Anjeanette Damon
I cover government accountability issues at the local, state and federal level in the Southwest.
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What I Cover
My reporting focuses on how well city and state governments do their jobs on issues that affect all of us, including health care, housing and the environment. I’m most interested in how powerful actors influence governments to serve their own interests to the detriment of the most vulnerable in our communities.
My Background
At ProPublica, my work has included uncovering COVID-19 testing contracts awarded to the Nevada governor’s friends with disastrous results, documenting how a city council empowered a wealthy developer to raze motels and displace hundreds of low-income residents, and investigating how the country’s largest house-flipping company cashed in on homeowners’ desperation.
Prior to ProPublica, I was a government watchdog reporter and regional investigative editor for the USA Today Network. My investigation of in-custody deaths at the Washoe County, Nevada, jail resulted in legislative action and was recognized as a finalist for an Online News Association public service award. My series on deplorable living conditions faced by people with severe mental illness under state care prompted immediate action by Nevada’s governor. In 2019, I was lead reporter and writer on Season 2 of “The City,” a USA Today investigative podcast. I am based in Reno, Nevada.
These Soldiers Risked Their Lives Serving in Afghanistan. Now They Plead With Trump to Let Their Sister Into the U.S.
Trump’s executive orders have blocked entrance to the country for thousands of Afghans, including those who worked with the U.S. military and their relatives. Two brothers hope answers come quickly for their sister and her husband, who they say are in danger.
The Courts Blocked Trump’s Federal Funding Freeze. Agencies Are Withholding Money Anyway.
Agencies continue to suspend funding, despite multiple court orders blocking the federal freeze. Experts say the Trump administration’s actions set the stage for challenges to Congress’ authority — and the limits of the presidency.
Elon Musk’s Boring Company Is Tunneling Beneath Las Vegas With Little Oversight
Given Musk’s role advising President-elect Donald Trump on ways to slash regulations and government oversight, Boring and the Vegas Loop project might be a harbinger for the country.
Immigrants’ Resentment Over New Arrivals Helped Boost Trump’s Popularity With Latino Voters
Across the U.S., Latino immigrants who’ve been in the country a long time felt that asylum-seekers got preferential treatment. “Those of us who have been here for years get nothing,” said one woman from Mexico who has lived in Wisconsin for decades.
Denver Rallied Behind Arriving Immigrants. Now Its Homeless Population Feels Shortchanged.
When Mike Johnston became the mayor of Denver, he was determined to do right by the migrants arriving in his city. But it wasn’t long before he felt the full weight of that commitment.
Nevada Says It Worked Out the Kinks in Its New Voter System in Time for The Election, but Concerns Remain
After recent practice runs showed significant problems in transferring data accurately, the battleground state’s new centralized voter registration system will get its first real-world test in a major presidential election.
How a Green Tech Startup With No Climate Experience Secured Millions of Dollars in Government Contracts
Founded by lobbyists, NZero convinced Nevada government officials, including administrations from two political parties, to pay more and more money despite its struggles to deliver promised real-time carbon emission data.
Nevada Republicans’ Caucus Adds Chaos and Confusion to the State’s Presidential Primary
While legal, the party’s decision to host a competing contest to the Feb. 6 primary election has angered GOP voters and provided fertile ground for misinformation to take hold, experts say, undermining voters’ trust in the process.
“We Buy Ugly Houses” Company Overhauls Policies in the Wake of ProPublica Investigation
HomeVestors franchises will be required to provide prospective home sellers with a disclosure that includes a three-day window to terminate a sales contract.
They Were Promised Help With Mortgage Payments. Then They Got a Foreclosure Notice.
Homeowners enrolled in Nevada’s mortgage assistance program have received foreclosure notices when the money fails to make its way from the federal government to the loan providers on time.
Homeowners Trying to Get Out of “We Buy Ugly Houses” Deals Find Little Relief in State, Federal Laws
ProPublica found few jurisdictions have laws or regulations to protect homeowners from aggressive real estate tactics short of fraud or elder abuse.