Archive - South
Facing New Complaint, South Carolina Magistrate Removed as County’s Chief Judge
Magistrate Angel Underwood was removed from her post after court officials sat on a complaint for years. Underwood has been accused of failing to remain impartial toward the local sheriff’s department, which her husband used to run.
The Smoke Comes Every Year. Sugar Companies Say the Air Is Safe.
To harvest more than half of America’s cane sugar, billion-dollar companies set fire to fields, a money-saving practice that’s being banned by other countries. Some residents say they struggle to breathe, so we started tracking air quality.
Sugar Companies Said Our Investigation Is Flawed and Biased. Let’s Dive Into Why That’s Not the Case.
ProPublica and The Palm Beach Post published an investigation into the air quality in Florida’s heartland, where more than half the country’s cane sugar is harvested, often by burning the fields. Sugar companies challenged our reporting. We respond.
To Get a Shot at Justice, They Were Forced to Prove Their Disabled Daughter’s Intelligence
To qualify for Florida's NICA program, infants must suffer “substantial” damage to both body and mind. Though her body was broken, Brooklyn Grant’s mother and teachers knew she was smart. This is how they stood their ground — and won.
Florida Governor Signs Law Reforming Program for Brain-Damaged Infants
Parents who participate in the Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association, or NICA, receive a pledge from lawmakers that they will no longer have to fight for “medically necessary” expenses the program has claimed to cover all along.
A Program Promised to Pay for Brain-Damaged Infants’ Care. Then It Sent Families to Medicaid Instead.
Florida lawmakers stripped parents of the right to sue over births gone terribly wrong, created a program to cover those claims, made hundreds of millions investing the program’s funds and then offloaded much of the actual costs to Medicaid.
Eugene Clemons May Be Ineligible for the Death Penalty. A Rigid Clinton-Era Law Could Force Him to Be Executed Anyway.
His lawyers presented no defense at trial. Then a clerk’s office misplaced a plea for his civil rights behind a file cabinet. Now, it’s almost impossible for the federal courts to address the problems with his case.
“Have You Ever in Your Life Attended a Meeting of the Ku Klux Klan?”
Why a team of reporters embarked on an in-depth exploration of 150 years of history in Alamance County, North Carolina.
“Shadow Wins”: How ICE Avoids Judicial Accountability by Quietly Releasing Immigrants Who Challenge Being Detained
ICE helps maintain the status quo of prolonged detentions by releasing immigrants without having their cases vindicated in court, according to a new report.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Appeared in a Super PAC Ad Asking for Money. That Might Break the Rules.
Greene is working with a Republican ad maker who has a history of racist remarks and ties to extremist gun groups.
Dubious Arrests, Death Threats and Confederate Loyalists: Welcome to Graham, N.C.
How a small town became host to a showdown between residents who want to confront its gruesome legacy and the Confederates who claim it to this day. Overseeing it all: a hardline sheriff with a history of restricting protest.
In a Small Town, a Battle for Racial Justice Confronts a Bloody Past and an Uncertain Future
A frustrated Black Lives Matter activist. A die-hard Confederate loyalist. A sheriff who won’t back down. In a place where protests are restricted and violence feels imminent, many cry: “We don’t want to die no more.”
Florida Program to Aid Brain-Damaged Infants Publicly Embraces Reforms It Once Fought
While the executive director of the Florida program has sent a letter to families saying they will get more benefits and “services you have long deserved,” some parents ask why NICA waited until lawmakers insisted before embracing reform.
Florida Lawmakers Send Lifeline to Families With Brain-Damaged Children
After a series of investigative articles by the Miami Herald and ProPublica, the Florida Legislature passed a host of reforms to a state-run program for children born with catastrophic brain injuries.
“They’re Trying to Make It So We Walk Away”: It’s About to Get Harder to File Lawsuits Saying Sugar Harvesters Poisoned the Air
Some residents in a rural farming community say sugar harvesting is poisoning the air. The Florida Legislature just passed a bill that would make it harder to sue.
Parents Want Justice for Birth Injuries. Hospitals Want to Strip Them of the Right to Make That Decision.
Florida hospitals rely on the state’s NICA program to protect themselves from costly lawsuits. When parents resist, some of those same hospitals ask a judge to appoint an “independent guardian” to take the decision away.
State-Supported “Clean Energy” Loans Are Putting Borrowers at Risk of Losing Their Homes
Dozens of Missouri homeowners who used PACE loans to fix up their houses ended up trapped in debt and could soon see their homes sold at auction.
Florida Lawmakers Endorse Wide-Ranging Reforms in Program to Aid Brain-Damaged Babies
Bills in the Florida House and Senate would increase benefits for families of brain-damaged babies, add parental representation to the program’s board and create an ombudsman, following investigative stories by the Miami Herald and ProPublica.
Natural Gas Is Getting Cheaper. Thousands Are Paying More To Heat Their Homes Anyway.
Charlotte Lane was a top lobbyist for utility companies. Now she regulates them. A little-known law she previously pushed has allowed them to charge West Virginians for expensive pipeline projects with little oversight and few consumer protections.
Lessons From Bessemer: What Amazon’s Union Defeat Means for the American Labor Movement
Did the failed vote in Alabama deliver a fatal blow to employees’ union efforts, or is it just a temporary setback? History offers a few clues.
