The Maine Monitor, Maine: Calls to overhaul Maine probate courts have stalled for half a century.
Bangor Daily News, Maine: A Maine sheriff secretly sold dozens of guns from evidence
The Bedford Citizen, Massachusetts: Romp in the Swamp Has Happy Ending — with Help from Technology
NowKalamazoo, Michigan: What type of support does a child need to recover from the trauma of being shot?
Sahan Journal, Minnesota: Shakopee officials devised plot to kill affordable housing project, emails reveal
MinnPost, Minnesota: Where you can and can’t smoke marijuana in Minnesota
Flatwater Free Press, Nebraska: Pillen’s Water: High nitrate detected on hog farms owned by Nebraska’s governor
This Is Reno, Nevada: New court filings describe ‘toxic’ work environment, culture of ‘fear and mistrust’ at university
Kingston Wire, New York: Under the Bridge, Community Brings Help — And Hope — to Addicts
Shawangunk Journal, New York: Huge Gelb Dwelling Near Wurtsboro Raises Questions
The Examiner News, New York: How the state’s disability program fails locals
Hell Gate, New York: Cat Fight: Altruism gone wrong in New York City’s cat rescue community
Epicenter-NYC, New York: The re-education of henna by Naty
NepYork, New York: The Nepali Community’s Struggle for Representation and Resources in New York
The City, New York: The Speculator Bros Ripping Off Heirs and Evicting Tenants Across NYC
The Highlands Current, New York: Confusion in the Classroom: What can a district do when a teacher spreads misinformation?
Chalkbeat, New York: NYC to mandate reading curriculum for elementary schools and high school algebra, sources say
The North Carolina Health News: N.C. psych hospital failed to provide ‘safe and therapeutic’ environment, feds say
The Buckeye Flame, Ohio: How queer deathcare is changing the way LGBTQ+ Ohioans die
Right Down Euclid, Ohio: Play Gap is leading a cultural shift in women’s sports in Cleveland and beyond
Verified News Network and Lucinda Hickory Research Institute, Oklahoma: Investigation reveals dark depths of Indigenous probate crime coverup
Ashland.news, Oregon: Heather’s homecoming: Homeless student finally has a roof over her head, thanks to an anonymous benefactor
Underscore News, Pacific Northwest: At Thacker Pass, Extraction and Resistance Come to a Head
Bucks County Beacon, Pennsylvania: Rainbow Room’s Queer Prom Under Attack By Libs Of TikTok, Doug Mastriano, Fox News
Buckrail, Wyoming: Native remains taken in 1930s eligible for repatriation
Mundos Paralelos: Esmeralda Santiago: “Si el pueblo está interesado en la cultura, va a crecer”
MLK50: Justice Through Journalism: FedEx says it’s a safe workplace. So why is Jessica James dead?
The remaining examples also appeared in The Morning newsletter on Dec. 22, 2023.
In the Hunter Hills neighborhood of Atlanta, idle freight trains blocked the main thruway, sometimes for more than 30 hours. — Capital B News
In Colorado, a growing libertarian “food freedom” movement has re-energized a long battle over unpasteurized milk. — The Colorado Sun
A city manager used political muscle and a community’s trust to remake DuBois, Pa., while granting himself raises, engaging in conflicts of interest, and allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars. — Spotlight PA
In booming Charlotte, N.C., ideas for street names are so hard to come by that one developer started naming them after “Seinfeld” references. — The Charlotte Ledger
After a busing debacle in Jefferson County, Ky., caused school closures, two reporters followed one school bus trying to complete an impossible route. — Louisville Public Media
A Bible at a retirement facility piqued an Indianola bookseller’s curiosity, sending her on a journey to learn how a 318-year-old Scottish family Bible ended up in central Iowa. — The Indianola Independent Advocate
Black Californians in the 1800s took extraordinary measures to escape slavery and make California a place of belonging. — Shasta Scout
A 10-year-old and his father were exploring a Rhode Island bike path when they found a species of mushroom that had never before been recorded in the state. — ecoRI News
City officials in Atlanta have made multiple false claims about their “environmental stewardship” of its public safety training center, dubbed “Cop City.” — The Xylom
Some of Memphis’s best barbecue is served at a gun range, forcing some eaters to choose between their palates and politics. — The Food Section
The federal government’s installation of lights in one stretch of southern Arizona, meant to help border agents, is threatening to spoil the night sky of a nearby biosphere reserve. — Arizona Luminaria
An investigative report of wage theft in New York State uncovered rampant abuse in the horse racing industry, with repeat offenders owing workers over $4.4 million. — Documented
Prisoners in China’s central Hunan Province were paid pennies to make work gloves bearing the brand of Milwaukee Tool, a company with a nearly 100-year history in Wisconsin. — Wisconsin Watch
An investigation into Chicago’s rat management found a short-staffed bureau ill-equipped to handle complaints or conduct inspections. — Block Club Chicago
Texas’s pinball festival reinvigorates the game, bringing both new faces to the hobby and classics that have endured for decades. — Collin-Denton Spotlighter
A Berkeley High junior became the youngest person to swim Hawaii’s 28-mile Moloka’i Channel, and the youngest woman to swim the 20-mile Catalina Channel. — Berkeleyside
The beloved cheese parade in Concord, Mass. — with a 400-pound crucolo from Italy that arrives in a horse-drawn wagon as people dance and scramble for samples — may never recover from Covid. — The Concord Bridge
The Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland has its own cheese parade: The annual arrival of a 350-pound wheel of crucolo is met with prayers, dancing and fanfare. — The Oaklandside
Bob Lewis, who’s 95, loves the students at Westfield, N.J.,’s Washington Elementary School, and they love him back. When he was fired from his job as a crossing guard, the community rallied. — TAPinto Westfield
A two-year investigation revealed how the Chicago police often delay and mishandle missing persons cases — and how poor data is making the problem harder to solve. — City Bureau and the Invisible Institute
In Lebanon, Pa., the orthodontists Rob and Lindsay Wertz bought Wertz Candies — no relation — continuing its nearly century-old legacy. — Lebtown
Nevada beavers, considered a nuisance for decades, now seem to be key to restoring the state’s damaged wetlands. — The Nevada Independent
Minnesota allows public smoking of marijuana unless a local ordinance specifically barred it, leading to a rush of cities preemptively passing ordinances. — MinnPost
Dogs and stoops play a big part in the life of Jersey City, which helps explain how a stoop-sitting Staffordshire Terrier named Matilda has had such a big impact on the community. — Jersey City Times
The Old Orchard Beach Lawn Mower Drill Team in Maine march in their last parade in a nostalgic goodbye. — Saco Bay News
Baton Rouge police delayed, denied and dismissed complaints without telling the citizens who made them. — Verite News
Supporters, and some critics, agree Montana’s director of public health and human services is whip-smart and politically astute. How he wants to overhaul Montana’s broken behavioral health system is less clear. — Montana Free Press
Read More
