Archive
This Man’s Conviction Was Overturned After Two Years in Prison. But the City Said He Didn’t Deserve a Dime.
A jury found New York City liable for NYPD rights violations in a case city lawyers fought for years. Critics say the hardball approach helps perpetuate a cycle of police misconduct.
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.
How We Measured the Environmental Cost of Bankrupt Mines
Using data from Kentucky and West Virginia environmental regulators, ProPublica and Mountain State Spotlight found that mines that have gone through multiple bankruptcies in the past decade had a higher median number of environmental violations than nonbankrupt mines.
In the Game of Musical Mines, Environmental Damage Takes a Back Seat
Jeff Hoops built Blackjewel into the nation’s sixth largest coal company by acquiring bankrupt mines. When it declared bankruptcy, he pivoted to other ventures, leaving polluted streams and mud-shrouded roads in his wake.
Roadside Drug Tests Used to Convict People Aren’t Particularly Accurate. Courts Are Beginning to Prevent Their Use.
Field test kits provide the evidence most commonly used to secure convictions in drug cases in the U.S. One judge called the tests “arbitrary and unlawful guesswork.”
Is the Metropolitan Museum of Art Displaying Objects That Belong to Native American Tribes?
Only a small percentage of works donated by Charles and Valerie Diker have clear ownership histories. Experts say this could mean objects are stolen or fake. Meanwhile, the Met has been slow to ask tribes for information about the items.
Washington State Legislature Strengthens Oversight of Private Special Education Schools
In response to a Seattle Times and ProPublica series, the state is getting more power to regulate schools for students with disabilities.
The Federal Government Accidentally Burned Down Their Houses, Then Made It Hard to Come Home
FEMA told survivors of the largest wildfire in New Mexico history that it aimed to put temporary housing on their land. But because of its strict, slow-moving bureaucracy, that has happened only twice.
Techos colapsados, baños sin servicio, salones inundados: dentro de las escuelas peor financiadas del país
Idaho gasta menos en escuelas por estudiante que cualquier otro estado. Los niños sudan, se hielan y se les dificulta aprender.
New Law Aims to Save Oysters on the Mississippi Coast
As Mississippi’s oyster population continues its freefall, state leaders turn to a model that has helped in Louisiana.
Senate Committee Probes Top Universities, Museums Over Failures to Repatriate Human Remains
U.S. senators want five institutions to explain why they continue to hold thousands of Native American remains and belongings, following reporting from ProPublica and NBC News. “It’s immoral, it’s hypocritical, and it has to stop,” one senator said.
In Secret Recording, a Top City Library Official Calls Alaska Natives “Woke” and “Racists”
Despite Judy Eledge’s history of inflammatory comments and social media posts, Alaska’s governor has awarded her public money and a national role. What’s more, city and state agencies meant to protect Alaskans’ civil rights have been hamstrung.
When GOP Attorneys General Embraced Jan. 6, Corporate Funders Fled. Now They’re Back.
Even as the Republican Attorneys General Association has leaned further into promoting Trumpism and sowing doubt about U.S. elections, major sponsors including Amazon, Walmart and Home Depot have resumed their contributions to the group.
After Pandemic Delays, FDA Still Struggling to Inspect Foreign Drug Manufacturers
In the wake of recent deaths from bacteria-tainted eyedrops, a ProPublica analysis of FDA data reveals that the agency only inspected 6% of the overseas plants where drugs and their ingredients are produced in 2022.
Blown Away: Fishermen Endangered by Offshore Wind’s Political Power
Turbines the height of 70-story skyscrapers will soon tower over East Coast fishing grounds. But government regulators with ties to offshore wind developers are downplaying the danger to the marine ecosystem and fishermen’s livelihoods.
