Archive - Illinois
Facing Unchecked Syphilis Outbreak, Great Plains Tribes Sought Federal Help. Months Later, No One Has Responded.
The syphilis rate among Indigenous people in the Great Plains is higher than at any point in 80 years of records. More than 3% of Native American babies born in South Dakota last year had the preventable and curable — but potentially fatal — disease.
ProPublica Wins Pulitzer Prize for Supreme Court Coverage
The award marks ProPublica’s 7th Pulitzer; Uvalde shooting investigation is named a Pulitzer finalist.
Oil Companies Contaminated a Family Farm. The Courts and Regulators Let the Drillers Walk Away.
The oil and gas industry has reaped profits without ensuring there will be money to plug and clean up their wells. In Oklahoma, that work could cost more than $7 billion if it falls to the state.
Ten Years After the Flint Water Crisis, Distrust and Anger Linger
A city is forever changed, and so is residents’ relationship with their water. The betrayal of trust by the institutions meant to protect Flint’s residents has made some of them extra cautious as they look to keep themselves and their community safe.
More States Are Allowing Child Support Payments to Reach Children
Since a ProPublica investigation found that states were seizing child support headed to families as reimbursement for the mother having received welfare, at least six states have changed their policies. Others are debating doing the same.
“The Right Way”: From Venezuela to Juárez and New York to Denver, One Family’s Asylum Journey
The Pabón family is among the nearly 8 million Venezuelans who have fled their country. “The Right Way” documentary follows them as they begin a life in the U.S. and journey through an asylum system buckling under record numbers of new arrivals.
Sports Team Owners Face New Scrutiny From IRS Over Tax Avoidance
A new campaign by the tax agency comes after ProPublica revealed how billionaires generate what can be hundreds of millions in tax savings by purchasing professional sports teams.
EPA Proposes Ban on Pesticide Widely Used on Fruits and Vegetables
The ban on acephate comes a week after a ProPublica investigation highlighted the EPA’s controversial finding that the bug killer doesn’t harm the developing brains of children.
Transgender Care Coverage Policies in North Carolina and West Virginia Are Discriminatory, Court Rules
The states violated federal law by banning coverage of certain treatments for transgender people but allowing it for others, according to a decision that could influence courts around the country.
Biden Was Warned U.S. Border Policies Made Tragedy Inevitable. Then a Deadly Fire Broke Out.
A year ago, 40 men were killed in one of the deadliest incidents involving immigrants in Mexico’s history. A ProPublica-Texas Tribune examination shows that landmark shifts in U.S. border policies helped sow the seeds of a tragedy.
FDA Moves to Scrutinize Specialized Health Screenings
The agency issued a rule that brings new scrutiny to a range of critical lab-developed tests, including certain cancer and prenatal screenings. ProPublica previously reported how lab-test accuracy and marketing had skirted federal oversight.
Philips Agrees to Pay $1 Billion to Patients Who Say They Were Injured by Breathing Machines
The proposed settlement will effectively end more than 700 lawsuits filed after the 2021 recall of millions of the company’s widely used sleep apnea devices and ventilators.
States Across the Country Are Reforming Guardianship. New York Is Not One of Them.
New York’s system for caring for the sick and elderly is in shambles, experts say. But while lawmakers in other states are overhauling their approaches to guardianship, New York only budgeted $1 million to address its deep-seated problems.
A Doctor at Cigna Said Her Bosses Pressured Her to Review Patients’ Cases Too Quickly. Cigna Threatened to Fire Her.
Cigna tracks every minute that its staff doctors spend deciding whether to pay for health care. Dr. Debby Day said her bosses cared more about being fast than being right: “Deny, deny, deny. That’s how you hit your numbers,” Day said.
The Louisiana Town Where a Traffic Stop Can Lead to One Charge After Another
Gretna, Louisiana, brings in more money through fines and fees than some larger cities in the state. Much of that revenue comes from motorists who rack up multiple traffic violations, according to a WVUE-TV and ProPublica investigation.
Texas Appeals Court Throws Out Defamation Lawsuit Against ProPublica, Houston Chronicle
The news outlets’ 2018 investigation into famed Houston heart surgeon Bud Frazier provided a “fair, true, and impartial account,” the court said in its ruling, potentially bringing a close to the nearly six-year legal battle.
