You searched for louisiana — Page 5 of 15

The Polluter Just Got a Million-Dollar Fine. That Won’t Cure This Woman’s Rare Cancer.

Rhonda Fratzke’s oncologist asked if she had ever worked with vinyl chloride, a potent carcinogen. She had not, but she lived near a Westlake Chemical plant that was just fined a million dollars for polluting the air with the dangerous chemical.

by Lisa Song

June 27, 2022, 5:00 am EDT

ProPublica Hires Three New Reporters to Join National Staff

by ProPublica

April 12, 2022, 11:00 am EDT

Toxic Burden

The U.S. Never Banned Asbestos. These Workers Are Paying the Price.

As other countries outlawed asbestos, workers in a New York plant were “swimming” in it. Now, in a fight against the chemical industry, the United States may finally ban the potent carcinogen. But help may come too late.

by Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi, photography by Rich-Joseph Facun, graphics by Haisam Hussein

October 20, 2022, 5:00 am EDT

Sacrifice Zones

EPA Takes Action to Combat Industrial Air Pollution

The EPA announced a raft of targeted actions and specific reforms in the wake of ProPublica’s investigation into toxic hot spots.

by Ava Kofman and Lisa Song

January 26, 2022, 6:00 am EST

Unwatched

Actions of Deputy Who Dragged Woman by Her Hair Deemed “Reasonable and Acceptable”

Video showed the officer, who has been named in at least nine excessive force lawsuits, grabbing the woman by her hair and slamming her to the ground. The sheriff now says the actions were justified and the woman is “looking for a paycheck.”

by Gordon Russell, The Times-Picayune | The Advocate

September 9, 2022, 7:00 am EDT

Disaster After Disaster

Did You Get the Help You Needed After a Hurricane or Tropical Storm? We’re Investigating Disaster Relief.

Catastrophes don’t affect all Americans equally. We want to hear about your experiences applying for aid and paying for flood insurance.

by Richard A. Webster, The Advocate | The Times-Picayune

February 6, 2022, 5:00 am EST

America’s Dangerous Trucks

Trapped Under Trucks

For decades, federal safety regulators ignored credible scientific research and failed to take simple steps to stop gruesome roadway crashes involving heavy trucks. Meanwhile, the bodies piled up.

by A.C. Thompson, Kartikay Mehrotra, ProPublica, and Julia Ingram, FRONTLINE

June 13, 2023, 7:00 am EDT

Black Snow, Sacrifice Zones

Representatives Introduce $500 Million Air Quality Bill, Citing ProPublica’s Investigations

Lawmakers introduced a House bill to fund air monitoring after ProPublica highlighted pollution in its “Black Snow” and “Sacrifice Zones” investigations. The bill is nearly identical to one introduced in the Senate last summer.

by Maya Miller, Lisa Song and Ava Kofman

February 25, 2022, 1:55 pm EST

Developers Found Graves in the Virginia Woods. Authorities Then Helped Erase the Historic Black Cemetery.

The cemetery’s disappearance cleared the way for the expansion of a Microsoft data center, despite layers of federal and state regulations nominally intended to protect culturally significant sites.

by Seth Freed Wessler

December 16, 2022, 5:00 am EST

The Secret IRS Files

A Massive Oil Spill Helped One Billionaire Avoid Paying Income Tax for 14 Years

Phyllis Taylor’s company is responsible for the longest-running oil spill in U.S. history. That’s been a disaster for the Gulf of Mexico — but a tax bonanza for Taylor.

by Jesse Eisinger, Paul Kiel and Jeff Ernsthausen

December 9, 2021, 5:00 am EST

Unwatched

“If Everybody’s White, There Can’t Be Any Racial Bias”: The Disappearance of Hispanic Drivers From Traffic Records

In Louisiana, law enforcement agencies have been accused of targeting Hispanic drivers in traffic stops and identifying them as white on tickets. Misidentification makes it impossible to track racial bias, experts say.

by Richard A. Webster

November 22, 2021, 7:00 am EST

Words of Conviction

They Called 911 for Help. Police and Prosecutors Used a New Junk Science to Decide They Were Liars.

