Archive - Southwest
Barricaded Siblings Turn to TikTok While Defying Court Order to Return to Father They Say Abused Them
A judge concluded the children were victims of parental alienation, which continues to influence family courts despite being rejected by mainstream scientific groups, and authorized police to use “reasonable force” to remove them from their mother.
Help ProPublica and The Salt Lake Tribune Investigate Sexual Assault in Utah
We’re reporting on sexual assault by health care professionals, an issue we highlighted in our story about a Provo OB-GYN who was sued by nearly 100 women who said he sexually assaulted them during treatments.
94 Women Allege a Utah Doctor Sexually Assaulted Them. Here’s Why a Judge Threw Out Their Case.
When dozens of women sued their OB-GYN for sexual assault, a judge said the case falls under the state’s medical malpractice law. As the women appeal, lawmakers are asking whether that law should be changed.
Nevada’s New Governor Vilified Lobbyist’s Influence in COVID Lab Scandal, Then Asked Him to Help With Budget
Gov. Joe Lombardo once called his predecessor’s support of an error-prone COVID-19 testing lab the “biggest scandal in our history” but then brought in the lobbyist who pulled strings to get that lab licensed to help prepare his state budget.
A School Superintendent Says Our Story About Expulsions in His District Is Incorrect. Here’s Why He’s Wrong.
The New Mexico school district’s discipline data, reported to the state education department each year, contradicts the superintendent’s defense.
Arizona’s Governor-Elect Chooses Critic of Racial Disparities in Child Welfare to Lead CPS Agency
Matthew Stewart will become the first Black leader of the Department of Child Safety, which ProPublica and NBC News found had investigated the families of 1 in 3 Black children in metro Phoenix during a recent five-year period.
Wildfires in Colorado Are Growing More Unpredictable. Officials Have Ignored the Warnings.
A year after the deadly Marshall Fire drove thousands of Coloradans from their homes, the state’s densest communities aren’t preparing for the next climate-driven wildfire.
This Scientist Fled a Deadly Wildfire, Then Returned to Study How It Happened
In 2021, the devastating Marshall Fire showed wildfire can strike Colorado in almost any place or season. Scientists now hope to glean lessons from it for communities across the West.
A Water War Is Brewing Over the Dwindling Colorado River
Diminished by climate change and overuse, the river can no longer provide the water states try to take from it.
This School District Is Ground Zero for Harsh Discipline of Native Students in New Mexico
In Gallup-McKinley County Schools, wearing the wrong color shirt can get you written up for “gang-related activity.” Banging on a window is bullying. The district is responsible for most of New Mexico’s disproportionate expulsions of Native students.
How We Found the School District Responsible for Much of New Mexico’s Outsized Discipline of Native Students
New Mexico does not publish public school discipline data. When we looked at it, we found that Native American students in the state were disciplined more than their white peers.
Congress and Industry Leaders Call for Crackdown on Hospice Fraud
Following a ProPublica-New Yorker investigation into the hospice industry, members of the Comprehensive Care Caucus and national trade groups are demanding reform.
For Black Families in Phoenix, Child Welfare Investigations Are a Constant Threat
One in three Black children in Maricopa County, Arizona, faced a child welfare investigation over a five-year period, leaving many families in a state of dread. Some parents are pushing back.
How We Analyzed Child Welfare Investigations
Reporters crunched data from millions of child protective services cases to understand who is most affected by the system.
Child Welfare Experts Say New Mexico Can’t Put Kids in Homeless Shelters Just Because It Lacks Other Beds
An experts’ report found that New Mexico’s child welfare system has housed foster kids in homeless shelters and other inappropriate settings, corroborating an investigation by ProPublica and Searchlight New Mexico.
His Overdose Death in a Halfway House Bathroom Illustrates a System Lacking Accountability
Halfway house operators in Colorado have long been cited for failing to comply with standards, lapses that can lead to dangerous consequences. Yet regulators rarely force facilities to improve.
She Reported Her Medication Was Stolen at a Halfway House. She Was Blamed Instead.
Colorado halfway houses are required to have grievance policies for residents to file complaints. Many residents say they stay quiet out of fear of retaliation or being expelled, which can result in being incarcerated.
Colorado Suspends One Family Court Custody Expert, Reviews All Custody Evaluators Following ProPublica Investigation
A state-approved list of custody evaluators included some who had been accused of domestic violence and disciplined by the State Board of Psychologist Examiners.
Nevada Governor Candidates Are Debating a ProPublica Investigation — but Not Always Accurately
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak is fending off attacks from his Republican rival over his administration’s fast-tracking the license for a COVID-testing company with ties to a political donor.
New Mexico Struggles to Follow Through on Promises to Reform Child Welfare System
Two and a half years after the state committed to reduce its reliance on emergency placements, it continues to leave some of its most troubled teens without the mental health services they need.
