Archive - Southwest
Legislators Vote to Fix Utah Law That Made It Hard for Some Sexual Assault Survivors to Sue
The vote last week helps those assaulted in medical settings. But it won’t help the 94 women whose suit brought the issue to light.
Colorado Lawmakers Consider Reforms to the Way Family Courts Handle Abuse Allegations
Several people who testified in favor of the proposed reforms are plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against former custody evaluator Mark Kilmer, alleging fraud and breach of contract.
Were You Affected by the Massive Wildfire in Northern New Mexico? We Want to Hear From You.
Last summer’s wildfire caused thousands to flee. Source New Mexico and ProPublica want to know if people got the help they needed.
Arizona Child Welfare Director Dismissed Amid GOP Attacks Speaks Out
Gov. Katie Hobbs said she appointed Matthew Stewart to “transform” Arizona’s troubled child welfare system. But as an election-denying Republican was gearing up to attack him, she gave up on her pick.
Barricaded Siblings Turn to TikTok While Defying Court Order to Return to Father They Say Abused Them
A judge concluded the children were victims of parental alienation, which continues to influence family courts despite being rejected by mainstream scientific groups, and authorized police to use “reasonable force” to remove them from their mother.
Help ProPublica and The Salt Lake Tribune Investigate Sexual Assault in Utah
We’re reporting on sexual assault by health care professionals, an issue we highlighted in our story about a Provo OB-GYN who was sued by nearly 100 women who said he sexually assaulted them during treatments.
94 Women Allege a Utah Doctor Sexually Assaulted Them. Here’s Why a Judge Threw Out Their Case.
When dozens of women sued their OB-GYN for sexual assault, a judge said the case falls under the state’s medical malpractice law. As the women appeal, lawmakers are asking whether that law should be changed.
Nevada’s New Governor Vilified Lobbyist’s Influence in COVID Lab Scandal, Then Asked Him to Help With Budget
Gov. Joe Lombardo once called his predecessor’s support of an error-prone COVID-19 testing lab the “biggest scandal in our history” but then brought in the lobbyist who pulled strings to get that lab licensed to help prepare his state budget.
A School Superintendent Says Our Story About Expulsions in His District Is Incorrect. Here’s Why He’s Wrong.
The New Mexico school district’s discipline data, reported to the state education department each year, contradicts the superintendent’s defense.
Arizona’s Governor-Elect Chooses Critic of Racial Disparities in Child Welfare to Lead CPS Agency
Matthew Stewart will become the first Black leader of the Department of Child Safety, which ProPublica and NBC News found had investigated the families of 1 in 3 Black children in metro Phoenix during a recent five-year period.
Wildfires in Colorado Are Growing More Unpredictable. Officials Have Ignored the Warnings.
A year after the deadly Marshall Fire drove thousands of Coloradans from their homes, the state’s densest communities aren’t preparing for the next climate-driven wildfire.
This Scientist Fled a Deadly Wildfire, Then Returned to Study How It Happened
In 2021, the devastating Marshall Fire showed wildfire can strike Colorado in almost any place or season. Scientists now hope to glean lessons from it for communities across the West.
A Water War Is Brewing Over the Dwindling Colorado River
Diminished by climate change and overuse, the river can no longer provide the water states try to take from it.
This School District Is Ground Zero for Harsh Discipline of Native Students in New Mexico
In Gallup-McKinley County Schools, wearing the wrong color shirt can get you written up for “gang-related activity.” Banging on a window is bullying. The district is responsible for most of New Mexico’s disproportionate expulsions of Native students.
How We Found the School District Responsible for Much of New Mexico’s Outsized Discipline of Native Students
New Mexico does not publish public school discipline data. When we looked at it, we found that Native American students in the state were disciplined more than their white peers.
Congress and Industry Leaders Call for Crackdown on Hospice Fraud
Following a ProPublica-New Yorker investigation into the hospice industry, members of the Comprehensive Care Caucus and national trade groups are demanding reform.
For Black Families in Phoenix, Child Welfare Investigations Are a Constant Threat
One in three Black children in Maricopa County, Arizona, faced a child welfare investigation over a five-year period, leaving many families in a state of dread. Some parents are pushing back.
How We Analyzed Child Welfare Investigations
Reporters crunched data from millions of child protective services cases to understand who is most affected by the system.
Child Welfare Experts Say New Mexico Can’t Put Kids in Homeless Shelters Just Because It Lacks Other Beds
An experts’ report found that New Mexico’s child welfare system has housed foster kids in homeless shelters and other inappropriate settings, corroborating an investigation by ProPublica and Searchlight New Mexico.
His Overdose Death in a Halfway House Bathroom Illustrates a System Lacking Accountability
Halfway house operators in Colorado have long been cited for failing to comply with standards, lapses that can lead to dangerous consequences. Yet regulators rarely force facilities to improve.
