Ambulances and fire trucks can’t get through. The problem has existed for decades. But it’s getting worse.

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The Big Story
Wed. Apr 26, 2023

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As Rail Profits Soar, Blocked Crossings Force Kids to Crawl Under Trains to Get to School <[link removed]> When crossings are blocked for hours, kids risk their lives to get to school by crawling through trains that could start at any moment. Ambulances and fire trucks can’t get through. The problem has existed for decades. But it’s getting worse. by Topher Sanders and Dan Schwartz, ProPublica, and Joce Sterman, Gray Television/InvestigateTV; Video by Scotty Smith, Gray Television/InvestigateTV; Photography by Jamie Kelter Davis for ProPublica

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The True Dangers of Long Trains <[link removed]> Trains are getting longer. Railroads are getting richer. But these “monster trains” are jumping off of tracks across America and regulators are doing little to curb the risk. by Dan Schwartz and Topher Sanders, with additional reporting by Gabriel Sandoval and Danelle Morton, graphics by Haisam Hussein <[link removed]>

A Norfolk Southern Policy Lets Officials Order Crews to Ignore Safety Alerts <[link removed]> In October, months before the East Palestine derailment, the company also directed a train to keep moving with an overheated wheel that caused it to derail miles later in Sandusky, Ohio. by Topher Sanders and Dan Schwartz <[link removed]>

Do Blocked Railroad Crossings Endanger Your Community? Tell Us More. <[link removed]> We want to understand what stationary and long trains mean for EMS, firefighters, police and families across the country. by Ruth Baron, Topher Sanders and Dan Schwartz <[link removed]>

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Roadside Drug Tests Used to Convict People Aren’t Particularly Accurate. Courts Are Beginning to Prevent Their Use. <[link removed]> Field test kits provide the evidence most commonly used to secure convictions in drug cases in the U.S. One judge called the tests “arbitrary and unlawful guesswork.” by Ryan Gabrielson <[link removed]>

Is the Metropolitan Museum of Art Displaying Objects That Belong to Native American Tribes? <[link removed]> Only a small percentage of works donated by Charles and Valerie Diker have clear ownership histories. Experts say this could mean objects are stolen or fake. Meanwhile, the Met has been slow to ask tribes for information about the items. by Kathleen Sharp for ProPublica <[link removed]>

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When GOP Attorneys General Embraced Jan. 6, Corporate Funders Fled. Now They’re Back. <[link removed]> Even as the Republican Attorneys General Association has leaned further into promoting Trumpism and sowing doubt about U.S. elections, major sponsors including Amazon, Walmart and Home Depot have resumed their contributions to the group. by Ilya Marritz <[link removed]>

After Pandemic Delays, FDA Still Struggling to Inspect Foreign Drug Manufacturers <[link removed]> In the wake of recent deaths from bacteria-tainted eyedrops, a ProPublica analysis of FDA data reveals that the agency only inspected 6% of the overseas plants where drugs and their ingredients are produced in 2022. by Irena Hwang <[link removed]>

Blown Away: Fishermen Endangered by Offshore Wind’s Political Power <[link removed]> Turbines the height of 70-story skyscrapers will soon tower over East Coast fishing grounds. But government regulators with ties to offshore wind developers are downplaying the danger to the marine ecosystem and fishermen’s livelihoods. by Will Sennott and Anastasia Lennon, The New Bedford Light <[link removed]>

New York Prosecutors Ignored Tainted Evidence Used Against Spanish-Speaking Drivers for Years <[link removed]> Mistranslated DWI warnings used in Westchester County may have pressured some drivers into taking a Breathalyzer test. The district attorney’s office didn’t investigate for three years. by Brett Murphy <[link removed]>

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