$50 Billion in Opioid Settlement Cash Is on the Way. We’re Tracking How It’s Spent.
Spending the money effectively and equitably is a tall order for state and local governments, and a lack of transparency in the process is already leading to fears of misuse. Our investigation concluded only 12 states have committed to detailed public reporting of all their spending.
Addiction Treatment Providers in Pa. Face Little State Scrutiny Despite Harm to Clients
Pennsylvania’s Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs has allowed providers to continue operating despite repeated violations and harm to clients.
Pandemic Unveils Growing Suicide Crisis for Communities of Color
In 2021, there was a collective sigh of relief when the CDC announced that — despite the mental health impacts of Covid-19 — the national suicide rate had declined. However, that was not the full picture. Suicide rates actually increased for Black, Hispanic, and other communities of color in many states during the pandemic.
Special Investigation: Cut, Now Crucial
Long cast aside as expendable, Pa.’s public health nurses are now pivotal to easing coronavirus restrictions. For decades, they endured budget cuts, political battles, and a major state Supreme Court case. Now, when we need them most, only a skeleton crew remains.
She’s the force behind Pa.’s efforts to treat drug addiction. Critics say ‘there is more to the story.’
As a lobbyist, Deb Beck wields significant power over drug treatment policy and legislation. But some question whether she uses that influence to benefit the businesses providing care over what's best for patients.
Feeling suicidal, she turned to her college. But it had just cut campus mental health services.
More than a month after Pennsylvania's largest community college cut mental health counseling across its five campuses, there is still confusion about how students can access care.
Silenced by fear: Moms with postpartum depression fear having their children taken away
Women of color are less likely to get treatment for postpartum depression because they fear they'll be judged too quickly or harshly by child welfare services. Research shows those fears may be justified.
'I'm not letting you die': Six health workers share their most powerful memories of treating gun violence in Philly
In Philadelphia, more than 1,000 people have been shot in each of the last four years, and nearly one in five die. For the health workers who hear the patient’s last words and hold their hands, those are the moments that become embedded in their memories.
She kept losing her eyesight, and no one knew why. Then a doctor asked about her mental health.
Many clinicians are unaware that Asian Americans often experience physical symptoms of mental illness, so the group of over 21 million goes underdiagnosed and undertreated.
Enticing Pregnant Women in Liberia to Give Birth in Health Centers
A grass-roots practice in Liberia hopes to reduce maternal deaths by threatening to impose fines on birth attendants if women deliver their babies at home. But experts fear the coercive practice could deter women who deliver at home from seeking care for their children in health facilities.
It's High Time for Ticks, Which Are Spreading Diseases Farther
The disease-carrying blood suckers are spreading more pathogens and putting more Americans at risk, even for more rare illnesses.
A New Skin Lightening Procedure Is Short on Evidence
Instead of bleaching creams, women who want lighter skin are now turning to a new treatment: injecting the antioxidant glutathione into their veins.
CNBC
New opioids could relieve pain without dangerous side effects
Once hailed as saviors of pain patients everywhere, opioids — including oxycodone and fentanyl — have caused an addiction epidemic in the United States and earned the scorn of doctors, patients and lawmakers. Some scientists think it's time to give opioids a second chance, by developing a new generation of drugs with all the painkilling power of conventional opioids but without some of the dangerous side effects.
With $200,000 and two ideas, these guys aim to revive Rust Belt cities
When Hajj Flemings looked at his hometown of Detroit, he noticed a strange discrepancy. In midtown and downtown, businesses were thriving, people were excited to explore the area, and signs of a growing economy abounded. But go one mile east or west and suddenly that sense of development disappeared. He set out to correct that imbalance, envisioning a project that could help local business owners elevate their stories and build a brand to attract people to their neighborhoods.
Why Apple may have jumped the gun with AirPods
Apple is confident it made the right decision to remove the wired headphone jack on the iPhone 7 and launch the wireless AirPods, but it could take some time for the new Apple product innovation to prove to consumers it's ready for prime time in the premium headphone market.
Several audio executives told CNBC the AirPods can't quickly catch up to wired headphones, because of failings in three key attributes.
Here's Why Texas Students Wait Weeks for Basic Mental Health Services
I pitched this story at the beginning of my internship as a look at why students often have to wait weeks to get a counseling appointment on college campuses. Over the next 10 weeks, I saw this story to completion by requesting records from various universities, interviewing more than a dozen experts and finding students who would be willing to share their struggles with mental health.
This story was picked up by Houston Public Radio, and I was invited to speak on a segment of Houston Matters (listen here).
The Boston Globe
Northeastern to equip officers with semiautomatic rifles
Despite opposition from Boston police, the Northeastern University Police Department plans to begin equipping its officers with semiautomatic rifles to respond to campus emergencies. The move to provide more firepower for the force comes amid heightened worries about mass shootings nationwide and debate over arming college police.
After receiving a tip, I broke this story first for Northeastern University's independent college newspaper and then for The Boston Globe. It gained a lot of traction, getting picked up by ABC News and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah the next day (12-10-15).
Toxic Landfill Plan Near Colonia Raises Racism Charges
Since Alejandro Obregón moved to a colonia along the Texas-Mexico border 20 years ago, he has fought for basic necessities like clean water and paved roads. Now a private developer wants to build a landfill just a few miles from his backyard, and Obregón is fighting again for the interests of his family and hundreds of colonia residents.
Ceremony keeps alive the light of lost children
Chuck Snekvik held a candle for his daughter, Amy, and his wife held one for their son, Andrew. Amy died in a car accident when she was 7 years old. Andrew passed away from colon cancer at 38.
