Impact
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Spencer’s Pressured Employees to Come to Work, Selling Gag Gifts and Sex Toys, Until We Called
One store manager said the gag gift shop was “valuing us coming in and selling dildos and shot glasses over the health of our families.” Just before its deadline to comment, the store announced it was closing due to coronavirus.
House Democrats Probe Faulty Test Kits’ Role in Delaying Coronavirus Response
The House Oversight Committee cited ProPublica’s reporting in requesting documents from the Trump administration.
VA Secretary Under Investigation After Complaint He Looked for Dirt on a House Staffer Who Said She’d Been Assaulted
The agency’s internal watchdog told lawmakers about the probe after ProPublica unearthed the allegations against Secretary Robert Wilkie.
A Key FBI Photo Analysis Method Has Serious Flaws, Study Says
After ProPublica’s reporting last year, scientists at UC Berkeley tested one of the FBI Lab’s photo analysis techniques, identifying bluejeans by the pattern on their seams, and found flaws that challenge the method’s reliability.
Senators Call on Highway Administration to Finalize Car Seat Test Rules
Two senators, citing ProPublica’s reporting on the dangers of Evenflo’s booster seats, want NHTSA to finish rules that Congress mandated 20 years ago.
He Went to Prison After a Prosecutor Hid Evidence. Seven Years After Our Story, He Walked Free.
Tyronne Johnson was featured in a 2013 ProPublica investigation that showed how a prosecutor kept jurors from hearing evidence that may have helped him beat a murder charge. He was granted parole this week and credits the story with helping him.
Illinois Adopts Stricter Rules Against Secluding and Physically Restraining Students in Schools
The state board of education stopped short of a complete ban on seclusion after a small number of special education schools asked for more leeway in dealing with students.
California Takes a First Step Toward Improving Its Failing County Jails
After an investigation by McClatchy and ProPublica, a state oversight agency is proposing tougher scrutiny and consequences for dangerous conditions in California’s county jails.
Utah Representative Proposes Bill to Stop Payday Lenders From Taking Bail Money from Borrowers
Debtors prisons were banned by Congress in 1833, but a ProPublica article that revealed the sweeping powers of high-interest lenders in Utah caught the attention of one legislator. Now, he’s trying to do something about it.
We Showed How Easy It Is to Commit Health Care Fraud. Now Senators Want to Close the Loophole.
The bipartisan proposal comes in response to a ProPublica story that showed how a personal trainer posed as a doctor to defraud prominent health insurers.
School Employees Have Used Isolated Timeouts Illegally, State Investigations Find
In six of eight districts investigators examined, they found that workers broke the law by improperly secluding students. Parents say the investigations, which were prompted by a Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois story, have not gone far enough.
House Subcommittee Opens Investigation of Evenflo, Maker of “Big Kid” Booster Seats
The probe comes after ProPublica’s story showing that the company put marketing of its “Big Kid” booster seats over child safety.
Justice Dept. Says It Will Investigate Deadly Conditions at Four Mississippi Prisons
The agency’s Civil Rights Division decided to act after a letter from prison reformers citing stories by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting and ProPublica.
Dating Apps Can Be Dangerous. Congress Is Investigating.
Prompted by press reports, including a recent article by Columbia Journalism Investigations and ProPublica, a House subcommittee announced that it would examine the use of dating apps by minors and the prevalence of sex offenders on such sites.
Local Accountability Journalism Still Has a Huge Impact
Between the Local Reporting Network and ProPublica Illinois, our work shows that state leaders across the country are listening and things can change.
Sex Offenders Were Becoming Cops. After Our Stories, Alaska’s Governor Wants That To End.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed law comes after Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica found that dozens of rural Alaskan police officers had been hired despite criminal convictions.
Alaska’s Public Safety Officer Program Is Failing. Can It Be Saved?
A big part of Alaska’s law enforcement crisis is a program that recruits residents of remote villages and trains them to work as police. Now, a group of state legislators is proposing nine ideas to rescue the program.
After Our Reporting, Connecticut Officials Are Taking On Housing Segregation
In one of the most segregated states in the nation, the governor and legislators are calling for new measures to entice towns to build more affordable housing.
Donald and Ivanka Trump Were Involved in Inauguration’s Inflated Payments to Family Business, New Suit Says
“Members of the Trump family were aware of and involved in the negotiation of this unconscionable contract,” the District of Columbia’s attorney general wrote in the suit.
Tens of Thousands of People Lost Driver’s Licenses Over Unpaid Parking Tickets. Now, They’re Getting Them Back.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation Friday to end license suspensions for unpaid parking tickets, affecting nearly 55,000 Illinois motorists. Lawmakers cited ProPublica Illinois and WBEZ Chicago reporting for leading to the new law.
