Local Reporting Network Archive

This Governor Still Guides His Billion-Dollar Business Empire, Even Though He Said He Wouldn’t

Jim Justice promised West Virginians he would focus on public service, and not his businesses, once he was elected. But he’s frequently used his power as governor to promote his own corporate entities while running the state.

ProPublica Will Fund More Local News Investigations in 2020

ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network produces impactful accountability stories that wouldn’t be done otherwise. Now, we’re looking for six more partners to work with in 2020.

How a Politically Powerful Family Muscled a Nonprofit Out of Some of a City’s Most Valuable Land

Tax breaks were supposed to lead to a rebirth for one state’s poorest city. But the city has also been reshaped by the rich and influential Norcross family in ways that benefit it and its allies.

An Inmate Needed Emergency Medical Help. The Jail’s Response: See if She Has Insurance.

Audio obtained by AL.com and ProPublica shows the jail administrator wanted to see if they would be responsible for an inmate’s medical bills before sending her to the hospital. She died a day later.

These Sheriffs Release Sick Inmates to Avoid Paying Their Hospital Bills

Inmates suffering heart attacks, on the verge of diabetic comas and brutalized in jail beatings have been released so sheriffs wouldn’t have to pay for their medical care. Some were rearrested once they had recovered.

This Lawyer Fought Housing Segregation. Now Wealthy Suburbanites Want to Fire His Firm.

Westport is the second Connecticut town this year to pressure one of the state’s leading law firms to abandon its affordable housing work — or risk losing the local school system as a client.

We Reported on a Nonprofit Hospital System That Sues Poor Patients. It Just Freed Thousands From Debt.

After an investigation by MLK50 and ProPublica, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is erasing debt for unpaid hospital bills owed by more than 6,500 patients. Our reporting found the hospital had profited by aggressively pursuing patients who couldn’t pay.

Justice Department Will Fund More Prosecutors, Jails and Cops in Rural Alaska

To improve what it calls a public safety emergency, the DOJ detailed how it will spend $10.5 million. Alaska Native advocates want long-term reforms to increase their role in local justice systems as well.

Thousands of Poor Patients Face Lawsuits From Nonprofit Hospitals That Trap Them in Debt

Across the country, low-income patients are overcoming stigmas surrounding poverty to speak out about nonprofit hospitals that sue them. Federal officials are noticing. Help us keep the pressure on.

Assaults, Bullying, Rape: A Lawsuit Against One Professor Claims a University Didn’t Stop Him

Former University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign professor Gary Gang Xu assaulted and threatened students while university officials downplayed complaints, a lawsuit says. He ultimately resigned, taking $10,000 as part of his separation agreement.

We Reported on Troubled Prisons. Now, Officials and a Gang Have a Shared Goal: Reform.

Following our reporting, top Republicans and Democrats want to take a closer look at Mississippi’s prison system. Meanwhile, one gang says it has turned in more than 250 weapons to show it’s against violence.

She Leapt From a Moving Car to Escape Her Rapist. Then, She Waited 18 Years for an Arrest.

Anna Sattler’s rape kit sat untested since 2001 as Alaska’s backlog got worse. Now, an ex-Iditarod musher faces charges, and she’s speaking publicly about the attack for the first time.

Lawmakers and Students Say Professors Who Sexually Harass Should Face Stronger Consequences

After NPR Illinois and ProPublica found that several University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign professors who violated policies were allowed to quietly resign and take paid leave with their reputations intact, lawmakers called for reforms.

How Kentucky Gambled for Hundreds of Millions of Dollars From a Broadband Program It Didn’t Qualify for

Former Gov. Steve Beshear’s administration was warned multiple times that its rural broadband bet wouldn’t get certain federal funds. Meet the officials and conflicted consultants who didn’t listen and doomed the plan.

ProPublica Wants Pitches for State Government Investigations. Apply for a Spot in Our Local Reporting Network.

ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network produces impactful accountability stories that wouldn’t be done otherwise. Now, we’re looking for seven partners to work with in 2020.

At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Preserving the Reputations of Sexual Harassers

An administrator resigned amid sexual harassment accusations. Another college hired him. A professor was found to have stalked a coworker. She agreed to retire, then won a Fulbright grant. Campus leaders vow reforms, but many say it’s a long road.

One Campus. Seven Professors Facing Harassment Accusations. Few Consequences.

We found several sexual harassment allegations against University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign faculty that haven’t been publicly reported. Here’s a rundown of the accusations, the consequences each faced and their responses.

Have You Experienced Sexual Misconduct at an Illinois University or College? We Want to Hear From You.

We’d like to hear about your experience with misconduct on campus, or if you were subjected to it but did not or could not file a report. We need help understanding flaws in the systems intended to hold perpetrators accountable.

State Tax Breaks Rewarded Companies Connected to One Powerful Man. The Governor Just Killed Them — for Now.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy vetoed the state’s controversial tax incentive program after a WNYC-ProPublica investigation into its connection to George E. Norcross III, and months of scrutiny.

Some of the Country’s Worst Prisons Have Escaped Justice Department Action

Prisons in Alabama are so bad, the Department of Justice said they violate Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment. We found prisons in Mississippi that may be even worse.

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