Local Reporting Network Archive
Dubious Arrests, Death Threats and Confederate Loyalists: Welcome to Graham, N.C.
How a small town became host to a showdown between residents who want to confront its gruesome legacy and the Confederates who claim it to this day. Overseeing it all: a hardline sheriff with a history of restricting protest.
Sound of Judgement
A frustrated Black Lives Matter activist. A die-hard Confederate loyalist. A sheriff who won’t back down. In a small Town, a battle for racial justice confronts a bloody past and an uncertain future. In a place where protests are restricted and violence feels imminent, many cry: “We don’t want to die no more.” This documentary is a The News & Observer/ProPublica production. The News & Observer is a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network.
In a Small Town, a Battle for Racial Justice Confronts a Bloody Past and an Uncertain Future
A frustrated Black Lives Matter activist. A die-hard Confederate loyalist. A sheriff who won’t back down. In a place where protests are restricted and violence feels imminent, many cry: “We don’t want to die no more.”
Help Us Investigate the Vallejo Police Department
Reporters have documented 33 killings by police since 2000 in Vallejo. We need your help to learn more about Vallejo police violence and potential misconduct.
The U.S. Owes Hawaiians Millions of Dollars Worth of Land. Congress Helped Make Sure the Debt Wasn’t Paid.
In a 1995 law, the U.S. promised to pay its land debt to Hawaiians, thousands of whom are waiting for homes. But Congress, including the state’s own delegation, voted to give the land to other parties.
How the Deals Approved by Congress Bypassed Thousands of Hawaiians Waiting for Homes
A 1995 law sought to repay land debt to Native Hawaiians. But when excess plots became available, much of the desirable land went elsewhere through private sales. Here's how the deals were authorized.
Florida Program to Aid Brain-Damaged Infants Publicly Embraces Reforms It Once Fought
While the executive director of the Florida program has sent a letter to families saying they will get more benefits and “services you have long deserved,” some parents ask why NICA waited until lawmakers insisted before embracing reform.
Florida Lawmakers Send Lifeline to Families With Brain-Damaged Children
After a series of investigative articles by the Miami Herald and ProPublica, the Florida Legislature passed a host of reforms to a state-run program for children born with catastrophic brain injuries.
“They’re Trying to Make It So We Walk Away”: It’s About to Get Harder to File Lawsuits Saying Sugar Harvesters Poisoned the Air
Some residents in a rural farming community say sugar harvesting is poisoning the air. The Florida Legislature just passed a bill that would make it harder to sue.
Parents Want Justice for Birth Injuries. Hospitals Want to Strip Them of the Right to Make That Decision.
Florida hospitals rely on the state’s NICA program to protect themselves from costly lawsuits. When parents resist, some of those same hospitals ask a judge to appoint an “independent guardian” to take the decision away.
Florida Lawmakers Endorse Wide-Ranging Reforms in Program to Aid Brain-Damaged Babies
Bills in the Florida House and Senate would increase benefits for families of brain-damaged babies, add parental representation to the program’s board and create an ombudsman, following investigative stories by the Miami Herald and ProPublica.
Natural Gas Is Getting Cheaper. Thousands Are Paying More To Heat Their Homes Anyway.
Charlotte Lane was a top lobbyist for utility companies. Now she regulates them. A little-known law she previously pushed has allowed them to charge West Virginians for expensive pipeline projects with little oversight and few consumer protections.
Hershey Profits Fund $17 Billion Endowment for Nonprofit School, but Board Member Says It Won’t Let Him See Financial Records
A director and alumnus of America’s wealthiest boarding school claims he had to sue the institution to see how it spends the funding it receives from sales of Hershey bars and Reese’s Pieces.
“We Are Not Here or Funded to ‘Promote the Best Interest’ of the Children,” Wrote the Head of a Program for Brain-Damaged Infants
A Florida program promises support to families of severely brain-damaged infants. Instead, parents have been forced to choose between parenting and a paycheck. Poor communication and bureaucratic hurdles have made the situation worse.
Florida Plans Audit of Program That Blocks Parents of Brain-Damaged Newborns From Suing
Officials called for reforms hours after an investigation by the Miami Herald and ProPublica identified gaps in a Florida program that strips families of their right to sue when births go horribly wrong.
She Can’t Sue Her Doctor Over Her Baby’s Death. When She Spoke Out, She Was Silenced Again.
Ruth Jacques, distraught over the fatal injuries her son suffered during childbirth, couldn’t sue her doctor because of an obscure Florida state law. When she protested at his office, she was told to cease and desist.
When Births Go Horribly Wrong, Florida Protects Doctors and Forces Families to Pay the Price
A Florida program designed to reduce doctors’ malpractice bills strips families of their right to sue, offering instead a one-time payment and promises to cover medical expenses. Some parents report a bureaucratic nightmare that’s anything but supportive.
The Emergency 911 System Where Callers Still Don’t Always Get Proper CPR Instructions
It’s taken two years and $1.2 million to get Rhode Island’s 911 system ready to provide CPR and other medical instructions to callers. The system should be working in June. Rhode Island is the last state in New England to provide this service.
