Impact
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Washington State Launches Investigation of Private Special Education Schools
The inquiry and a sweeping reform bill follow a Seattle Times and ProPublica investigation that found allegations of abuse, overuse of isolation rooms and pressure to skimp on staffing and resources at the Northwest School of Innovative Learning.
Watchdog Seeks Harsher Penalties in Wake of Abuse at Illinois Mental Health Center
The official cited investigations into a center for people with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities, where workers lied or conspired to thwart patient abuse inquiries.
Toxic Salmon Reporting “Deeply Troubling,” Lawmaker Says, Demanding Changes to Protect Pacific Northwest Tribal Health
Citing a ProPublica and Oregon Public Broadcasting investigation into toxic contamination in salmon, state and federal lawmakers across the Pacific Northwest are calling for policy changes and more funding but are lacking details on next steps.
Washington State Proposes Reforms for Special Education Schools
Education officials cite Seattle Times/ProPublica investigation that showed state failed to address complaints about abuse, lack of academics.
Complaint Filed Against Mississippi Judge for Failing to Hand Over Search Warrants to Clerk
The judge has signed a number of no-knock search warrants that have been challenged in court, but they weren’t on file at the clerk’s office.
A Florida Fund for Injured Kids Raided Medicaid. Now It’s Repaying $51 Million.
“The Medicaid program provides a safety net for our most vulnerable populations that do not have access to traditional healthcare coverage,” U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez said. “The misuse of Medicaid funds will not be tolerated.”
Justice Department Digs Into “Competition Concerns” in New England Fishing Industry
Responding to a ProPublica-New Bedford Light investigation, federal attorneys have interviewed fishermen’s groups about the growing power that private equity firms and foreign investors wield over the market.
Michigan’s Largest Utility Faces Pushback on Debt Sales and Shut-Offs as Company Asks for Rate Hike
As DTE Energy pushes for a rate increase, the state is taking a closer look at its sale of customer debt to collection agencies. The company’s use of shut-offs and response to outages are also drawing criticism.
Indiana Police Officer Pleads Guilty After Beating Handcuffed Man
The officer was charged after the South Bend Tribune and ProPublica obtained a video showing two officers retaliating at a suspect who spat at them.
Illinois Governor Calls for Changes After “Awful” Reports of Abuse at Developmental Center
Gov. J.B. Pritzker resisted, but did not rule out, a call to close Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in southern Illinois after we found widespread problems.
Court Strikes Down State Law That Gave Millions in Tax Breaks to Casinos
A Superior Court judge in New Jersey has thrown out a state law granting Atlantic City’s casinos tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks, saying that the measure was passed on dubious grounds and violated the state Constitution.
U.S. Senators Demand Federal Scrutiny of Private Equity’s Incursion Into Fishing
Three New England senators, including Elizabeth Warren, criticized the lax rules and weak oversight revealed by our report on private equity’s growing dominance over East Coast commercial fishing.
“We’re at a Crisis Point”: NY Attorney General Hearing Spotlights Child Mental Health Care Failures
After THE CITY and ProPublica exposed a dramatic drop in beds at state psychiatric hospitals, New York’s top law enforcer takes agonized testimony from patients and providers — and the parent who’d told us of her son’s monthslong wait for care.
A Sheriff’s Captain Called Our Investigation an “Entertaining Piece of Fiction.” An Inspector General Disagrees.
A new report bolsters findings by KPCC/LAist and ProPublica that deputies in the Antelope Valley are stopping and arresting Black students at disproportionate rates. The Sheriff’s Department now calls it a “serious concern.”
Juvenile Detention Center That Illegally Jailed Kids Now Will Answer to an Oversight Board
The board is being put in place after a Nashville Public Radio/ProPublica investigation detailed how Tennessee's Rutherford County was jailing children at rates unmatched in the state.
Louisiana Sued Hurricane Katrina Survivors for Misusing Recovery Grants. Now It Has Halted Collection Efforts.
Louisiana sued thousands of homeowners for not following the rules in spending grants after Katrina. After a joint news investigation, the state says it hopes a federal agency will approve a settlement that will allow it to drop the lawsuits.
Alaska Charges Former Acting Attorney General With Sexual Abuse of a Minor
Ed Sniffen faces three counts of sexual abuse of a minor for having sex with a 17-year-old girl he coached in high school in 1991.
Lawmakers Demand Action on Child Welfare Failures
Calls for improved access to mental health and substance abuse treatment follow reporting by ProPublica and The Southern Illinoisan on the large number of parents investigated repeatedly by Illinois’ Department of Children and Family Services.
Lawmakers Approve $600 Million to Help Fix Housing Program for Native Hawaiians
State legislators passed landmark legislation to help buoy a long-troubled program for making reparations to Native Hawaiians. The move follows a ProPublica and Star-Advertiser investigation.
Maine Will Soon Hire Its First Five Public Defenders. Most of the State Remains Without Them.
The only state in the country with no public defenders will still need an estimated $51 million to provide the service to indigent defendants in all 16 of Maine’s counties. It’s “not a solution, it’s a patch,” says the agency’s director.
