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A Shootout in Guatemala, a Changing Chicago and More in MuckReads Weekly

by Adam Harris

Some of the best #MuckReads we read this week. Want to receive these by email?  Sign up to get this briefing delivered to your inbox every weekend.

A Gunfight in Guatemala, ProPublica/Foreign Policy

Enrique Degenhart, Guatemala's former immigration chief, was known as a reformer who cleaned up corruption in a broken system – and that made him a lot of enemies. On Oct. 31, 2012, after his security detail was removed, he was shot nine times, fired back 16 times, drove himself to the hospital and lived. His story highlights the perils of fighting corruption in Latin America.

In the rural West, residents choose low taxes over law enforcement, Reveal

In Josephine County, Oregon, residents "enjoy the lowest property tax of any country in Oregon," but at what cost? Those cut-rate taxes have left its sheriff's department frustrated and exhausted and stretched so thin it can barely keep up with the calls it receives, according to this investigation. Now, the town is grappling with the consequences.

Title I: Rich School Districts Get Millions Meant for Poor Kids, U.S. News and World Report

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act – better known as Title I – is a federal program designed to address education funding inequity, but it's not doing a very good job, this investigation found. In fact, "20 percent of all Title I money for poor students – $2.6 billion – ends up in school districts with a higher proportion of wealthy families."

How an industry helps Chinese students cheat their way into and through U.S. colleges, Reuters

The University of Iowa is investigating at least 30 students – primarily Chinese nationals – accused of using "ringers to take their exams," but the school is not alone. In fact, according to this investigation, the situation at the Iowa City university offers a glimpse inside the robust industry of cheating services aimed at Chinese students hoping to graduate from foreign colleges.

Gunfire is Reversing the Great Migration in Chicago, The Trace

Between 2000 and 2014, Chicago's black population fell by an estimated 19 percent – or nearly 200,000 people. One reason for the drop is the growing concern over the rising gun violence and shrinking opportunity in the community. The Trace looks at how the demographics in Chicago, once a city of opportunity for black people, are changing as gun violence increases.

Sixty Million Car Bombs: Inside Takata's Air Bag Crisis, Bloomberg

The recall of Takata airbags – the largest in U.S. history – "could affect more than 100 million vehicles around the world." The recall is so massive, this investigation found, that it will take at least three years "to make enough airbags to replace the defective ones," leaving millions of drivers at risk of serious – and possibly fatal injury.

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