilizes Medical Equipment Spews Cancer-Causing Pollution on Tens of Thousands of Schoolchildren
Nobody told Yaneli Ortiz’s family that the factory they lived near emitted ethylene oxide. Not when the EPA found it causes cancer. Not when she was diagnosed with leukemia. And not when Texas moved to allow polluters to emit more of the chemical.
The Low-and-Slow Approach to Food Safety Reform Keeps Going Up in Smoke
The U.S. has one agency that regulates cheese pizza and another that oversees pepperoni pizza. Efforts to fix the food safety system have stalled again and again.
A Mother Needed Welfare. Instead, the State Used Welfare Funds to Take Her Son.
Arizona spends a majority of its welfare budget on the Department of Child Safety. The agency then investigates many poor parents, sometimes removing their children for reasons stemming from their poverty.
He Was Filming on His Phone. Then a Deputy Attacked Him and Charged Him With Resisting Arrest.
Police can arrest people for “cover charges,” like resisting arrest, to justify their use of excessive force and shield themselves from liability. In Jefferson Parish, 73% of the time someone is arrested on a “cover charge” alone, they’re Black.
Chicago’s Last Black-Owned Bank Got Millions in Government Deposits — Then Had to Give Them Back
As Black-owned banks disappear, politicians are under increasing pressure to save them. Big deposits are a ready solution, but sometimes they burden the banks more than they help.
This Scientist Created a Rapid Test Just Weeks Into the Pandemic. Here’s Why You Still Can’t Get It.
Irene Bosch developed a quick, inexpensive COVID-19 test in early 2020. The Harvard-trained scientist already had a factory set up. But she was stymied by an FDA process experts say made no sense.
What’s Gone Wrong at Chicago’s Last Black-Owned Bank?
Despite government intervention and new owners, GN Bank fights for survival while customers worry about losing their homes.
How Black Communities Become “Sacrifice Zones” for Industrial Air Pollution
One of the most dangerous chemical plants in America sits in one of West Virginia’s only majority-Black communities. For decades, residents of Institute have raised alarms about air pollution. They say concerns have “fallen on deaf ears.”
Boston City Councilors Seek Review of Surveillance Tech Purchase by Police
After a WBUR/ProPublica investigation revealed Boston Police bought spy tech using funds hidden from the public, city legislators called for a review of the transaction.
The Dirty Secret of America’s Clean Dishes
The world’s largest chemical maker, BASF, produces ingredients for America’s most popular products, from soaps to surface cleaners to dishwasher detergent. Emissions from their U.S. plants elevate cancer risks for an estimated 1.5 million people.
