We revisit Mississippi Goddam. Plus: the land deal that’s draining Arizona’s precious water supply.

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** THE WEEKLY REVEAL
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Saturday, August 12, 2023

Hello! In this issue:
* The official story on Billey Joe Johnson’s death leaves his family in disbelief.
* State workers in Arizona unknowingly funded a deal that’s draining their groundwater.


** THIS WEEK’S PODCAST
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** Mississippi Goddam Chapter 2: The Aftermath
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Billey Joe Johnson Sr. (background) comforts his wife, Annette, outside the George County Justice Court in Hattiesburg, Miss., in 2009 after a jury announced that the death of the couple's son Billey Joe Johnson Jr. was self-inflicted but unintentional. Credit: Matt Bush/The Hattiesburg American/Associated Press

Missed Chapter 1? Start here. ([link removed])

We’re dedicating seven episodes of the Reveal podcast to the story of Billey Joe Johnson Jr., a 17-year-old Black high school student who authorities say shot himself during a traffic stop with a White deputy in Lucedale, Mississippi.

But this isn’t just the story of Billey Joe. It’s the story of how tragedies in America and the lack of justice and accountability around those tragedies create the context for the world we live in. It’s part of the reason Billey Joe’s family never believed the official story of what happened to him.

But that’s also an oversimplification.

To really understand why the Johnsons lost faith in the investigation, you have to go back to the morning Billey Joe died: Dec. 8, 2008. That morning, crime scene tape separates the Johnsons from their son’s body.

As the Johnson family tries to get answers about their son’s death, they get increasingly frustrated. They feel that law enforcement officials, from the lead investigator to the district attorney, are keeping them out of the loop. While a majority-White grand jury rules that Billey Joe’s death was accidental, members of the family believe the possibility of foul play was never properly investigated.

Does the official story add up?

Listen to the episode ([link removed])
🎧 Other places to listen: Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) , Spotify ([link removed]) , Google Podcasts ([link removed]) , Stitcher ([link removed]) or wherever you get your podcasts.


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** NEW
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** State Pension Fund is Helping a Middle Eastern Firm Export Arizona’s Precious Groundwater
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By Nathan Halverson
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For years, rural Arizonans have faced the prospect of their wells running dry.

In La Paz County, Arizona, west of Phoenix, an underground aquifer should have enough water for every resident. But huge farming operations have been tapping into the water supply to grow hay that gets shipped to countries in Asia and the Middle East ([link removed]) .

Despite the water crisis – and the farms’ role in it – Reveal found that the state of Arizona helped fund one of the land deals that led to the extractive farming.


Read the full story ([link removed])

Dig Deeper

Listen: The Great Arizona Water Grab ([link removed]) (Reveal)
Learn more: The Grab ([link removed]) (Center for Investigative Reporting Studios)
We can't do this work without you. Donate today ([link removed]) .


** In Case You Missed It
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🎧 Guatemala's War on Journalists ([link removed])

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🎧 It's Not Easy Going Green ([link removed])

This issue of The Weekly Reveal was written by Kate Howard and edited by Nikki Frick. If you enjoyed this issue, forward it to a friend ([link removed]) . Have some thoughts? Drop us a line (mailto:[email protected]) with feedback or ideas!

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