Tracing the fallacy of 911 call analysis through the justice system, from Quantico to the courtroom.

by Brett Murphy

December 28, 2022, 5:00 am EST

Toxic Burden

Why the U.S. Is Losing the Fight to Ban Toxic Chemicals

From a powerful chemical industry that helped write the toxic substances law to an underfunded EPA lacking in resolve, the flaws in the American chemical regulatory apparatus run deep.

by Neil Bedi, Sharon Lerner and Kathleen McGrory

December 14, 2022, 7:00 am EST

Sacrifice Zones

The Dirty Secret of America’s Clean Dishes

The world’s largest chemical maker, BASF, produces ingredients for America’s most popular products, from soaps to surface cleaners to dishwasher detergent. Emissions from their U.S. plants elevate cancer risks for an estimated 1.5 million people.

by Max Blau and Lylla Younes, photography by Kathleen Flynn

December 20, 2021, 1:25 pm EST

Unwatched

He Was Filming on His Phone. Then a Deputy Attacked Him and Charged Him With Resisting Arrest.

Police can arrest people for “cover charges,” like resisting arrest, to justify their use of excessive force and shield themselves from liability. In Jefferson Parish, 73% of the time someone is arrested on a “cover charge” alone, they’re Black.

by Richard A. Webster, WRKF and WWNO, with data analysis by Greg Morton, ProPublica

December 22, 2021, 7:00 am EST

Sacrifice Zones

The EPA Administrator Visited Cancer-Causing Air Pollution Hot Spots Highlighted by ProPublica and Promised Reforms

ProPublica found more than 1,000 hot spots of toxic air pollution across the country, and determined Black residents were disproportionately at risk. Environmental experts called the EPA’s response to our investigation historic and a “radical change in tone.”

by Ava Kofman

November 24, 2021, 3:24 pm EST

ProPublica Hires Steve Myers as an Editor, Selects Five Newsroom Partners for Local Reporting Network

by ProPublica

December 16, 2021, 11:00 am EST

Voting Machine Malfunctions Reported in Louisiana; Ardoin Says Issue Was “Intermittent”

November 3, 2020, 5:00 pm EST

Overpolicing Parents

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.

by Eli Hager and Agnel Philip, ProPublica, and Hannah Rappleye, NBC News, photography by Stephanie Mei-Ling, special to ProPublica and

December 8, 2022, 8:00 am EST

Unwatched

ACLU Calls On Federal Prosecutors to Investigate the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office

Despite years of complaints against the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, the DOJ has not stepped in to help. Following our investigation, the ACLU renews the call to action and has asked the DOJ to launch an investigation.

by Richard A. Webster, WRKF and WWNO

September 28, 2021, 6:00 pm EDT

Sacrifice Zones

Poison in the Air

The EPA allows polluters to turn neighborhoods into “sacrifice zones” where residents breathe carcinogens. ProPublica reveals where these places are in a first-of-its-kind map and data analysis.

by Lylla Younes, Ava Kofman, Al Shaw and Lisa Song, with additional reporting by Maya Miller, photography by Kathleen Flynn

November 2, 2021, 5:00 am EDT

Sacrifice Zones

Veneno en el aire

La EPA permite a los contaminadores que conviertan barrios en “zonas de sacrificio” donde los residentes respiran carcinógenos. ProPublica revela dónde están esos lugares en un mapa, el primero de este tipo, y con análisis de datos.

por Lylla Younes, Ava Kofman, Al Shaw y Lisa Song, con reporteo adicional por Maya Miller, fotografía por Kathleen Flynn

December 13, 2021, 2:30 pm EST

St. Jude’s Unspent Billions

St. Jude Fights Donors’ Families in Court for Share of Estates

The high-profile children’s hospital uses donor money to engage in long and costly legal battles over wills. Here’s how St. Jude has created one of the most lucrative charitable bequest programs in the country.

by David Armstrong and Ryan Gabrielson

March 21, 2022, 5:00 am EDT

Fatal Outages

U.S. Plans New Safety Rules to Crack Down on Carbon Monoxide Poisoning from Portable Generators

The announcement comes two months after an investigation by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and NBC News detailed the deadly cost of the government’s failure to regulate portable generators.

by Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC News, and Perla Trevizo and Lexi Churchill

February 25, 2022, 3:30 pm EST

Louisiana Expects “Unprecedented” Voter Turnout on Election Day; Here’s How Officials Are Prepping

November 2, 2020, 9:34 am EST

Fatal Outages

Carbon Monoxide From Generators Poisons Thousands of People a Year. The U.S. Has Failed to Force Safety Changes.

