Archive
How a Consultant Said He Gamed HUD Inspections: Sweep Problems Behind a Wall
A housing consultant was recorded bragging about how he helped properties pass HUD inspections, likening it to a “chess game manipulation strategy.”
In Immigrant Children’s Shelters, Sexual Assault Cases Are Open and Shut
Across the country, kids are reporting sexual assaults in immigrant children’s shelters. Alex decided to come forward. He told the shelter two older teens dragged him into a bedroom. There was surveillance video. But Alex's case wasn't investigated. His isn’t the only one.
How to Use the Ticket Trap, Our New Database That Lets You Explore How Chicago Tickets Motorists and Collects Debt
We hope you’ll play around with it and let us know how we can make it better.
Bloodstain Analysis Convinced a Jury She Stabbed Her 10-Year-Old Son. Now, Even Freedom Can’t Give Her Back Her Life.
Julie Rea was convicted of killing her son largely on the testimony of bloodstain-pattern analysts. She was later acquitted and exonerated, joining a growing community of Americans wrongly convicted with bad science.
Powerless: What It Looks and Sounds Like When a Gas Driller Overruns Your Land
The gas rush is upending communities with traffic and noise, reshaping the way the state looks and sounds. Residents are often powerless to stop it.
The Ticket Trap
We’ve collected data on 54 million tickets issued over the past two decades in the city. Search for your address and compare your ward with others, and see how Chicago’s reliance on ticketing affects motorists across the city.
VA Was “Taken Advantage Of” by Paying Billions in Fees, Secretary Says
Officials vowed to improve the department’s private care program. But lawmakers voiced concerns about higher costs and worse health care for veterans.
Top Cancer Doctor Resigns as Editor of Medical Journal
Dr. José Baselga, the former chief medical officer of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, was asked to resign after he failed to disclose corporate ties in dozens of scientific articles.
In Louisiana, More Than a Third of Ex-Lawmakers Continue to Try to Influence Their Old Colleagues
Jim Tucker, Troy Hebert and Nick Gautreaux are among 35 past lawmakers since 2010 who became lobbyists, agency heads, legislative influencers or state board appointees.
The Laquan McDonald Shooting Keeps Exposing Critical Flaws in Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act
After Chicago officials denied records requests from the police shooting, the attorney general’s office did little to push the city to make documents public.
Elkhart’s Mayor Says He Won’t Run for Re-election, Amid Revelations of Misconduct in the Police Ranks
Since November, two police officers have been charged with misdemeanor battery; news reports have detailed the promotion of many officers with disciplinary records; and the police chief has resigned.
Private Construction-Waste Truck Hits Man Outside de Blasio Event
The mayor has touted pedestrian safety as a core aim of his mayoralty, and the crash comes as his administration is pushing a major reform that it says will improve the safety records of the army of private commercial garbage trucks that crisscross the city’s streets.
The VA’s Private Care Program Gave Companies Billions and Vets Longer Waits
Trump wants to supersize a program that spent almost a quarter of its funds on overhead.
How We Crunched the Numbers on the VA’s Private Care Program
ProPublica and PolitiFact used VA data to follow the money meant for veterans’ private health care.
Austin Closes A High Number Of Its Rape Cases Without Arrests. The State’s Investigating Why.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler said the issue was “worthy of immediate attention” in the wake of an investigation by Newsy, Reveal and ProPublica.
California Knew the Carr Wildfire Could Happen. It Failed to Prevent it.
Dozens of interviews and a review of records show that virtually every aspect of the blaze had been forecast and worried over for years. Every level of government understood the dangers and took few, if any, of the steps needed to prevent catastrophe.
Joe Bryan in His Own Words: On Being Convicted With Expert Testimony That Turned Out to Be Wrong
In a moving interview, Bryan, who has spent 31 years in a Texas prison for the 1985 murder of his wife, talks about his life behind bars and trying keep hope alive.
6-Year-Old Separated From His Father Tells Judge He Wants to Go Home
The Salvadoran boy who appeared alone in immigration court last month returned this week with his father’s lawyer in tow. The law puts the decision to return to his family in his small hands.
Agency Policing Tent City for Immigrant Kids Lacks Experience Investigating Sex Crimes Involving Children
The Federal Protective Service, which primarily secures federal buildings, has been charged with responding to incidents at the shelter with 2,800 immigrant children in Tornillo, Texas.
Trump’s Inauguration Paid Trump’s Company — With Ivanka in the Middle
As the inaugural committee planned the landmark celebration, internal concerns were raised about whether Trump’s Washington hotel was overcharging for event space. The spending could be a violation of the law.
