Local Reporting Network Archive
Help Us Investigate Collection Practices at Virginia Colleges and Universities
Academic institutions are sending students’ unpaid tuition bills to collection agencies and courthouses. Has this happened to you or anyone you know?
Four Types of Scandals Utility Companies Get Into With Money From Your Electric Bills
When power companies across the country fight for favorable legislation, sometimes their efforts cross the line and customers pay the price.
Electionland 2020: Florida Felon Voting, Election Websites, DOJ Policies and More
This week’s headlines on mask-wearing at the polls, ongoing litigation and misinformation.
Inside the Utility Company Lobbying Blitz That Will Hike Electric Bills
Democrats who campaigned against Virginia’s largest public utility, Dominion Energy, swept into office. Then the company’s lobbying efforts kicked into high gear. Here’s how it fought against legislation meant to lower residents’ electric bills.
ProPublica to Launch New Regional Units in the South and Southwest; ProPublica Illinois to Expand to Midwest Regional Newsroom
Nonprofit Newsroom Also Launches Distinguished Fellows Program to Support Local Investigative Journalism
She Was Afraid of Her Lawyer. Then the Text Messages Started.
Leah Kerwin started receiving daily texts and videos explicitly requesting oral sex or intercourse. They came from her court-appointed attorney, who had already been suspended for other misconduct.
Maine Hires Lawyers With Criminal Records to Defend Its Poorest Residents
Maine is the only state in the country with no public defender system. Instead, legal services for the poor are left to private attorneys, who face disproportionately high amounts of discipline, and an office that doesn’t supervise them.
What Happens After a Debt Collection Machine Grinds to a Halt
One year ago, Methodist Le Bonheur hospital system erased nearly $12 million of medical debt after an investigation from MLK50 and ProPublica. We checked in with two women who have new jobs and a new optimism about their future.
Ohio Just Ordered GM to Repay $28 Million in Tax Breaks for Closing the Lordstown Auto Plant
General Motors received more than $60 million in tax credits to operate a massive assembly plant in Lordstown until 2040. But after the facility closed last year, the state says GM must pay back roughly half of those tax benefits.
The Federal Government Promised Native American Students Computers and Internet. Many Are Still Waiting.
Native American students in BIE operated schools were forced to start the school year without adequate technology, sometimes sharing a single computer among siblings, because the agency disbursed funding late and failed to purchase equipment in time.
Gov. Gavin Newsom Says California Is Cracking Down on Oil Spills. But Our Reporting Shows Many Are Still Flowing.
After we reported oil companies are making millions from illegal spills, California’s governor defended his administration’s record on oil regulation.
Gov. Jim Justice’s Companies Have Now Reached $140 Million in Lawsuit Settlements and Judgments Over Unpaid Bills
A company owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice agreed to a $4.4 million settlement over missed coal shipments. ProPublica previously reported that Justice’s businesses were sued dozens of times for millions in unpaid bills.
How Criminal Cops Often Avoid Jail
New Jersey officers accused of violence, sexual misconduct and more have walked free in deals that dodge a tough sentencing law. Now lawmakers want to eliminate it.
What Happens to New Jersey Officers Charged With Official Misconduct? We Gathered the Cases to Find Out.
How we used court records, charging documents and news clips to show how often criminal cops avoided jail time with reduced sentences.
Her Stepfather Admitted to Sexually Abusing Her. That Wasn’t Enough to Keep Her Safe.
More than 30 years after telling a teacher that her stepfather was molesting her, Sherri Stewart is running out of time to understand why he remained free, and why she was sent back to endure more harm.
Oil Companies Are Profiting From Illegal Spills. And California Lets Them.
California may be a global leader on combating climate change, but state regulators have allowed companies like Chevron to make millions from inland oil spills that can endanger workers and damage the environment.
A Wealthy Governor’s Coal Company Might Get a Big Break From His Own Regulators
West Virginia environmental regulators are proposing fine reductions for water pollution violations from a coal company owned by Gov. Jim Justice, even after the company promised to clean up its mines.
New Research Shows Disproportionate Rate of Coronavirus Deaths in Polluted Areas
The type of pollution emitted by many chemical plants in Louisiana's industrial corridor is correlated with increased coronavirus deaths, according to new peer-reviewed research from SUNY and ProPublica.
