Investigations

Chicago resident Domitila Valerio started noticing her bill increasing in 2018. When the bills escalated to more than $700, she couldn't afford to pay.

A Water Crisis Is Growing In A Place You'd Least Expect It

6:50am February 08, 2019

The Great Lakes are one of the world's largest sources of fresh water, but many Americans in surrounding cities face a dark irony: They can't afford their rising water bills.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators examine damage to the engine of the Southwest Airlines plane that made an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia in 2018. The NTSB was unable to begin several investigatio

National

Working Through Shutdown Backlog, NTSB Warns Accident Evidence May Be Lost

8:19am January 29, 2019

by Matthew S. Schwartz

Twenty-two accidents, including 15 plane crashes, weren't investigated during the partial government shutdown. Instead of visiting the site of the crash, examiners might just examine stored wreckage.

'I Figured It Was Going To Be A Horrible Death, And It Probably Will Be'

10:42am January 23, 2019

by Cat Schuknecht

Thousands of coal miners across Appalachia are grappling with complicated black lung, a disease that has drastically changed their lives, their communities and their families.

National

Coal Miners Grapple With Black Lung And Their Futures After Decades On The Job

4:51pm January 22, 2019

by Howard Berkes

Miners across Appalachia are dying of black lung. Now they're coming to terms with decades of dedication to a job that would drastically change their lives and that of their families.

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Coal miner Nick Stiltner reviews an X-ray of his lungs showing black lung disease at the Stone Mountain Clinic in Grundy, Va.

National

Calls For Change Follow NPR/'Frontline' Black Lung Investigation

1:51pm January 22, 2019

by Howard Berkes

Federal regulations for silica dust in coal mines haven't changed in decades. But since an NPR/Frontline report into black lung, some are calling for a new response.

Co-founder Mark Burke signs with patrons at Streetcar 82 Brewing Co., in Hyattsville, Md. "My goal is to make the best beer," Burke said. "But the impact and magnitude of how this influences the Deaf community is inspiring."

National

Deaf And Unemployed: Taking Matters Into Their Own Hands

5:00am January 13, 2019

by Amanda Morris

Deaf people struggle with high unemployment. So they are creating their own "deaf ecosystems" and pushing employers to better accommodate them.

Amanda Koller is deaf and has struggled to find full-time permanent employment, an issue she attributes to discrimination in the hiring process against those with disabilities.

National

Deaf And Unemployed: 1,000+ Applications But Still No Full-Time Job

2:39pm January 12, 2019

by Amanda Morris

Despite technological advancements that allow deaf job seekers to communicate more easily with potential employers, applicants say they still face stigma that they can't do the job.

Two senior officials at the U.S. Government Publishing Office, based in Washington, D.C., betrayed "public trust" and eroded employee morale by hiring unqualified workers, including an official's son, the agency's Office of Inspector General said in an in

Cronyism, 'Wasteful' Spending Accusations Roil Government Publishing Office

4:14pm January 02, 2019

by Hansi Lo Wang

NPR has obtained an internal investigative report that alleges mismanagement at a little-known federal agency in charge of producing and distributing official documents, including 2020 census forms.

Asaati Nadi (left) and Hamida Ibrahim at Meridian Hill Park in Washington, D.C., on June 15.

Favorite Visual Stories Of 2018

11:51am December 28, 2018

by Emily Bogle

NPR's list of memorable visual stories includes coverage of the 2018 midterm election, migrant caravans, Puerto Rico's hurricane recovery and, of course, a musical insect invasion.

Former coal miner Danny Smith and his family used to ride their ATVs and go camping on this reclaimed strip mining site in Pike County, Ky. But Smith is no longer able to do such things because of his advanced black lung disease.

An Epidemic Is Killing Thousands Of Coal Miners. Regulators Could Have Stopped It

9:44pm December 18, 2018

More than 2,000 miners in Appalachia are dying from an advanced stage of black lung. NPR and Frontline have found the government had multiple warnings and opportunities to protect them, but didn't.

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