Archive - Southwest
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.
She Reported Her Medication Was Stolen at a Halfway House. She Was Blamed Instead.
Colorado halfway houses are required to have grievance policies for residents to file complaints. Many residents say they stay quiet out of fear of retaliation or being expelled, which can result in being incarcerated.
Colorado Suspends One Family Court Custody Expert, Reviews All Custody Evaluators Following ProPublica Investigation
A state-approved list of custody evaluators included some who had been accused of domestic violence and disciplined by the State Board of Psychologist Examiners.
Nevada Governor Candidates Are Debating a ProPublica Investigation — but Not Always Accurately
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak is fending off attacks from his Republican rival over his administration’s fast-tracking the license for a COVID-testing company with ties to a political donor.
New Mexico Struggles to Follow Through on Promises to Reform Child Welfare System
Two and a half years after the state committed to reduce its reliance on emergency placements, it continues to leave some of its most troubled teens without the mental health services they need.
These Foster Kids Need Mental Health Care. New Mexico Is Putting Them in Homeless Shelters.
Youth crisis shelters aren’t set up to deal with foster youth who need intensive mental health treatment. When teens try to harm themselves or others, staff resort to calling 911.
A Custody Evaluator Who Disbelieves 90% of Abuse Allegations Recommended a Teen Stay Under Her Abusive Father’s Control
In Colorado family courts, parents can request an expert evaluation of their case, which sometimes includes allegations of abuse. Mark Kilmer is routinely appointed to evaluate families despite his own history of domestic violence.
“Another Place to Warehouse People”: The State Where Halfway Houses Are a Revolving Door to Prison
Colorado’s halfway houses were intended to reduce recidivism, but insiders describe a system plagued by a lack of training and support, costs that can burden residents with debt and overly harsh rules that have sent many back in prison.
Nearly $30K Vanished From the HOA’s Account. The State Can’t Investigate the Management Company.
Community association managers run most of Colorado’s 10,000 homeowners associations, but state regulators no longer have the authority to look into complaints about unexplained price hikes, shadowy elections or fraud. Homeowners pay the price.