Portable generators are among the deadliest consumer products. Two decades after the government identified the danger, people are left vulnerable by a system that lets the industry regulate itself.

by Perla Trevizo, Lexi Churchill and Ren Larson, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune; Mike Hixenbaugh and Suzy Khimm, NBC News

December 17, 2021, 6:00 am EST

The Right to Read

The Fight Against an Age-Old Effort to Block Americans From Voting

As a new wave of restrictions makes voting harder for people who struggle to read — now 1 in 5 Americans — Olivia Coley-Pearson has taken up the fight, even if it makes her a target.

by Aliyya Swaby and Annie Waldman

September 12, 2022, 5:07 am EDT

Unwatched

Three Children Attacked a Black Woman. A Sheriff’s Deputy Arrived — and Beat Her More.

Black residents of Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish have long accused the Sheriff’s Office of targeting them. A new video, which shows a deputy slamming a Black woman’s head into the ground, raises more questions.

by Richard A. Webster, WRKF and WWNO

October 16, 2021, 6:00 am EDT

Coronavirus

The Hospital System Sent Patients With Coronavirus Home to Die. Louisiana Legislators Are Demanding an Investigation.

The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus called the practice of sending infected coronavirus patients home to die “disturbing” after ProPublica found that one New Orleans hospital system had done so numerous times.

by Annie Waldman and Joshua Kaplan

September 14, 2020, 11:26 am EDT

America’s Dairyland

Death on a Dairy Farm

When an 8-year-old Nicaraguan boy was run over on a Wisconsin dairy farm, authorities blamed his father and closed the case. Meanwhile, the community of immigrant workers knows a completely different story.

by Melissa Sanchez and Maryam Jameel

February 23, 2023, 5:00 am EST

Fatal Outages

El monóxido de carbono que producen los generadores envenena a miles de personas al año. Estados Unidos ha fallado en exigir cambios de seguridad.

Los generadores portátiles están entre los productos de consumo más mortales. Dos décadas después de que el gobierno identificará el peligro, el sistema deja a la gente vulnerable al permitir que la industria se regule a sí misma.

por Perla Trevizo, Lexi Churchill y Ren Larson, ProPublica y The Texas Tribune; Mike Hixenbaugh y Suzy Khimm, NBC News

December 28, 2021, 11:00 am EST

$53.3 Million. 33 Jobs. No Plan. That’s How Mississippi Lawmakers Are Spending BP Oil Spill Money.

Business leaders hoped the state would use money from the 2010 oil spill to transform Mississippi’s coastal economy. Instead, lawmakers are using much of it to fill gaps in local government budgets and fund projects with few metrics for success.

by Anita Lee, Sun Herald

June 23, 2022, 7:00 am EDT

Fatal Outages

“People Will Lose Their Lives”: Texas Isn’t Doing Enough to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Deaths, Critics Say

Months after the deadly gas killed at least 17 Texans during a massive winter storm, lawmakers have failed to take significant action to protect most of the state’s residents.

by Lexi Churchill and Perla Trevizo, and Suzy Khimm, NBC News

September 3, 2021, 3:45 pm EDT

Unwatched

“They Saw Me and Thought the Worst”

For years, Black residents of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, have voiced complaints about abuses and a lack of accountability within its Sheriff’s Office. Unlike in neighboring New Orleans, no one has stepped in to help.

by Richard A. Webster, WRKF and WWNO, photography by Kathleen Flynn

September 24, 2021, 5:00 am EDT

“Shadow Wins”: How ICE Avoids Judicial Accountability by Quietly Releasing Immigrants Who Challenge Being Detained

ICE helps maintain the status quo of prolonged detentions by releasing immigrants without having their cases vindicated in court, according to a new report.

by Dara Lind

May 25, 2021, 11:50 am EDT

Sacrifice Zones

Can Air Pollution Cause Cancer? What You Need to Know About the Risks.

If you live close to certain industrial facilities, you may have a higher estimated cancer risk. This may sound alarming. Here are answers to common questions, some crowdsourced tips and how to share your experience to help our investigation.

by Maya Miller, illustrations by Laila Milevski, with additional reporting by Lisa Song, Lylla Younes, Ava Kofman and Al Shaw

November 2, 2021, 4:59 am EDT

The Secret IRS Files

Proposal to Rein in Mega IRAs Faces Lobbying Resistance From Retirement Industry

Several companies, including one backed by Peter Thiel, are fighting a proposal to curb giant retirement accounts and tighten rules for IRA investments.

by Justin Elliott

October 25, 2021, 9:36 am EDT

Entergy Resisted Upgrading New Orleans’ Power Grid. When Ida Hit, Residents Paid the Price.

