Local Reporting Network Archive

Virginia Lawmaker Calls for Commission to Study State Universities’ History of Uprooting Black Communities

In response to our reporting, state Delegate Delores McQuinn said a task force could shed light on the impact of college expansion in Virginia. Officials are also calling for displaced families to receive redress, from scholarships to reparations.

Here’s What Can Happen When Kids Age Out of Foster Care

Two teens aged out of New Mexico’s child welfare system last year. This photo essay shows how different their lives have become.

Los Angeles Mayor Orders Residential Hotels to Be Used for Temporary Homeless Housing

A 2008 city law intended hotels used as primary residences to be preserved as safety-net housing. But with little enforcement, some landlords had turned their buildings into tourist hotels.

The Supreme Court Will Decide if Domestic Abuse Orders Can Bar People From Having Guns. Lives Could Be at Stake.

The court’s ruling on United States v. Rahimi could clarify an earlier decision on guns. Or it could take away one of the best options to protect domestic violence victims. In states like Tennessee, the consequences could be deadly.

This Billion-Dollar Plan to Save Salmon Depends on a Giant Fish Vacuum

Many endorse opening dams and letting fish coast the natural current as the best way to avoid extinction. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has other ideas.

In 2018, We Reported on an Abusive Cop. He Was Just Sentenced to a Year in Prison.

Five years after ProPublica and the South Bend Tribune partnered to investigate police misconduct in Elkhart, Indiana, reporter Ken Armstrong reflects on the incremental but powerful impact journalism can have on communities.

Secrecy Shields Powerful Adults in Our Juvenile Justice Systems. Kids Showed Me What’s Really Happening.

The three years I spent working on “The Kids of Rutherford County” podcast taught me one thing: Tennessee’s punitive policies aren’t leaving children in the legal system better off.

Ella confió en su primer ginecobstetra porque hablaba español. Ahora es una de las 94 mujeres que lo demandan por agresión sexual.

La Corte Suprema del estado de Utah escuchará esta semana los argumentos del caso, que determinarán si lo que 94 mujeres dicen haber experimentado fue agresión sexual o negligencia médica.

She Trusted Her First OB-GYN Because He Spoke Spanish. Now She’s 1 of 94 Women Suing Him for Sexual Assault.

The Utah Supreme Court this week is hearing arguments in the case, which will determine if what 94 women say they experienced was sexual assault or medical malpractice.

The Mississippi Supreme Court Moved to Ensure Poor Criminal Defendants Would Always Have a Lawyer. It’s Not Working.

Months after the state’s highest court directed judges to ensure that all criminal defendants have legal representation while awaiting indictment, one justice has acknowledged that the rule isn’t being widely followed.

California Oil Companies Face Tougher Enforcement Under New Law

The measure steps up potential fines and allows criminal charges against companies that harm health, safety and the environment.

Louisiana Supreme Court Ruling Overturns Reform Law Intended to Fix “Three-Strikes” Sentences

The ruling was a victory for state attorney general, Jeff Landry, but defense attorneys say it could also help their clients’ requests for reduced sentences.

Virginia Law Allows the Papers of University Presidents to Stay Secret, Limiting Public Oversight

A provision in state law exempts college presidents’ “working papers and correspondence” from disclosure even after they step down — as we found out when we asked about one ex-president’s role in campus expansions that uprooted a Black neighborhood.

LA Housing Department Proposes Increasing Residential Hotel Enforcement

Amid the city’s homelessness crisis, a Capital & Main and ProPublica investigation found, some landlords have turned buildings meant for low-cost housing into tourist hotels.

Anchorage City Commissioner Charged With Fraudulently Obtaining $1.6 Million in COVID-19 Relief Funds for Her Charity

Despite a history of fraud allegations, Rosalina Mavaega and her husband received one of the city’s largest awards under the American Rescue Plan Act. Prosecutors say the couple spent the funds buying cryptocurrency and on other personal uses.

Life in Limbo: Victims of New Mexico’s Biggest Wildfire Wait for Checks From the Federal Government to Rebuild

Congress set aside $4 billion to compensate victims after the U.S. Forest Service accidentally set the largest wildfire in state history. The vast majority of victims haven’t been paid, and many can’t rebuild until they are.

Idaho creó un fondo de $25 millones para reparar escuelas en mal estado. ¿Por qué nadie lo utiliza?

Hace aproximadamente una década, un distrito escolar acudió al estado en busca de fondos para reparar sus edificios en ruinas y obtuvo una fracción de lo que pidió. Desde entonces, ningún otro distrito ha hecho siquiera una solicitud.

The Cleanup of Seattle’s Only River Could Cost Boeing and Taxpayers $1 Billion. Talks Over Who Will Pay Most Are Secret.

The company once described the Duwamish, one of the country’s most contaminated waterways, as “a natural collector” for its wastes. The Port of Seattle and Boeing accuse each other of failing to pay their fair shares for the cleanup.

Biden Administration Commits $200 Million to Help Reintroduce Salmon in Columbia River

Dams had blocked salmon’s passage, driving them toward extinction and violating tribal fishing rights. The money will fully fund Native tribes’ plans to bring fish back to the region.

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