Archive - Midwest
Blocked Crossings Crisis Draws Local and National Calls for Action
After seeing images of kids crawling under trains, regulators ask companies to address blocked crossings, lawmakers demand consequences, residents clamor for solutions and Norfolk Southern’s CEO calls a mayor to work out a fix.
As Rail Profits Soar, Blocked Crossings Force Kids to Crawl Under Trains to Get to School
When crossings are blocked for hours, kids risk their lives to get to school by crawling through trains that could start at any moment. Ambulances and fire trucks can’t get through. The problem has existed for decades. But it’s getting worse.
Another Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Punching Handcuffed Man
The conviction is the latest development in the extensive fallout from an investigation into the criminal justice system in Elkhart, Indiana, by ProPublica and the South Bend Tribune.
Minnesota Lets Nurses Practice While Disciplinary Investigations Drag On. Patients Keep Getting Hurt.
A 2015 state audit found the Minnesota Board of Nursing was slow to act on complaints about nurses, putting the public at risk. The board ramped up its discipline for a few years, but now cases are backing up again.
Sweeping Repatriation Reform Bill Unanimously Passes Illinois House of Representatives
If signed into law, the legislation would create a protected cemetery for the reburial of repatriated Native American ancestors and establish a committee of tribal leaders to review state projects that may disturb culturally significant sites.
A Rare Statue of Buddha Fails to Sell at Auction as Questions Swirl Around a Renowned Art Collection
What happened may be a sign that objects from the collection of James and Marilynn Alsdorf will have trouble finding buyers following questions about how they were acquired. The piece from Nepal was once displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago.
A Chicago Suburb Stopped Ticketing Students. But It Won’t Stop Pursuing a 3-Year-Old Case Over Missing AirPods.
The city’s prosecution of a former student comes as the state considers a ban on ticketing students at school. The case is headed to a jury trial.
Questions Shadow These Items From a Renowned Art Collection
Chicago art mavens James and Marilynn Alsdorf amassed their collection during an era where standards were looser than they are today. Now, the origins of more than a dozen objects they acquired face scrutiny.
Nepal Wants a Sacred Necklace Returned. But a Major Museum Still Keeps It on Display.
Questions about the origins and ownership of some Asian artifacts in a key collection at the Art Institute of Chicago have cast doubt on the museum’s commitment to keeping its galleries free of stolen antiquities.
Funcionarios toman medidas para abordar los problemas que enfrentan los trabajadores inmigrantes en las granjas lecheras de Wisconsin
Una investigación de ProPublica demuestra cómo las barreras del idioma contribuyeron a que las autoridades culparan erróneamente a un trabajador de una granja lechera por la muerte de su hijo. Los legisladores responden.
The Company Testing Air in East Palestine Homes Was Hired by Norfolk Southern. Experts Say That Testing Isn’t Enough.
“It’s almost like if you want to find nothing, you run in and run out,” says one expert.
Officials Move to Address Problems Facing Immigrant Workers on Wisconsin Dairy Farms
A ProPublica investigation showed how language barriers contributed to authorities wrongly blaming a dairy farm worker for his son’s death. Lawmakers have responded.
The Federal Government Is Investigating an Illinois School Where Students With Disabilities Were Frequently Arrested
The civil rights inquiry by the Department of Education follows a ProPublica and Chicago Tribune investigation that found the school regularly called police to arrest students.
Illinois to Relocate at Least Half of Residents in Facility Plagued by Abuse and Cover-Ups
Officials acknowledged that news reporting had put a spotlight on conditions at the center for people with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses. “Significant changes” are needed, the governor says.
New Bill Could End Police Ticketing in Illinois Schools
Students have continued to get costly citations for vaping, fighting and other misbehavior even after state officials directed educators to end the practice.
Minnesota May Chart Its Own Path Dealing With Anti-Abortion Counseling Centers
While other states move to defund “crisis pregnancy centers,” Minnesota may offer to renew their state grants — but with conditions.
A Christian Health Nonprofit Saddled Thousands With Debt as It Built a Family Empire Including a Pot Farm, a Bank and an Airline
Despite a history of fraud, one family has thrived in the regulatory no man’s land of health care sharing ministries, where insurance commissioners can’t investigate, federal agencies turn a blind eye and prosecutors reach paltry settlements.
Legislators Demand Hearings on Illinois Mental Health Facility Where Staff Abused Patients and Covered It Up
Repeated investigations of the center have revealed patients who were beaten and humiliated by staff, and staff who lied to cover up their actions.
¿Por qué investigamos la muerte de Jefferson? Carta a nuestros lectores.
Nuestras reporteras explican por qué investigamos la muerte de Jefferson.
Ayúdenos a investigar las condiciones en las granjas lecheras
Necesitamos su colaboración para entender las dificultades que enfrentan los trabajadores en los ranchos.
