Archive - Illinois

Senator Urges Museums to Return Native Remains and Objects: “Give the Items Back. Comply With Federal Law. Hurry.”

In a Senate floor speech that centered America’s colonial history, Brian Schatz said institutions have a moral obligation to comply with federal repatriation law. He demanded urgent action.

The Oregon Timber Industry Won Huge Tax Cuts in the 1990s. Now It May Get Another Break Thanks to a Top Lawmaker.

As the cost of fighting wildfires increases, state Sen. Elizabeth Steiner has proposed a bill — developed in consultation with the logging industry — that would shift millions in expenses away from the biggest landowners and onto taxpayers.

Police Departments Are Turning to AI to Sift Through Millions of Hours of Unreviewed Body-Cam Footage

Body camera video equivalent to 25 million copies of “Barbie” is collected but rarely reviewed. Some cities are looking to new technology to examine this stockpile of footage to identify problematic officers and patterns of behavior.

Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Reform Controversial Contract-for-Deed Home Sales

Proposed legislation follows a ProPublica and Sahan Journal report that revealed questionable real estate transactions that left members of Minnesota’s Somali and Hispanic immigrant communities at risk of losing their homes.

How to Participate in ProPublica’s Stillbirths Memorial

We invite you to share your child’s name with others by using our prompts and templates.

A Memorial for the Children Lost to Stillbirth

Each day in the U.S., about 60 babies are stillborn. Here, families share their child’s name and their lasting legacy.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Vows to Increase Staffing at Clinic Tied to Two Deadly Shootings

The Northern California clinic was the focus of a recent ProPublica investigation into inadequate mental health care. Over the course of three days, two veterans who’d been unable to get consistent treatment at the facility fatally shot their mothers.

¿Entregaron los narcotraficantes millones de dólares a la primera campaña del Presidente Mexicano López Obrador?

Testigos dijeron a la DEA que se dio el dinero a cambio de la promesa de que un futuro gobierno de López Obrador toleraría las operaciones del cártel.

Under Ken Paxton, Texas’ Elite Civil Medicaid Fraud Unit Is Falling Apart

After the chief of the attorney general’s Civil Medicaid Fraud Division was forced out last year, two-thirds of attorneys have quit the unit, leaving it at its smallest size since Paxton took office.

Private Schools, Public Money: School Leaders Are Pushing Parents to Exploit Voucher Programs

Voucher expansions have unleashed a flood of additional taxpayer dollars to the benefit of families already enrolled in private schools. In Ohio, some schools are now “strongly encouraging” parents to apply for vouchers, regardless of need or income.

Did Drug Traffickers Funnel Millions of Dollars to Mexican President López Obrador’s First Campaign?

Witnesses told the DEA that the money was provided in return for a promise that a future López Obrador government would tolerate the cartel’s operations.

We Found That Landlords Could Be Using Algorithms to Fix Rent Prices. Now Lawmakers Want to Make the Practice Illegal.

After a ProPublica investigation, U.S. senators introduced a bill to curb “price fixing” linked to rent-setting software. “Setting prices with an algorithm is no different from doing it over cigars and whiskey in a private club,” said one sponsor.

Police Say They Won’t Reopen Case of Alaska Woman Found Dead on Mayor’s Property

In an open letter, the Kotzebue police chief said state investigators reviewed the case of Jennifer Kirk’s 2018 death and found no new leads. But parts of the letter contradict previous information the department has released about the case.

Indiana Lawmakers Trying to Kill Historic Suit Seeking Gun Industry Accountability

Gary, Indiana’s long-running lawsuit against the world’s largest gunmakers is jeopardized by a bill that would allow only the state to sue.

Task Force to Consider “Restorative Justice” for Black Families Uprooted by Virginia University’s Expansion

Spurred by our “Uprooted” series, a task force created by the city of Newport News and Christopher Newport University will reexamine decades of city and university records shedding light on a Black neighborhood’s destruction.

Amid Recall Crisis, Philips Agrees to Stop Selling Sleep Apnea Machines in the United States

The breathing machine manufacturer has faced relentless criticism over its handling of the 2021 recall of millions of devices. Philips must meet the requirements outlined in an agreement with the Justice Department before it can resume sales.

How Georgia’s Small Power Companies Endanger Their Most Vulnerable Customers

The state’s small electricity providers aren’t required to delay disconnecting seriously ill customers who depend on medical devices, putting lives at risk.

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