The company failed to build a stronger system after hurricanes repeatedly pummeled Louisiana. Then Ida knocked out power for more than a week.

by Max Blau and Annie Waldman, ProPublica, and Tegan Wendland, WWNO/NPR; Photography by Kathleen Flynn

September 22, 2021, 6:00 am EDT

Peligro en las granjas

Tragedia en una granja lechera

La verdadera historia del niño nicaragüense que murió en un rancho en Wisconsin, y cómo las autoridades se equivocaron al culpar a su padre.

por Melissa Sanchez y Maryam Jameel

February 23, 2023, 5:05 am EST

Sacrifice Zones

Air Monitors Alone Won’t Save Communities From Toxic Industrial Air Pollution

Calvert City, Kentucky, has long had what people in other toxic hot spots have been begging for: monitors to prove they’re being exposed to toxic industrial air pollution. Regulators have years of evidence, but the poison in the air is only growing.

by Lisa Song and Lylla Younes, photography by Kathleen Flynn

May 18, 2022, 5:00 am EDT

The Tragedy of North Birmingham

Industrial plants in Birmingham, Alabama, have polluted the air and land in its historic Black communities for over a century. In an epicenter of environmental injustice, officials continue to fail to right the wrongs plaguing the city’s north side.

by Max Blau, graphics by Shane Loeffler

September 1, 2022, 5:00 am EDT

Sacrifice Zones

When Home Is a Toxic Hot Spot

More than a thousand people talked to ProPublica about living in hot spots for cancer-causing air pollution. Most never got a warning from the EPA. They are rallying neighbors, packing civic meetings and signing petitions for reform.

by Maya Miller, Alyssa Johnson, Lisa Song and Max Blau, photography by Kathleen Flynn

December 15, 2021, 5:00 am EST

Sacrifice Zones

¿Puede la contaminación del aire causar cáncer? Lo que usted tiene que saber sobre los riesgos.

Si usted vive cerca de ciertas instalaciones industriales, puede tener un riesgo estimado de cáncer más alto. Aquí hay respuestas a preguntas comunes, datos producto de una colaboración participativa y cómo compartir su experiencia.

por Maya Miller, ilustraciones por Laila Milevski, con reporteo adicional por Lisa Song, Lylla Younes, Ava Kofman y Al Shaw

November 15, 2021, 4:00 pm EST

Unchecked

Your Free-Range Organic Chicken May Have Been Processed at a Large Industrial Poultry Plant

To help us make sense of the opaque poultry supply chain, hundreds of ProPublica readers sent in details about their chickens and turkeys. Here’s what we learned.

by Andrea Suozzo, Maryam Jameel, Michael Grabell and Bernice Yeung

December 28, 2021, 6:00 am EST

Welfare States

The Cruel Failure of Welfare Reform in the Southwest

A ProPublica series has found that in Nevada and neighboring states, boom times hastened the demise of cash assistance for the poor — but not poverty.

by Eli Hager

December 30, 2021, 5:30 am EST

Polluter’s Paradise

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.

by Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune | The Advocate

January 29, 2021, 6:00 am EST

Inside the Government Fiasco That Nearly Closed the U.S. Air System

The upgrade to 5G was supposed to bring a paradise of speedy wireless. But a chaotic process under the Trump administration, allowed to fester by the Biden administration, turned it into an epic disaster.

by Peter Elkind

May 26, 2022, 5:00 am EDT

COVID-19 Hit This County Hard. A Weakened Health Department Still Can’t Get People Vaccinated.

Clayton County has the highest percentage of Black residents in Georgia and the lowest vaccination rate in the metro Atlanta area. Amid widespread community mistrust, a strained health department struggles to figure out what to do next.

by Aliyya Swaby

December 6, 2021, 3:40 pm EST

Despite Decades of Hacking Attacks, Companies Leave Vast Amounts of Sensitive Data Unprotected

A surge in identity theft during the pandemic underscores how easy it has become to obtain people’s private data. As hackers are all too happy to explain, many of them are cashing in on it.

by Cezary Podkul

January 25, 2022, 2:40 pm EST

Oath Keepers in the State House: How a Militia Movement Took Root in the Republican Mainstream

A membership roster for the Oath Keepers, a violent extremist group whose followers have been charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection, includes state lawmakers, congressional candidates, and local government and GOP officials.

by Isaac Arnsdorf

October 20, 2021, 3:00 pm EDT

Filter Results

Journalism That Holds Power to Account