Debt

What Americans Owe and Why

164 stories published since 2015

From Truck Stops to Elections, a River of Gambling Money Is Flooding Waukegan

by Jason Grotto

August 8, 2019, 5:00 am EDT
El Departamento de Educación federal quiere frenar la “trama fraudulenta de ayuda estudiantil” en que padres ceden la custodia a través de tutelas dudosas

por Jodi S. Cohen, Duaa Eldeib y Melissa Sanchez

August 6, 2019, 11:51 am EDT
How We Got the Story About Parents Transferring Guardianship of Their Kids to Win Financial Aid They Wouldn’t Otherwise Qualify For

by Jodi S. Cohen

August 2, 2019, 5:00 am EDT
Illinois Lawmakers Call Hearing to “Demand Answers” and Find Ways to Close a Loophole in College Financial Aid Scandal

by Jodi S. Cohen and Duaa Eldeib

August 1, 2019, 8:36 pm EDT
Padres ceden La custodia de sus hijos para conseguir becas universitarias basadas en necesidad económica

por Jodi S. Cohen y Melissa Sanchez

August 1, 2019, 5:17 pm EDT
U.S. Department of Education Wants to Stop “Student Aid Fraud Scheme” Where Parents Give Up Custody Through Dubious Guardianships

by Jodi S. Cohen, Duaa Eldeib and Melissa Sanchez

July 30, 2019, 9:05 pm EDT
Illinois Parents Are Helping Their Children Get College Financial Aid They Wouldn’t Otherwise Qualify For. Help Us Figure Out How They Do It.

by Logan Jaffe

July 29, 2019, 5:14 pm EDT
Parents Are Giving Up Custody of Their Kids to Get Need-Based College Financial Aid

by Jodi S. Cohen and Melissa Sanchez

July 29, 2019, 5:07 pm EDT
She’s Risked Arrest by Driving With a Suspended License for Seven Years. This Week She Got Some Big News.

by Melissa Sanchez

July 26, 2019, 5:00 am EDT
Chicago Mayor Proposes Reforms That Would Make Life Easier for Thousands of Black and Low-Income Drivers

by Melissa Sanchez, and Elliott Ramos, WBEZ Chicago

July 23, 2019, 3:17 pm EDT
Hate Getting Parking Tickets in Chicago? Here’s How You Can Start Change-Making Conversations About the City’s Ticketing System.

by Derrick Clifton

July 17, 2019, 5:00 am EDT
Nonprofit Christian Hospital Suspends Debt Collection Lawsuits Amid Furor Over Suing Its Own Employees

by Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism

July 3, 2019, 10:01 am EDT
Chicago Can’t Hold Impounded Vehicles After Drivers File for Bankruptcy, Court Says

by Melissa Sanchez

July 3, 2019, 4:59 am EDT
Millionaire CEO of Nonprofit Hospital That Sues the Poor Promises Review of Policies

by Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism

July 1, 2019, 6:13 pm EDT
Have You Been Sued by a Hospital, Doctor or Other Memphis Institution? Tell Us About It.

by Beena Raghavendran, ProPublica, and Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism

June 28, 2019, 6:00 pm EDT
Low-Wage Workers Are Being Sued for Unpaid Medical Bills by a Nonprofit Christian Hospital That Employs Them

by Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism

June 28, 2019, 7:00 am EDT
The Nonprofit Hospital That Makes Millions, Owns a Collection Agency and Relentlessly Sues the Poor

by Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism

June 27, 2019, 6:00 am EDT
This Memphis Hospital System Flouts IRS Rules by Not Publicly Posting Financial Assistance Policies

by Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism

June 27, 2019, 5:59 am EDT
How We Tallied Medical Debt Lawsuits and Wage Garnishments in Memphis

by Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, and Lylla Younes and Doris Burke, ProPublica

June 27, 2019, 5:59 am EDT
As Illinois Expands Gambling, It Will Also Try to Determine How Many Gambling Addicts It Has

by Dan Mihalopoulos, WBEZ Chicago, and Jason Grotto

June 10, 2019, 5:00 am EDT
Anatomy of the Gambling Bill

by Jason Grotto and David Eads

June 7, 2019, 5:00 am EDT
Illinois Is Poised to Become the Gambling Capital of the Midwest

by Jason Grotto, and Dan Mihalopoulos, WBEZ Chicago

June 4, 2019, 5:00 am EDT
Of Course This Happened in Illinois. Why Wouldn’t It?