The Snekviks joined more than 50 people Sunday night at the Church of the Covenant for a candle lighting ceremony to honor children who are no longer with them, but whose memories continue to burn bright.
After attending the vigil, I wrote this story in 45 minutes.
Abortion Booklet Revisions Called Even More Inaccurate
Death and infertility were just two of the risks a doctor described to Kryston Skinner when she chose to have an abortion last year. But some of the information she was given was misleading or medically wrong, contained in a long, controversial booklet that state lawmakers require doctors to give women at least 24 hours before an abortion procedure.
Now, the Department of State Health Services is planning an update of the booklet that doubles down on information highly contested by medical experts and the pro-abortion rights community, stoking the flames of a debate going back more than a decade.
Officials say Lawrence man set five fires in city
Just feet from the charred remains of an early-morning six-alarm blaze that destroyed three buildings, damaged five others, and displaced 14 people, officials told residents Friday they could take comfort in knowing an alleged serial arsonist had been captured.
Mother Aims to Raise Awareness of Fatal Heatstroke In Children After Toddler Son's Death
In the aftermath of her son's death by heatstroke, a Ridgefield mom decided to share lessons learned from 15-month-old Ben.
Lindsey Rogers-Seitz has started a blog called "The Gift of Ben" in honor of her son, who died July 7 after he was left in the car by his father, Rogers-Seitz's husband, Kyle Seitz. The blog aims to raise awareness of the issue of children's deaths by heatstroke.
Rubber Band Bracelets Bring Smiles, Hope to Cancer Patients
Although rubber band bracelets are a trend at their school, Keeley Joyal and Lindsay Masamery had more than fashion in mind when they started making the bracelets by the dozen. On Thursday, the two girls went to Hartford Hospital to deliver nearly 500 of the bracelets to cancer patients.
This article appeared as a front-page centerpiece story.
New Britain Native Experiences War in Israel
For one New Britain native, the war between Israel and Hamas is not just something to hear about on the evening news or scroll by on her Facebook news feed.
Judy Weinstein Goldberg is experiencing it firsthand.
Currently living in Ashkelon, Israel, Goldberg is just ten kilometers – a little more than six miles -- north of Gaza. Her city is a target for missile fire from Hamas, the Islamic militant group based in Gaza.
Some consider science journalism more technical and knowledge-heavy than other beats. That’s why there are often space writers with degrees in astronomy or health reporters who used to be doctors. But does that mean those are the only people who can do the job well? Do you need a science degree to be a science reporter? We reopen the classic debate with five science reporters.
The challenge of making complex science topics clear and entertaining can be even greater for audio journalists, who can’t use visual aids or rely on the audience to reread a confusing section. Yet Science Friday, Science Vs, and Radiolab have all discovered unique ways to meet this challenge. Now they share some of the most important lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Many science reporters get their start in other beats, including crime, business, fashion, or politics. But science touches every aspect of life, so it’s no wonder many of them say the skills they developed in those beats have made them better-equipped—and sometimes uniquely positioned—to report on science.
Lawsuit Accuses Baker Administration of Denying Shelter to Homeless Families
Mayor Walsh Announces New Funding for Homelessness Services
Homeless Advocates Express Disappointment over Senate State Budget
A lawsuit filed by homeless families alleges that Governor Charlie Baker’s campaign to end the practice of putting homeless families in motels at state expense has resulted in increased hardships for a vulnerable population.
As part of his goal to end chronic homelessness in Boston, Mayor Martin J. Walsh pledged $1.3 million in his proposed budget for next year to fund homelessness services. The proposal includes $150,000 for “front-door triage,” which will allow staff at shelters around the city to find the best way to help people who are entering the system for the first time.
Homelessness service providers across the Commonwealth are concerned they could face a tough year ahead, as the state budget proposal cuts nearly $800,000 from funds for the assistance of homeless individuals.
The Huntington News - Northeastern University's independent student newspaper
NUPD to deploy assault rifles in emergencies
"It's On Us" campaign targets campus sexual assault
In a new defense policy expected to launch in mid-December, the Northeastern University Police Department (NUPD) will deploy assault weapons in campus vehicles during emergency situations.
After receiving a tip, I broke this story in December 2015 about campus police arming officers with tactical rifles despite opposition from Boston police. I followed up with another article for The Boston Globe. The day after that was published, the story was picked up by ABC News and featured on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
Colleges across the nation are taking a red pen to their sexual assault policies, and in their revisions, placing new emphasis on bystanders as a powerful resource.
The White House’s launch of a new public awareness campaign “It’s On Us” reflects the recent focus on bystander intervention. Unveiled last Friday, the campaign aims to engage all members of campus communities in preventing sexual assault – a goal many colleges are already working toward.
New England Newspaper & Press Association
Using tools, techniques that help data miners to dig deep
Design with readers' needs in your mind's eye
When Matthew Kauffman, investigative reporter at The Hartford (Conn.) Courant, wanted to do a story on mental health in the military, he didn't limit his reporting to anecdotes and interviews. Instead, he and co-author Lisa Chedekel - also then at the Courant - gathered information on mental health evaluations before deployment. Statistical analysis of that data became the foundation of their story.
Kauffman is one of many journalists turning to data more frequently for their stories. The surge in data-driven reporting has even led to the creation of a new subfield: data journalism.
Design is not an opportunity to be creative, but an opportunity to give readers what they need, said Ed Henninger, director of a design consulting business, Henninger Consulting in Rock Hill, S.C.
Henninger explained the importance of design thinking for newspapers to an audience of about 40 people in a workshop titled “The Essential Elements of Better Newspaper Design.” The presentation took place Friday, Feb. 7, at the New England Newspaper and Press Association’s winter convention in the Boston Park Plaza Hotel.