Heather Vogell
I cover commercial space companies and the federal agencies that work with and regulate them, like the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA.
Have a Tip for a Story?
I’m interested in hearing from former and current employees of rocket companies like SpaceX and other space-related businesses. I’d also like to hear from staffers at the FAA and NASA. What’s changing as we move into a new administration?
What I Cover
I’m covering the commercial space industry and its billionaire leaders, including Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. I’m interested in how companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin do business, and how federal agencies like NASA and the FAA regulate them.
My Background
I focus on the nexus of politics and business. Last year, my stories showed how U.S. trade officials worked on behalf of the baby formula industry to thwart other countries’ efforts to regulate it. Before that, I investigated how landlords were sharing data and using a common algorithm to set rents — potentially in violation of laws against price fixing.
I’ve also written about President Donald Trump’s business entanglements and collaborated with WNYC reporters on the podcast “Trump, Inc.” My 2019 stories were the first to chronicle discrepancies between what the Trump Organization told New York City property tax officials and what it reported on loan documents.
Previously, at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, my work on test cheating in the public school system resulted in the indictments of a school district superintendent and 34 others.
My work has been a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for investigative reporting and the Gerald Loeb Awards for business and financial journalism; it has also won the Hillman Prize, Sigma Delta Chi Awards and others.
Restraints
It took one mother seven years to learn that the for-profit school she trusted with her son had strapped him down again and again, one time after not picking up his Legos.
What Happened to Adam
It took one mother seven years to learn that the for-profit school she trusted with her son had strapped him down again and again, one time after not picking up his Legos.
Unrestrained
While evidence of abuse of the disabled has piled up for decades, one for-profit company has used its deep pockets and influence to bully weak regulators and evade accountability
Virginia Passes Bill to Rein in Restraints of School Kids
Many schools in the state still have no policies or rules around pinning kids down.
Massachusetts Tightens Rules on Restraining, Secluding Students
Under new rules, Massachusetts schools will not be allowed to use certain techniques to restrain or isolate students as frequently and will have to report all restraints and injuries.
New York City Sends $30 Million a Year to School With History of Giving Kids Electric Shocks
New York City kids make up the vast majority of the students at Massachusetts’ infamous Judge Rotenberg Center, and keep getting sent there despite repeated evidence of abuse.
Federal Investigators Crack Down on Two Virginia Schools’ Use of Restraints
Investigators found that children were being regularly pinned down or isolated and that their education was suffering as a result.
Meet the Groups Fighting Against Limits on Restraining School Kids
Republicans say it is a matter of states' rights.