Archive - South
Mo Brooks Compared Biden’s Election to the Start of the Civil War. Now He Wants a Senate Seat.
The Alabama Republican led the fight to overturn election results. On Jan. 6, he spoke to the crowd that later stormed the Capitol, resulting in five deaths. Brooks blamed antifa. Now he’s hoping it will get him elected to the Senate.
The Coal Plant Next Door
Near America’s largest coal-fired power plant, toxins are showing up in drinking water and people have fallen ill. Thousands of pages of internal documents show how one giant energy company plans to avoid the cleanup costs.
There’s Only One State Where Falling Behind on Rent Could Mean Jail Time. That Could Change.
Only Arkansas permits criminal consequences for nonpayment of rent — and it has enforced the law during the pandemic. Now, after ProPublica investigated the practice, some legislators want to revoke the statute.
America’s Drinking Water Is Surprisingly Easy to Poison
The cyberbreach at a plant in Oldsmar, Florida, which could have resulted in a mass poisoning, was a reminder of a disturbing reality: Despite a decade of warnings, thousands of water systems around the country are still at risk.
This Billionaire Governor’s Coal Companies Owe Millions More in Environmental Fines
The richest person in West Virginia, who is also the state’s governor, owns coal companies that routinely violate environmental laws. Latest filings say the companies owe over $3 million for not complying with a major water pollution settlement.
How Inequity Gets Built Into America’s Vaccination System
People eligible for the coronavirus vaccine tell us they are running up against barriers that are designed into the very systems meant to serve those most at risk of dying of the disease. We plan to continue tracking these roadblocks.
People Over 75 Are First in Line to Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19. The Average Black Person Here Doesn’t Live That Long.
Prioritizing COVID-19 vaccinations for people 75 and up can leave out Black Americans, who tend to die younger than their white counterparts. In majority-Black Shelby County, this gap raises questions of how to make the vaccine rollout equitable.
Air Quality Regulators in “Cancer Alley” Have Fallen Dangerously Behind
An audit found that the time it takes the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to issue penalties to polluters has doubled. Some companies that have been known to violate air quality rules were able to keep at it for years, or even decades.
“The People We Serve Are Paying Too Much for Energy:” Virginia Lawmakers Are Targeting Dominion Energy
A bipartisan group of Virginia lawmakers are pushing a legislative package to strengthen oversight of the state’s largest utility, Dominion Energy. The effort could return millions in refunds to customers.
How Many Vaccine Shots Go to Waste? Several States Aren’t Counting.
The CDC says health facilities should report unused and spoiled COVID-19 vaccines, but many are failing to do so. At a time when there aren’t enough shots to meet demand, significant numbers may be going in the trash.
Memphis-Area Residents Without Internet Must Wait Days for Vaccination Appointments, While Others Go to the Front of the Line
The county’s decision to prioritize vaccinations for internet users — and its failure to set aside any appointments for callers — raises issues of equity and access, say experts.
South Carolina’s Governor Addresses Magistrate Judge Controversy by Urging Changes
An investigation from the Post and Courier and ProPublica found that most judges had no law training and some accepted bribes, stole money and ignored constitutional protections. Now, South Carolina’s governor says he wants change.
The Radicalization of Kevin Greeson
How one man went from attending President Barack Obama’s inauguration to dying in the mob protesting Donald Trump’s election loss during the Capitol insurrection.
The Nursing Home Didn’t Send Her to the Hospital, and She Died
Palestine Howze didn’t have COVID-19, but a law enacted to protect health providers during the pandemic could derail her family’s wrongful death suit.
Magistrate Judges Took Bribes, Stole Money and Mishandled Cases. South Carolina Officials Now Want Reform.
South Carolina lawmakers are eyeing reforms to strengthen oversight of magistrate judges after ProPublica and The Post and Courier found some had been appointed and reappointed despite ethical and professional lapses.
Vaccinating Black Americans Is Essential. Key States Aren’t Doing the Work to Combat Hesitancy
States and the federal government also don’t reliably collect data so we won’t have a good idea of whether the vaccine is reaching these critical populations.
For Years, JaMarcus Crews Tried to Get a New Kidney, but Corporate Healthcare Stood in the Way
He needed dialysis to stay alive. He couldn't miss a session, not even during a pandemic.
Sen. David Perdue Sold His Home to a Finance Industry Official Whose Organization Was Lobbying the Senate
The same year FINRA was lobbying the Senate on a bill, one of its board governors paid Perdue $1.8 million for his D.C. townhouse. Perdue sits on the Senate Banking Committee, which oversaw the bill.
Federal Regulators Are Rewriting Environmental Rules So a Massive Pipeline Can Be Built
Federal regulators and West Virginia agencies are rewriting environmental rules again to pave the way for construction of a major natural gas pipeline across Appalachia, even after an appeals court blocked the pipeline for the second time.
