Local Reporting Network Archive
How an Environmental Regulator Became Known for Protecting Industry
In the late 1980s, Louisiana’s governor made environmental protection a priority. He only lasted one term. Now, the state’s Department of Environmental Quality has a reputation for going easy on industry.
In “Cancer Alley,” Toxic Polluters Face Little Oversight From Environmental Regulators
Louisiana’s Department of Environmental Quality has been accused of protecting the chemical industry it regulates. The agency is facing cutbacks as new plants are slated for communities that already have some of the country’s most toxic air.
ProPublica Selects 13 Investigative Projects, New Editor for Third Year of Local Reporting Network
Seven of the projects will focus on state government, while the rest will cover a broad range of subjects, bringing the network to 20 total reporters. T. Christian Miller will also become a senior editor.
“They Painted Over Problems”: How Residents of One Affordable Housing Complex Went From Hope to Despair
Twenty years after a private developer took over an affordable housing complex, the property has deteriorated once again and is in need of a multimillion-dollar renovation. A multilayered and confusing financial situation has left some tenants distressed.
There Are Kentuckians Who Still Don’t Have Broadband Because the Former Governor Chose an Investment Bank Over Experts
A report from the state auditor confirms officials knew their initiative would likely cost much more than they were letting on. The project is two years behind schedule and could cost taxpayers $1.5 billion over the next 30 years.
A New Study Prompted by Our Reporting Confirms Elkhart, Indiana, Police Department Lacks Accountability
Elkhart community members viewed police officers as “cowboys” who participated in “rough treatment of civilians,” contributing to what the study called a “trust deficit.”
Inside Public Housing Where Cockroaches Drop From the Wall and Kids are Getting Sick
Illinois’ HUD inspection failure rate is among the worst in the nation. A housing authority has delayed replacing one property for more than a decade. As the need for public housing rises, conditions in the aging structures are deteriorating.
HUD Inspect: See if Publicly Subsidized Housing Units Passed or Failed Government Inspections
Across the country, publicly subsidized housing residents have discovered that passing scores on HUD inspections often don't match the reality of their living conditions. Look up housing complex scores near you.
We Investigated Magistrates. Now, Lawmakers Want to Overhaul the System.
State lawmakers in South Carolina are proposing changes to how lower-court judges are selected after a Post and Courier-ProPublica investigation. The probe found a system that places connections over qualifications.
Sen. Chuck Grassley Wants a Hospital System That Sued Poor Patients to Explain Itself
After an investigation by MLK50 and ProPublica, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee criticized the practices of Memphis’ largest hospital system for aggressively suing low-income patients.
See How This Political Boss and His Associates Bought Up Valuable Land After A Tax Break Law
Camden’s waterfront sat vacant for decades, but George E. Norcross III helped to usher in lucrative tax breaks. The land went to his friends and allies. Now, federal investigators are looking into some of the deals.
Why Are Cops Around the World Using This Outlandish Mind-Reading Tool?
The creator of Scientific Content Analysis, or SCAN, says the tool can identify deception. Law enforcement has used his method for decades, even though there’s no reliable science behind it. Even the CIA and FBI have bought in.
Chemical Companies Are Building Their Plants Overseas and Shipping Them Back In. They Still Get State Tax Breaks.
Louisiana attracts chemical companies with one of the country’s most generous tax exemptions. The idea is to bring jobs to the state. Instead, construction often happens offsite, and automation has cut down on the jobs that remain.
These Cops are Supposed to Protect Rural Villages. They’re in the Suburbs Instead.
Many remote Alaska Native villages have no law enforcement at all. But state troopers can be found in wealthier, and mainly non-Native, suburbs, where growing communities have resisted paying for their own police department.
This Judge Is Married to the Sheriff. Ethics Complaints Have Piled Up.
Magistrate Angel Underwood was suspended after conflicts involving her husband, the sheriff. But she wasn’t required to disclose that before her reappointment this year. She’s still on the bench, and complaints say her conflicts have continued.
EMS Crews Brought Patients to the Hospital With Misplaced Breathing Tubes. None of Them Survived.
In the world of emergency medicine, an unrecognized esophageal intubation is a “never event,” meaning that it shouldn’t happen under any circumstances. In Rhode Island, it’s occurred 12 times in the last three years. In each case, the patient died.
A Misplaced Breathing Tube Can Be Fatal. New Studies Suggest They Should Be Used Less Often.
EMS agencies perform intubations to help restore breathing to cardiac arrest patients. New studies show patients fare as well or better with less-invasive alternatives.
He Defended the Confederate Flag and Insulted Immigrants. Now He’s a Judge.
Former state Rep. Mike Pitts made anti-immigrant and racially charged remarks seemingly at odds with South Carolina’s judicial code. He sailed through an appointment process as a magistrate nominee with little scrutiny and no debate.
This Doctors Group Is Owned by a Private Equity Firm and Repeatedly Sued the Poor Until We Called Them
After the Blackstone Group acquired one of the nation’s largest physician staffing firms in 2017, low-income patients faced far more aggressive debt collection lawsuits. They only stopped after ProPublica and MLK50 asked about it.
