Archive - Midwest
Daniel Taylor Was Innocent. He Spent Decades in Prison Trying to Fix the State’s Mistake.
He was in police custody at the time of the murders, but a dubious confession led to his wrongful conviction while Chicago police and prosecutors turned a blind eye to inconvenient facts that eventually exonerated him.
The Hypnotherapist and Failed Politician Who Helped Fuel the Never-Ending Hunt for Election Fraud in Wisconsin
How obscure retiree Jay Stone played a crucial, if little-known, role in making Wisconsin a hotbed of conspiracy theories that Democrats stole the state’s 10 electoral votes from Donald Trump.
Illinois Will Stop Helping Cities Collect Some School Ticket Debt From Students
Since a Chicago Tribune-ProPublica investigation, school officials say they’re reevaluating when to involve law enforcement in student discipline.
Lawmakers Demand Action on Child Welfare Failures
Calls for improved access to mental health and substance abuse treatment follow reporting by ProPublica and The Southern Illinoisan on the large number of parents investigated repeatedly by Illinois’ Department of Children and Family Services.
Black Students in Illinois Are Far More Likely to Be Ticketed by Police for School Behavior Than White Students
Federal data has shown Illinois schools suspend and expel Black students at disproportionate rates. Now we know it’s happening with tickets and fines, too.
Wrongly Convicted Man Receives $7.5 Million Settlement in Indiana
In 2018, the South Bend Tribune and ProPublica reported on major flaws in a prosecution in Elkhart, Indiana. Years later, the city expressed regret and agreed to pay the man millions.
Illinois’ Education Chief Urges Schools to Stop Working With Police to Ticket Students for Misbehavior
Responding to a ProPublica-Chicago Tribune investigation, Illinois’ schools superintendent says ticketing students hurts children and their families.
The Price Kids Pay: Schools and Police Punish Students With Costly Tickets for Minor Misbehavior
Illinois law bans schools from fining students. So local police are doing it for them, issuing thousands of tickets a year for truancy, vaping, fights and other misconduct. Children are then thrown into a legal system designed for adults.
What We Lose When We Conflate Child “Abuse” and “Neglect”
Growing up in Southern Illinois, I knew many children whose basic needs went unmet. Reporting here decades later, I began to wonder why the system wasn’t doing more to help their families.
The State Took His Kids Three Times. And Three Times It Gave Them Back.
In Southern Illinois, many families suspected of neglect cycle through the child welfare system. Too often they don’t get the help they need.
Detroit City Council Calls on Michigan’s Largest Utility to Pause Shut-offs, Explain Its High Electricity Rates
The council resolution follows revelations by Outlier Media and ProPublica on the high number of DTE customers whose accounts were disconnected during the pandemic.
What Increasingly Partisan and Venomous Wisconsin School Board Races Reveal About American Elections
As traditionally nonpartisan school board campaigns become polarized battlegrounds, voters in next week’s Wisconsin races may set the tone for how contentious races across the country will become this year.
St. Louis’ Murder Total Has Fallen, but Some Killings Went Uncounted
St. Louis officials are celebrating a big drop in murders while the city’s police classify more and more killings as “justifiable homicides” instead.
State Launches Cancer Study After ProPublica Identifies Toxic Air Pollution Hot Spot
After learning from a ProPublica analysis that his Missouri city had a high estimated cancer risk from toxic air, Verona Mayor Joseph Heck demanded that the state investigate. Health officials confirmed his worst fears and want to learn more.
These Children Fled Afghanistan Without Their Families. They’re Stuck in U.S. Custody.
Nearly 200 Afghan children brought here without family by the U.S. government during the haphazard military pullout are languishing in federal custody.
Lights Out: Profitable Utility Company Shut Off Electricity to Homes Hundreds of Thousands of Times
Three months into the pandemic, Michigan’s largest power company, DTE Energy, began ramping up power shut-offs for customers behind on their bills. A regulatory system built to prioritize investors, not affordability, let it happen.
What to Do If Your Electricity Is Shut Off in Michigan
During the pandemic, Michigan’s largest utility provider shut off power to people behind on their bills hundreds of thousands of times. Here’s what to know about your rights when it comes to energy companies, and what to do if they’ve been violated.
She Said Her Husband Was Abusive. A Judge Took Away Her Kids and Ordered Her Arrest.
The judge in Julie Valadez’s custody case found her disruptive, questioned her credibility and put out a warrant for her arrest. A rare appellate victory is now giving her case a fresh look, but Valadez still is fighting for her four children.
Baker College Threatens Legal Action Against Former Teacher Who Talked to Reporters
Jacqueline Tessmer spoke out about students who left school without jobs or degrees, saying Baker “ruined” lives. And she’s not retracting her statements.
The Nonprofit College That Spends More on Marketing Than Financial Aid
Baker College promises students a better life. But few ever graduate, and even those who do often leave with crushing debt and useless degrees. No one — not the board, nor the accreditors, nor the federal government — has intervened.
