A Retired Detective Says He’s Too Sick to Testify at Murder Trials. Now Those Cases Are Falling Apart.

In St. Louis, murder investigations often rely on a single detective, making them vulnerable if the detective is unable or unwilling to come to court. But a former homicide investigator said he has no obligation to cooperate, claiming that “retirement is meant to be retirement.”

Stillbirths

Experts to Examine a Controversial Forensic Test That Has Helped Convict Women of Murder

Responding to a ProPublica investigation into the “lung float test,” which some have likened to a witch trial, lawyers and medical professionals will work to determine whether the test should be used in court.

Welfare States

Biden Administration to Overhaul Welfare Following ProPublica Reporting

The Administration for Children and Families has quietly proposed closing loopholes in the nation's cash assistance program for the poor that a 2021 ProPublica investigation found states had exploited for years.

There Were Warning Signs of Sexual Abuse at a Youth Center. Indiana Kept Sending Boys and Money Anyway.

Inadequate and potentially illegal policies allowed supervisors to ignore what one psychologist called an “assembly-line” of abuse.

Unwatched

Louisiana Sheriff’s Department Settles Two Use-of-Force Cases, Including One in Which an Autistic Teen Died

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office will pay part of a $1.25 million settlement in the case of Eric Parsa and an undisclosed sum to the family of Tre’mall McGee.

Local Reporting Network

Post-Roe America

Some Republicans Were Willing to Compromise on Abortion Ban Exceptions. Activists Made Sure They Didn’t.

ProPublica reviewed 12 of the nation’s strictest abortion bans. Few changed in 2023, as state lawmakers caved to pressure from anti-abortion groups opposing exceptions for rape, incest and health risks.

Juvenile Injustice, Tennessee

How “The Kids of Rutherford County” Sets Investigative Reporting to Music

Experimentation was key in creating the score for our four-part narrative podcast series, produced in collaboration with Serial.

Local Reporting Network

Juvenile Injustice, Tennessee

Listen to All Episodes of “The Kids of Rutherford County”

ProPublica presents the complete podcast series “The Kids of Rutherford County” in partnership with Serial and WPLN Nashville Public Radio.

Local Reporting Network

Lawless

For Alaska Families, Questions Remain About Unsolved Deaths and “Suicides”

Local law enforcement said there was only one official unsolved killing in Kotzebue, Alaska. Many residents suspect otherwise.

Local Reporting Network

Under the Gun

How a Maine Businessman Made the AR-15 Into America’s Best-Selling Rifle

Neither a gun enthusiast nor a right-wing ideologue, Richard Dyke used political connections and lobster giveaways to build Bushmaster, the company that popularized assault-style rifles.

The Secret IRS Files

A Top Mutual Fund Executive Made Millions for Himself Trading the Same Stocks His Giant Fund Was Trading

Confidential IRS data reveals that David Hoeft, chief investment officer of mutual fund giant Dodge & Cox, was one of many investment managers who bought and sold the same stocks their company was trading.

The Future of the Colorado River Hinges on One Young Negotiator

J.B. Hamby, California’s representative in talks about sharing water from the Colorado River, holds the keys to a quarter of the river’s flow — and its future.

ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer Gets Email Alerts and Other Major Improvements

We’ve added email alerts, overhauled our search, created better document pages, added charts and much more.

Train Country

Union Pacific Fired Him Rather Than Heed His Warnings of Dangerous Rail Conditions

Time and again, Johnny Taylor’s duty to keep the rails safe from disaster conflicted with his employer’s desire to keep its trains running as fast and as frequently as possible, putting his career and family in peril.

Juvenile Injustice, Tennessee

Tennessee Lawmakers Demand an Audit of Juvenile Detention Facilities, Citing “Culture Of Lawlessness”

Following reporting from WPLN and ProPublica, the state lawmakers said there is a “culture of lawlessness” inside Knoxville’s Richard L. Bean Center and called for an audit throughout the system.

Local Reporting Network

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