by Logan Jaffe

May 31, 2019, 5:00 am EDT
Riverboat Gambling Eyes a Move to Dry Land, Sports Teams Backing Sports Betting and Other Quiet Expansions

by Derrick Clifton

April 25, 2019, 5:00 am EDT
Many People are Too Broke for Bankruptcy. A New Report Suggests Some Fixes.

by Paul Kiel

April 15, 2019, 5:00 am EDT
The Missing Millions: Some States Are Still Waiting for the Gambling Windfall

by Derrick Clifton

April 10, 2019, 5:00 am EDT
Legalized Betting Could Change How We Watch Sports

by Derrick Clifton

March 28, 2019, 5:00 am EDT
The Ticket Trap: Front to Back

by David Eads

March 4, 2019, 5:00 am EST
How Has the “Crack Cocaine of Gambling” Affected Illinois? The State Hasn’t Bothered to Check.

by Jason Grotto and Sandhya Kambhampati, and Dan Mihalopoulos, WBEZ Chicago

February 20, 2019, 5:00 am EST
Everybody in Chicago’s Mayor’s Race Says They Want Ticket Reform

by Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, and Elliott Ramos, WBEZ Chicago

January 25, 2019, 5:00 am EST
How Illinois Bet on Video Gambling and Lost

by Jason Grotto and Sandhya Kambhampati, ProPublica, and Dan Mihalopoulos, WBEZ Chicago

January 16, 2019, 5:00 am EST
Do You Know Someone Struggling With Video Gambling?

by Logan Jaffe

January 16, 2019, 4:59 am EST
How We Analyzed Video Gambling in Illinois

by Sandhya Kambhampati and Jason Grotto

January 16, 2019, 4:58 am EST
Feeling Trapped by Vehicle Tickets? Let’s Talk About It — Live

by Derrick Clifton

January 4, 2019, 5:00 am EST
How to Use the Ticket Trap, Our New Database That Lets You Explore How Chicago Tickets Motorists and Collects Debt

by David Eads

December 21, 2018, 4:59 am EST
The Ticket Trap

by David Eads and Melissa Sanchez

December 20, 2018, 5:00 am EST
We Want to Hear About Your Experiences With Vehicle Tickets, So We Created a Facebook Group

by Helga Salinas

December 14, 2018, 5:00 am EST
Chicago Task Force Will Take on Ticket and Debt Collection Reform

by Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, and Elliott Ramos, WBEZ Chicago

December 6, 2018, 4:01 pm EST
Chicago Throws Out 23,000 Duplicate Tickets Issued Since 1992 to Motorists Who Didn’t Have Vehicle Stickers

by Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, and Elliott Ramos, WBEZ Chicago

November 29, 2018, 6:29 pm EST
Chicago City Council Approves Modest First Reforms on Ticketing and Debt

by Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, and Elliott Ramos, WBEZ Chicago

November 14, 2018, 6:24 pm EST
Top Chicago Alderman Adds to Growing Momentum for Ticket and Debt Reform

by Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, and Elliott Ramos, WBEZ Chicago

November 13, 2018, 6:24 pm EST
Chicago Considers Wiping Away Old Ticket Debt for Motorists Who File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

by Melissa Sanchez

November 5, 2018, 7:42 pm EST
Chicago Alderman Proposes Reining in Ticket Penalties That Drove Thousands of Black Motorists Into Debt

by Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, and Elliott Ramos, WBEZ Chicago

October 31, 2018, 6:36 pm EDT
Chicago City Clerk Calls for Reforms of Vehicle Sticker Program

by Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, and Elliott Ramos, WBEZ Chicago

October 23, 2018, 5:32 pm EDT
Download Chicago’s Parking Ticket Data Yourself

by Katlyn Alo and Melissa Sanchez

August 23, 2018, 5:00 am EDT
What’s the City of Chicago Doing About Its Problem With Duplicate Sticker Tickets?

by Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, and Elliott Ramos, WBEZ Chicago

August 9, 2018, 7:00 am EDT
The “Terrible” Consequences of Chicago’s Ticketing Policies

by Helga Salinas

July 27, 2018, 5:00 am EDT
Chicago Hiked the Cost of Vehicle City Sticker Violations to Boost Revenue. But It’s Driven More Low-Income, Black Motorists Into Debt.

by Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, and Elliott Ramos, WBEZ Chicago

July 26, 2018, 7:00 am EDT
How ProPublica Illinois and WBEZ Worked Together to Find Thousands of Duplicate Tickets in Chicago

by Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, and Elliott Ramos, WBEZ Chicago

July 6, 2018, 5:00 am EDT
Chicago Begins To Rethink How Bankruptcy Lawyers Get Paid

by Melissa Sanchez

May 9, 2018, 5:00 am EDT