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Wisconsin Republicans Sowed Distrust Over Elections. Now They May Push Out the State’s Top Election Official.

The fate of Wisconsin election administrator Meagan Wolfe is a stark reminder that even though courts and voters across the country have rejected election denialism, it remains a factor in this key battleground state.

Reporting From the Midwest

Our team in the Midwest covers Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Missouri. Based in Chicago, it grew out of our first regional publishing operation, which focused on people living and working in Illinois. Read more.

Overpolicing Parents

Native American Families Are Being Broken Up in Spite of a Law Meant to Keep Children With Their Parents

After fighting to win back her parental rights, a young Native American mother prevailed. Then the state came for her second child.

Culture of Cruelty

Health Care Workers Who Cover Up Patient Abuse Face Stiffer Penalties Under New Illinois Law

The legislation, spurred by a news investigation, allows workers to be barred from health care jobs for obstructing investigations into staff misconduct. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill on Friday.

America’s Dairyland

Following the Death of an 8-Year-Old on a Wisconsin Dairy Farm, Officials Look to Bridge Law Enforcement Language Gap

After ProPublica found that a police investigation into a child’s death was mishandled due to language barriers, officials hope to improve how police interact with non-English speakers. Meanwhile, the boy’s family has settled a suit against the farm.

Local Reporting Network Partners

ProPublica is supporting local and regional newsrooms as they work on important investigative projects affecting their communities. Some of our past and present partners in the region:

Chicago Tribune
Chicago, Illinois
The Southern Illinoisan
Carbondale, Illinois
WBEZ
Chicago, Illinois
The Daily Herald
Arlington Heights, Illinois
The Business Journal
Youngstown, Ohio
Outlier Media
Detroit, Michigan

Oficiales en Wisconsin se plantean hacer el departamento del sheriff más asequible a la gente que no habla inglés

Los planes de cambio vienen tras un reportaje de ProPublica que encontró que la policía malinterpretó como murió un niño nicaragüense en una granja lechera. Mientras tanto la familia del niño ha llegado a un acuerdo en una denuncia contra la granja.

This Cop Got Out of 44 Tickets by Saying Over and Over That His Girlfriend Stole His Car

Chicago police officer Jeffrey Kriv used the same alibi to contest dozens of traffic tickets over the years. A deeper look at his career sheds light on Chicago’s troubled history of police accountability.

Cómo alcanzamos a lectores en las granjas lecheras con un artículo sobre ellos

Para reportar sobre las condiciones en las granjas lecheras de Wisconsin, teníamos que tomar medidas creativas para hacer llegar nuestros hallazgos a los trabajadores. Aquí explicamos lo que hicieron las reporteras Melissa Sanchez y Maryam Jameel.

How We Reached Workers While Reporting on Dairy Farm Conditions

As we reported on dairy farms in Wisconsin, we knew we’d have to get creative in how we got our articles to the affected workers. Here’s how reporters Melissa Sanchez and Maryam Jameel went beyond a simple translation to reach dairy farm workers.

They Held Down a Black Teen Who Had Tried to Shoplift. He Died From Asphyxia. Why Was No One Ever Charged?

Customers at a Wisconsin corner store subdued 16-year-old Corey Stingley, who died after allegedly being placed in a chokehold. A decade later, the youth’s father still fights for justice and awaits the findings from an unusual new inquiry.

Hospitals in Two States Denied an Abortion to a Miscarrying Patient. Investigators Say They Broke Federal Law.

Doctors told her she might die but she couldn’t have an abortion under state law until she got sicker, documents show. The Biden administration says failing to act violates a federal law requiring hospitals to provide emergency care.

Minnesota Board of Nursing Executive Director Steps Down Amid Accusations of Mismanagement

The Minnesota Nursing Board was weighing terminating Executive Director Kimberly Miller, who had been criticized for a growing backlog of complaints against nurses.

Could a Michigan School Shooting Have Been Prevented? Families Still Waiting for a Full Accounting of What Happened.

Eighteen months after the deadly shooting at Oxford High School, parents want answers from the district. The mistrust sowed in the community by the delays reflects failures across the country to methodically investigate these tragedies.

Blocked Crossings Crisis Draws Local and National Calls for Action

After seeing images of kids crawling under trains, regulators ask companies to address blocked crossings, lawmakers demand consequences, residents clamor for solutions and Norfolk Southern’s CEO calls a mayor to work out a fix.

As Rail Profits Soar, Blocked Crossings Force Kids to Crawl Under Trains to Get to School

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.

Another Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Punching Handcuffed Man

The conviction is the latest development in the extensive fallout from an investigation into the criminal justice system in Elkhart, Indiana, by ProPublica and the South Bend Tribune.

Minnesota Lets Nurses Practice While Disciplinary Investigations Drag On. Patients Keep Getting Hurt.

A 2015 state audit found the Minnesota Board of Nursing was slow to act on complaints about nurses, putting the public at risk. The board ramped up its discipline for a few years, but now cases are backing up again.

Sweeping Repatriation Reform Bill Unanimously Passes Illinois House of Representatives

If signed into law, the legislation would create a protected cemetery for the reburial of repatriated Native American ancestors and establish a committee of tribal leaders to review state projects that may disturb culturally significant sites.

A Rare Statue of Buddha Fails to Sell at Auction as Questions Swirl Around a Renowned Art Collection

What happened may be a sign that objects from the collection of James and Marilynn Alsdorf will have trouble finding buyers following questions about how they were acquired. The piece from Nepal was once displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago.

A Chicago Suburb Stopped Ticketing Students. But It Won’t Stop Pursuing a 3-Year-Old Case Over Missing AirPods.

The city’s prosecution of a former student comes as the state considers a ban on ticketing students at school. The case is headed to a jury trial.

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