Local Reporting Network Archive
How We Tallied Medical Debt Lawsuits and Wage Garnishments in Memphis
We found that Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare filed more lawsuits and won more wage garnishment orders than any other hospital system in Shelby County. Here’s how we did it.
This Memphis Hospital System Flouts IRS Rules by Not Publicly Posting Financial Assistance Policies
Nonprofit hospitals must post financial assistance policies for the public to see, including in emergency rooms. But Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare’s five Shelby County emergency rooms had no signs or displays when a reporter checked.
A Huge Tax Break Went to a Politically Connected Company in New Jersey Despite Red Flags
Holtec International told New Jersey regulators that Ohio was competing for its new headquarters. But officials there stripped the firm of past tax awards for failing to create the jobs it promised.
More Instances of Fraud and Mismanagement Over New Jersey Tax Incentives Surface in New Report
A hospital connected to New Jersey political boss George E. Norcross III lied to win state tax breaks, a new special task force report says. The report details several other new pieces of evidence of Norcross’ influence over the tax incentive program.
After Serious 911 Mishaps, Rhode Island Will Now Pay for Better Training
Lagging rates of cardiac arrest survival and bystander CPR in Rhode Island could soon improve if lawmakers approve a budget allocating $220,000 to strengthen 911 call taker training.
There Has Been an Explosion of Homicides in California’s County Jails. Here’s Why.
Some California county jails saw their rate of inmate-on-inmate homicides triple or quadruple, and statewide the number rose 46% after 2011 prison reforms shifted responsibility from state prisons to county lockups. As sheriffs and jail staffs strain, some inmate crimes go undetected for hours.
Wasted Funds, Destroyed Property: How Sheriffs Undermined Their Successors After Losing Reelection
Alabama sheriffs who lost reelection in 2018 personally pocketed funds and deleted public records, an investigation by AL.com and ProPublica found. Holes were drilled through government-issued smartphones and leftover rice was poured down the drain, among other things. It’s a longstanding tradition that sheriffs aren’t typically held accountable for.
How Nine Sheriffs Who Lost Reelection Made Life Harder for Their Successors
Of 10 sheriffs who lost their reelection campaigns last year in Alabama, nine face accusations of impeding their successors. Here’s a rundown of those accusations and how (or if) they responded to them.
Fracking Companies Lost on Trespassing, but a Court Just Gave Them a Different Win
As conflicts continue between West Virginians and the state’s natural gas industry, complex legal cases are helping some residents, but not others.
Discussing Alaska’s Long History of Sexual Violence Is One Step Toward Seeking Solutions
Seventy people, including elders and Alaska public officials, gathered in Kotzebue for a public conversation on a well-known but rarely discussed statewide problem.
Court to Big Fracking Company: Trespassing Still Exists — Even For You
In a key property rights decision, two West Virginia residents scored a rare victory from the state Supreme Court.
The Tax Break Application Had a False Answer. Now the State Has Put the Break on Hold.
After WNYC and ProPublica identified a false answer on nuclear company Holtec International’s New Jersey tax break application, state officials have frozen the break pending further investigation.
“No More Silence”: Her Kidnapping, Sexual Assault and Murder Stunned a Town, and Started a Movement
The Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica will hold an event in Kotzebue, site of 10-year-old Ashley Johnson-Barr’s killing, to explore sexual violence in Alaska.
One Cardiac Arrest. Four 911 Callers. And a Tragic Outcome.
Rhode Island’s 911 operators are unprepared to handle cardiac arrest calls, and Rena Fleury, 45, lost her life.
“Enough Is Enough”: Native Leaders Ask William Barr to Help Fix Alaska’s Law Enforcement Crisis
At a gathering in Anchorage, the U.S. attorney general said he would work to provide greater security in rural areas.
Cruel and Unusual: A Guide to California’s Broken Prisons and the Fight to Fix Them
A condensed timeline featuring Pumping Iron, “realignment” and other attempts at prison reform.
A False Answer, a Big Political Connection and $260 Million in Tax Breaks
Holtec International gave a false answer in a 2014 New Jersey tax break application connected to political boss George E. Norcross III, a Holtec board member. Five days after WNYC and ProPublica asked about it, lawyers called it “inadvertent” and asked the state to correct it.
Separated by Design: How Some of America’s Richest Towns Fight Affordable Housing
In southwest Connecticut, the gap between rich and poor is wider than anywhere else in the country. Invisible walls created by local zoning boards and the state government block affordable housing and, by extension, the people who need it.
