Local Reporting Network Archive
This Billionaire Governor’s Coal Companies Owe Millions More in Environmental Fines
The richest person in West Virginia, who is also the state’s governor, owns coal companies that routinely violate environmental laws. Latest filings say the companies owe over $3 million for not complying with a major water pollution settlement.
Hours After an Employee Accused Him of Sexual Misconduct, Prominent Alaska Executive Resigns
The head of Alaska’s leading tribal health organization has stepped down after a former assistant accused him of “forcing and requiring sex” to keep her job. He denies wrongdoing and says their relationship was consensual.
Oregon’s Logging Industry Says It Can’t Afford New Taxes. But Prices Have Never Been Higher and Profits Are Soaring.
Lobbyists claim the timber industry is "up against the ropes." Here's what they're not saying: Lumber prices are at record highs.
Lawsuit Reveals New Allegations Against PG&E Contractor Accused of Fraud
Former PG&E employees are accused of taking bribes to funnel business to a waste-hauling company.
Lawyers Who Were Ineligible to Handle Serious Criminal Charges Were Given Thousands of These Cases Anyway
In the only state with no public defenders, people charged with murder and other serious crimes can get assigned attorneys who are legally ineligible to take on their cases. The state claims it was unaware.
People Over 75 Are First in Line to Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19. The Average Black Person Here Doesn’t Live That Long.
Prioritizing COVID-19 vaccinations for people 75 and up can leave out Black Americans, who tend to die younger than their white counterparts. In majority-Black Shelby County, this gap raises questions of how to make the vaccine rollout equitable.
Utility Companies Owe Millions to This State Regulatory Agency. The Problem? The Agency Can’t Track What It’s Owed.
When a whistleblower alleged that $200 million was missing from the California Public Utilities Commission, the agency says it took steps to collect. Yet an audit uncovered more missing money and cited flaws in the agency’s accounting system.
How We Found Pricey Provisions in New Jersey Police Contracts
ProPublica and the Asbury Park Press scoured hundreds of police union agreements for details on publicly funded payouts to cops.
How the Police Bank Millions Through Their Union Contracts
The public funds six-figure “sick day” payouts, $2,500 “perfect attendance” bonuses and lucrative “extra duty” assignments identified in a ProPublica, Asbury Park Press analysis of New Jersey police union contracts.
Hawaii’s Beaches Are Disappearing. New Legislation Could Help ... if It’s Enforced.
A legal loophole allowed wealthy property owners to protect their real estate at the expense of Hawaii’s coastlines. Now, the state Legislature is considering bills to crack down on the destructive practices, but questions around enforcement remain.
ProPublica Is Seeking New Applicants for Its Local Reporting Network
We are looking to work with three more newsrooms, for a year beginning in April 2021, on accountability journalism projects.
“We Have Counties in Deep Trouble”: Oregon Lawmakers Seek to Reverse Timber Tax Cuts That Cost Communities Billions
For decades, corporate timber benefited from tax cuts that devastated local budgets. Lawmakers want change and have filed dozens of bills, making this one of Oregon’s most consequential sessions for forest policy.
Sexual Misconduct Allegations Prompt Another Alaska Attorney General to Resign
Ed Sniffen stepped down as the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica were preparing an article about his relationship with a 17-year-old girl three decades ago. The state has now launched an investigation into the allegations.
Air Quality Regulators in “Cancer Alley” Have Fallen Dangerously Behind
An audit found that the time it takes the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to issue penalties to polluters has doubled. Some companies that have been known to violate air quality rules were able to keep at it for years, or even decades.
“The People We Serve Are Paying Too Much for Energy:” Virginia Lawmakers Are Targeting Dominion Energy
A bipartisan group of Virginia lawmakers are pushing a legislative package to strengthen oversight of the state’s largest utility, Dominion Energy. The effort could return millions in refunds to customers.
Has Your Family Paid Fees or Fines to a Juvenile Justice System?
Has your family faced financial hardship as a result of a delinquency case? We’d like to hear from you.
How the CARES Act Forgot America’s Most Vulnerable Hospitals
COVID-19 relief was meant to give a lifeline to hospitals, especially the small, rural facilities that struggled to stay open before 2020. But in states like Oklahoma, problems created by confusing guidelines could cause harm long after the pandemic.
A Woman With Developmental Disabilities Was Abused in Arizona. The State Promised Changes. It Has Not Made Them Yet.
A woman with DD living in a state home was raped and had a baby. A task force was made to come up with changes to protect people like her. Most of those changes have not happened yet.
