Local Reporting Network Archive
Mississippi Remains an Outlier in Jailing People With Serious Mental Illness Without Charges
At least a dozen states have banned the practice of jailing people without charges while they await mental health treatment. But Mississippi routinely keeps people in jail during the civil commitment process.
Their Families Said They Needed Treatment. Mississippi Officials Threw Them in Jail Without Charges.
In Mississippi, serious mental illness or substance abuse can land you in jail, even if you aren’t charged with a crime. The state is a stark outlier in jailing so many people for so long, but many officials say they don’t have another option.
How We Found What the City of Los Angeles Didn’t: Landlords Renting Low-Cost Housing to Tourists
Hotel ads, booking sites and guest reviews. Tourists staying in rooms meant for low-cost housing. Yet the city’s Housing Department has cited few landlords for violating the residential hotel law.
FEMA Has So Far Paid Out Less Than 1% of What Congress Allocated for Victims of New Mexico Wildfire
Congress gave FEMA $3.95 billion to compensate victims of the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire in northern New Mexico. Seven months later, just $3 million has been paid, and most hasn’t gone to households.
LA Promised to Preserve Low-Cost Housing. These Tenants’ Homes Were Turned Into Hotel Rooms Anyway.
When the American Hotel converted into a tourist hotel, its long-term residents lost not just their affordable housing but the creative community that long thrived in the iconic building.
TitleMax Demands High-Interest Payments From Borrowers in Bankruptcy
In Georgia, borrowers looking to alleviate debt through Chapter 13 bankruptcy can’t escape their high-interest title pawns thanks to a legal loophole that TitleMax helped secure.
How We Measured the Title Lending Industry in Georgia
No statewide agency monitors Georgia’s high-interest title lenders, so we used a variety of data sources to reveal the scope of the industry and its impact on customers who file for bankruptcy.
Los Angeles Housing Department Will Investigate Residential Hotels
Following a Capital & Main and ProPublica investigation, which found that buildings meant for housing are instead being rented to tourists, the mayor’s office asked for a review.
Illinois Leaves Three Administrators in Charge at Choate Despite Troubled History of Resident Care
A new state watchdog report calls for a “fundamental overhaul” at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center. But the state kept on administrators who were in charge during some of the facility’s most troubled years.
Problems With Abuse, Neglect and Cover-Ups at Choate Extend to Other Developmental Centers in Illinois
Prompted by an outcry over abuse, Illinois proposed moving residents from Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center to similar facilities in the state. New reporting shows the problems at Choate are common throughout the statewide system.
Checked Out: How LA Failed to Stop Landlords From Turning Low-Cost Housing Into Tourist Hotels
Fifteen years ago Los Angeles passed a law to preserve residential hotels as housing of last resort. Now, amid the homelessness crisis, Capital & Main and ProPublica found some hotels may be violating that law by offering rooms to tourists.
Mississippi Says Poor Defendants Must Always Have a Lawyer. Few Courts Are Ready to Deliver.
A rule requiring poor criminal defendants to have a lawyer throughout the criminal process took effect Saturday. Few courts in the state have plans in place.
Health Care Workers Who Cover Up Patient Abuse Face Stiffer Penalties Under New Illinois Law
The legislation, spurred by a news investigation, allows workers to be barred from health care jobs for obstructing investigations into staff misconduct. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill on Friday.
West Virginia Governor’s Coal Empire Sued by the Federal Government — Again
The lawsuit, filed by the Justice Department, seeks millions in unpaid environmental fines as Gov. Jim Justice begins his campaign for the U.S. Senate.
Anchorage Gave Her a $1.6 Million Grant Despite Prior Fraud Allegations. Now She’s Under Investigation Again.
Despite a history of fraud allegations, Rosalina Mavaega was made an Anchorage city commissioner and given a large grant to support her homeless services charity. Federal investigators are looking into her business dealings.
Feds Say Jefferson Parish Deputies May Have Violated Law in Death of Autistic Teen
Officers sat on the 16-year-old’s back for nine minutes before he died. They claim they needed to do so because he posed a threat.
New York Charter Schools Write Their Own Rules for When to Call 911 on Students Having a Mental Health Crisis
Families say Success Academy and other publicly funded but privately run schools are allowed to punish and discriminate against students by calling in emergency services.
ProPublica Partner Sues Mississippi County for Blocking Access to Search Warrants
A joint investigation found that many Mississippi courts thwart public scrutiny of search warrants. Experts say that violates long-standing norms of public access and the state’s public records law.
As Residential Care Homes Expand in Maine, Seniors Don’t Always Get the Care They Need
The disappearance of nursing home beds is sending thousands to “nonmedical” residences that aren’t equipped to handle more intensive health needs.
Library Official Resigns After Publication of Her Secretly Recorded Inflammatory Comments
Judy Eledge, deputy director of the Anchorage Public Library, is leaving her post after ProPublica and the Anchorage Daily News documented her history of offensive comments and social media posts about Native Alaskans and the LGBTQ+ community.
