Archive - South
How Residents in a Rural Alabama County Are Confronting the Lasting Harm of Segregation Academies
In Wilcox County, Alabama, many people say they want to bridge racial divides created by their segregated schools. But they must face a long and painful history.
Segregation Academies Still Operate Across the South. One Town Grapples With Its Divided Schools.
Seventy years after Brown v. Board, Black and white residents, in Camden, Alabama, say they would like to see their children schooled together. But after so long apart, they aren’t sure how to make it happen.
Mississippi Lawmakers Move to Limit the Jail Detentions of People Awaiting Mental Health Treatment
Supporters say the measure is a step forward in curbing the number of people jailed during civil commitment. But some local officials say the impact will be limited unless the state makes other changes, including adding psychiatric beds.
Georgia Promised to Fix How Voter Challenges Are Handled. A New Law Could Make the Problem Worse.
SB 189, which goes into effect in July, will give Georgia residents more time to contest the eligibility of fellow citizens’ inclusion on voter rolls and make it easier to use questionable evidence in those challenges.
Transgender Care Coverage Policies in North Carolina and West Virginia Are Discriminatory, Court Rules
The states violated federal law by banning coverage of certain treatments for transgender people but allowing it for others, according to a decision that could influence courts around the country.
The Louisiana Town Where a Traffic Stop Can Lead to One Charge After Another
Gretna, Louisiana, brings in more money through fines and fees than some larger cities in the state. Much of that revenue comes from motorists who rack up multiple traffic violations, according to a WVUE-TV and ProPublica investigation.
Despite Outcry Over Seclusion at Juvenile Detention Centers, Tennessee Lawmakers Fail to Pass Oversight Bill
The legislation, sponsored by two prominent Republicans, had backing from the Department of Children’s Services and would have cost the state nothing. Child welfare advocates are baffled as to why it failed.
Atlanta Movie Studio Executive Apologizes After Sending Racist, Antisemitic Texts
Ryan Millsap’s apology for his messages, which were revealed by a ProPublica and Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation, comes as influential government and entertainment officials said they were disappointed by his derogatory rhetoric.
The Family Photographs That Helped Us Investigate How a University Displaced a Black Community
A longtime resident of the Shoe Lane area in Virginia chronicled the life of his community as it was demolished by Christopher Newport University. His photographs helped a reporter seek accountability.
A Powerful Atlanta Movie Executive Praised for His Diversity Efforts Shared Racist, Antisemitic Sentiments in Texts
Ryan Millsap has built important relationships with Black leaders and Jewish colleagues. But his private communications, copies of which were filed in court, exhibit derogatory views toward those communities.
Tennessee Is Ramping Up Penalties for Student Threats. Research Shows That’s Not the Best Way to Keep Schools Safe.
Zero-tolerance measures can counteract what some experts consider a crucial tool for protecting students and the larger community.
The EPA Has Done Nearly Everything It Can to Clean Up This Town. It Hasn’t Worked.
Despite years of air monitoring, inspections and millions in penalties for petrochemical plants, the air in Calvert City, Kentucky, remains polluted. The EPA’s inability to fix it is an indictment of the laws governing clean air, experts say.
The Flooding Will Come “No Matter What”
The complex, contradictory and heartbreaking process of American climate migration is underway.
When the Number of Bedrooms in a Home Keeps Parents From Getting Their Kids Back
Even after resolving other safety concerns, parents in Georgia can wait for months to be reunited with their children, often because of what advocates say are stringent requirements sought by the state’s Division of Family and Children Services.
“Everyone Will Die in Prison”: How Louisiana’s Plan to Lock People Up Longer Imperils Its Sickest Inmates
Janice Parker has witnessed the failing medical care at Angola, the state’s largest prison, on her frequent visits to see her paralyzed son. Laws passed at the behest of Gov. Jeff Landry threaten to further strain that system.
Tennessee Lawmakers Want More Oversight of Juvenile Detention. The Department of Children’s Services Is Pushing Back.
New legislation would shift enforcement power to an independent agency after a WPLN and ProPublica investigation found that a Knoxville detention center was illegally locking kids alone in cells.
Virginia Lawmakers Approve Commission to Examine Universities’ Displacement of Black Communities
The groundbreaking commission, which was proposed in response to our “Uprooted” series, would consider compensation for dislodged property owners and their descendants. Whether Gov. Glenn Youngkin will sign the bill is unclear.
Liberty University Hit With Record Fines for Failing to Handle Complaints of Sexual Assault, Other Crimes
Spurred by a ProPublica investigation, the federal Department of Education found the evangelical school in Virginia had discouraged students from reporting rape and other crimes.
Lawmakers Could Limit When County Officials in Mississippi Can Jail People Awaiting Psychiatric Treatment
The legislation follows reporting by Mississippi Today and ProPublica showing that hundreds of people in the state are jailed every year while awaiting court-ordered treatment simply because public mental health facilities are full or too far away.
Their States Banned Abortion. Doctors Now Say They Can’t Give Women Potentially Lifesaving Care.
In Tennessee and other states that banned abortion, doctors are left to debate high-risk pregnancy cases with their colleagues. ProPublica takes an exclusive look inside those discussions.
