Archive - Illinois
Senate Committee Authorizes Subpoenas of Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo as Part of Supreme Court Ethics Probe
The subpoenas ask for details on gifts, travel and other perks the two men provided or helped arrange for Supreme Court justices and their relatives, but Senate Democrats will need help from their GOP colleagues if Crow and Leo defy the subpoenas.
Senators Question KPMG Role in Microsoft Profit-Shifting Scheme
The giant consulting firm proposed that Microsoft transfer billions in profits to a small factory in Puerto Rico. The step initially saved the software company billions — then led to an IRS audit and a bill for $28.9 billion in back taxes.
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.”
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.
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 at Pierceton Woods Academy to ignore what one psychologist called an “assembly-line” of abuse, according to court depositions and government records.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Wisconsin’s Legislative Maps Are Bizarre, but Are They Illegal?
Wisconsin’s gerrymandering case has garnered national attention. But a little-explored aspect of the suit — the pervasive presence of “Swiss cheese” districts — could have huge ramifications for the outcome.
9 Times the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Miscalculated Badly at the Expense of Taxpayers, Wildlife
The agency has a history of diving into big construction projects that exceed projected costs, fall short on projected benefits and, in some cases, create new problems that engineers hadn’t bargained for.
DOJ Backs Tenants in Case Alleging Price-Fixing by Big Landlords and a Real Estate Tech Company
A ProPublica investigation last year about RealPage’s rent-setting software led to federal lawsuits asserting inflated apartment prices.
