Doctors Saved Her Life. She Didn’t Want Them To.
By Kate Raphael | Photographs by Kristian Thacker This story was originally published in The New York Times on August 26, 2024. Marie Cooper led her life according to her Christian faith. She baked pies for her neighbors in northern West Virginia, and said grace before even a bite of food. She watched Jimmy Swaggart,…
Read MoreHow campaign funds and charitable donations help Big Oil wield power in Sacramento
By Laura Fitzgerald and Max Harrison-Caldwell. This story was originally published in The Los Angeles Times on July 29, 2024. In the weeks before California lawmakers left Sacramento for their summer recess, more than a dozen environmental bills died amid heavy industry opposition in a Legislature overwhelmingly controlled by Democrats. One would have held oil companies liable…
Read MoreThey Earned Parole. A Court Order Keeps Them From Returning Home
By Cayla Mihalovich (’24) This story was originally published by KQED on August 25, 2024. Lance Gonzalez spent months planning with his wife where to go for breakfast on June 26, the day he was scheduled to be released from Ironwood State Prison after 16 years. Gonzalez and his wife, Cristal, were deciding between iHop…
Read MoreA Baby Adopted, A Family Divided
A video leaks of a wealthy politician describing how he adopted a Native child, leading to outrage from the child’s biological family and members of her tribe. This audio documentary was originally published by Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting on August 24, 2024. You can listen to the episode on their website. …
Read MoreOil and ink mix as Chevron reports the ‘news’ in Texas, New Mexico
In the fossil fuel-rich Permian Basin, a major producer runs a regional website that combines industry perspective with feel-good local stories. by Felicia Alvarez/Floodlight. This story was originally published by Floodlight on August 19, 2024. Published by the Louisiana Illuminator, Texas Climate News, Santa Fe New Mexican, Taos News Across West Texas’ Permian Basin, the oil industry’s presence seeps…
Read MoreThe Enduring Reign of El Daña, Drag King of the Central Valley
By Celeste Hamilton Dennis. This story was originally published in KQED on June 21, 2024. For Elsie Saldaña, a flawless lip sync is the hallmark of serious artistry in drag. She would know. Saldaña has been performing in the Central Valley since the 1960s and still occasionally graces the stage as El Daña — the…
Read MoreForced Sterilization Survivors Undertake Own Healing After Feeling ‘Silenced Again’ by State
by Cayla Mihalovich (’24). This story was originally published by KQED on April 15, 2024. One morning last spring, Moonlight Pulido called on rituals drawn from her Native American spirituality to confront a painful experience. She stepped outside of her home in Carson, California, and lit a bundle of white sage that she keeps in…
Read MoreChevron owns this city’s news site. Many stories aren’t told.
The oil and gas company-owned Richmond Standard tells mostly positive stories about the major industry that dominates this California city and its skyline. by Miranda Green/Floodlight, David Folkenflik/NPR. This story was originally published in Floodlight on March 28, 2024. A previous version of this story misstated the ownership of a pipeline that runs alongside a…
Read MoreRevealed: at least 22 Californians have died while being held face down by police since 2016
by Emily Zetner and Lisa Pickoff-White. This story was originally published in The Guardian on February 28, 2024. Police have long known the dangers of holding people in prone restraint. So why do so many keep dying? On a Thursday morning in October 2020, less than five months after George Floyd was held on his…
Read More‘It’s a crisis’: Chronic hoarding is costing some older people their homes
Seniors can be evicted due to unsafe clutter. A San Francisco program is helping them clean up and stay housed. by Celeste Hamilton Dennis. This story was originally published in The San Francisco Chronicle on February 3, 2024. There are still a handful of vintage hat boxes in Vera Oliver’s closet. Wrapped in smooth satin…
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