From Audrey Quinn, for Life of the Law, the story of mothers who give birth in prison. An excerpt: A Department of Corrections study found having a baby in a prison nursery makes a woman twice as likely to stay out of prison later. Byrne [Mary Byrne, a professor at Columbia University School of Nursing] decided to conduct her own research, following ...
The documentary “Private Violence,” directed by Cynthia Hill, has debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. The film tells the story of two women, a domestic violence advocate who was victimized herself years ago, and a young mother who, with the advocate’s help, fought in court to keep her abusive ex-husband in prison. The documentary will air on HBO this fall. For ...
From Rong Xiaoqing, for Sing Tao Daily, translated into English for Voices of NY, a deeply reported story of the mental health consequences for some American students at one highly competitive high school in New York City. An excerpt: “For many academically competitive students, Stuyvesant is the ultimate goal. But once you get in, everyone is so competitive. You have to stay at ...
From Rocco Rorandelli for CNN World, the story of teens working in American tobacco fields. An excerpt: In many states, children as young as 12 can legally work on a farm as long as it’s after school and they have their parents’ permission. “It doesn’t specify whether the farm is producing corn or tobacco, but … the kid who works in ...
The Miami Herald has picked up BrowardBulldog.org’s investigation of lobbyists operating in the shadows of Florida government. The in-depth report found broad loopholes in otherwise tough requirements for lobbyist disclosure and registration in Florida. (An excerpt): .. Florida’s independent special districts are a separate class of government — a hodgepodge of obscure taxing and other authorities that, with few exceptions, offer the public ...
From Florida, the state known for its “Sunshine” Freedom of Information laws, an investigation of special governmental districts that allow lobbyists to influence decisions, without any public disclosure. Dan Christensen of BrowardBulldog.org reports there are hundreds of districts responsible for billions of dollars in government spending each year that allow lobbyists to operate in the shadows. The districts have control over airports, public hospitals, water management, ...
From Shawn Musgrave for the Boston Globe, a follow-up story to his investigation of privacy concerns over police department scanning of license plates. After the Police Department released private information by mistake, it decided to suspend the program, indefinitely. ...
From Karen Coates and Jerry Redfern, a book about the bombs the US dropped in Laos, still exploding many years later. The book, Eternal Harvest, published by ThingsAsian Press, is the result of seven years of work. Coates and Redfern traveled through Laos, locating people, taking their photos, and listening to their stories. They dedicate their book to the more than 50,000 Laotians ...
From Sam Eifling for the Arkansas Times, an investigation of the rupture of an ExxonMobil pipeline that spilled oil and released fumes throughout a neighborhood in Arkansas. Before the spill, residents didn’t know they were living above a pipeline. “The oil went to the lake, [Ann] Jarrell said. “But the toxic fumes came to us.” In one part of the series, he reports the health ...
From Jarrett Murphy and Kate Pastor for City Limits, a report on the state of gambling in New York, where more casinos will be opening now that voters have approved a constitutional amendment. The winners and losers are not easy to predict, according to the report: [T]he number of existing gambling options raises the question of whether new casinos will draw new players to the market or ...