This exists! It’s called Local Matters. We are sponsored by @ire.org & @knightcolumbia.org. Local Matters is a free, weekly newsletter that is curated by myself and three other working journalists. This is our 8th year! Anyone can sign up here: visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin...

In 2000, rookie Oakland cop Aaron McFarland wrote report saying he arrested man w drugs. His probable cause for stop: the man had crossed a solid red light. The problem: At that time of night the lights blink red. Katey & I obtained new records: www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

So thrilled to be joining The Post’s incredible investigations team as a deputy editor! www.washingtonpost.com/pr/2025/08/1...

Beyond thrilled to share that @rwoolington.bsky.social is joining The Washington Post's investigations team www.washingtonpost.com/pr/2025/08/1...

In rural Tennessee, 16 middle schoolers waiting for cheerleading practice to start made a TikTok video seeming to role play a school shooting. The sheriff's office charged every single one with a crime. www.propublica.org/article/soci...

New: Beryllium, a metal so toxic that breathing in a minuscule amount over time can cause a chronic & fatal illness, is being found in homes after the LA wildfires. Nobody knows where it's coming from. Few are testing for it. w/ @meganmunce.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com tinyurl.com/4pkefbfx

Passionate about doing great journalism to serve Nevadans? Join our team! Co-Editors Michelle Rindels and Riley Snyder run down the three job openings we just posted: thenevadaindependent.com/article/want...

New from me and @meganmunce.bsky.social: Three major insurance companies have been accused of systematically under-insuring LA wildfire victims via flawed software, following our @sfchronicle.com investigation into the issue. Gift link: tinyurl.com/4dmpcb25

EXCLUSIVE: CA National Guard troops sent by Trump to LA amid immigration protests are sleeping on concrete floors. No fed funding for food, water, fuel, equipment or lodging. Source: “Currently, there is no plan for where everyone is sleeping tonight” www.sfchronicle.com/california/a...

I can't recommend this #ire25 class highly enough, taught by two of the best investigative storytellers in the biz!

There are still spots in our Writing The Investigative Narrative class at @ire.org! Come talk craft with me & @rwoolington.bsky.social ✨📰 Sign up here: www.ire.org/product/ire2...

Congratulations to Zachary Sampson, Shreya Vuttaluru, Bethany Barnes and the whole team at the Tampa Bay Times on winning this month's Sidney for their sweeping investigation of manatee deaths in Florida and the state's declining water quality.

The Tampa Bay Times wins the May Sidney for their first-of-its-kind investigation into the water quality crisis that is killing the state’s manatees:

The story quoted here is an excellent read, and very sad. Manatees 💔

We owe these gentle creatures better: Rampant pollution caused manatees to starve. Florida waters are getting worse project.tampabay.com/investigatio...

ecological catastrophe in florida but no worries they are focusing on the real threats: fluoridated water project.tampabay.com/investigatio...

Pilots flying into Denver International Airport on Monday couldn’t communicate with air traffic controllers for about six minutes after multiple radio transmitters failed, according to reporting from Denver7.

"If they had deliberately set out to emotionally torture three generations of a single family — Hailey, her aunt and, most important, her infant — they couldn’t have done a more thorough, efficient job of it than they did and continue to do in this case" missouriindependent.com/2025/05/05/h...

JOURNALISTS OF BLUESKY: I'm hiring! We're looking for a talented reporter to join the Lexington Herald-Leader on the Bluegrass Politics team. This position will cover state government — the legislature, Gov. Andy Beshear, agencies, etc. — and Kentucky politics. Questions? Reach out to me.

“I’ve been doing this work for 34 years…and I don’t remember ever seeing a policy that names the principal, in writing, as the editor of the paper." www.niemanlab.org/2025/05/insi...

I have written many healthcare stories, but never before have I written about my own health. I decided to do so after learning one of my drugs costs nearly $1,000 a pill and just 25 cents to make. What I found was an incredible story of discovery and exploitation. www.propublica.org/article/revl...

Stories like these are only possible because of our readers and the support of the @sfchronicle.com leadership. Now more than ever, investigative reporting is needed across the U.S. — esp. at the local level. Subscribe to one (or more) local news outlets so we can keep doing this work <3

Deeply grateful for the recognition from the @pulitzerprizes.bsky.social for @jennifergollan.bsky.social's and my investigation into deadly, reckless police pursuits. And especially grateful to the families who shared their stories w/ us.

Florida Rep. Shane Abbott, R-DeFuniak Springs, once again falsely claimed that Florida has a state OSHA agency, in defense of a bill that would gut over a dozen worker protections for temp workers (really basic, but meaningful stuff) if passed. www.orlandoweekly.com/news/florida...

State Bar of California admits it used AI to develop exam questions, triggering new furor

Gutting detail in this expertly reported narrative by Lauren Peace, which shows how the system failed a woman desperately seeking help — as well as the cops trying to protect her. www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2... @longreads.com @thesundaylongread.bsky.social

Brace yourselves, then read this story by Lauren Peace. It's heart-wrenching but proud of @tampabaytimes.bsky.social for drawing attention to domestic violence. I hope it inspires lawmakers and police to figure out a better way to handle situations like this one. www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2...

Just got word from my college roommate - who is the state archivist for the state of South Dakota - that due to the DOGE shutdowns of IMLS, they can no longer fund InterLibrary Loan in SD. This means exchange between libraries, ability to get books delivered across the system, is gone as of 4/30.

Congratulations to the winners and finalists of the 2024 IRE Awards! www.ire.org/announcing-t...

The Tampa Bay Times published an investigation into water pollution in Florida. Read a breakdown of the key takeaways here: www.tampabay.com/investigatio...

Can confirm @localmatters.bsky.social is the best - encourage anyone who can to chip in $5 a month to recognize the great work of volunteers!

Giving a shout-out to the @localmatters.bsky.social newsletter, which consistently delivers the best journalism from local news across the U.S., you can sign up for the once a week email here visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin... or follow 'em on BlueSky

“Florida’s legislature needs to act immediately to stop the pollution of our waterways.” www.tampabay.com/investigatio...

Florida’s biggest sources of water pollution — agriculture and development — aren’t held to strict limits on the nitrogen and phosphorus that flow off sprawling farms and city streets.

Wasting Away: Rampant pollution caused manatees to starve. Florida waters are getting worse.

"Rehabbers dumped box after box of romaine lettuce into the water. The young manatee’s next meal was never in question. But her future is." —Zachary T. Sampson, @shreyavut.bsky.social @betsbarnes.bsky.social @tampabaytimes.bsky.social longreads.com/2025/04/04/w...

To understand the crisis manatees face, @shreyavut.bsky.social, Zack Sampson, & @betsbarnes.bsky.social spoke with over 100 scientists, politicians, & environmentalists. Here’s how they revealed that decades of pollution pushed Florida’s waterways to the brink. project.tampabay.com/investigatio...

"We have a 5-alarm fire here.” @tampabaytimes.bsky.social has put together a comprehensive look at the manatee crisis and what it says about efforts to combat pollution. Really impressive work. project.tampabay.com/investigatio...

When Florida's manatees started dying @shreyavut.bsky.social, Zack Sampson, & @betsbarnes.bsky.social began to ask, why? They found that the state's waterways were being polluted by chemicals. A @tampabaytimes.bsky.social' reporting project. project.tampabay.com/investigatio...

So much talent and hard work on this list of @edwriters.bsky.social National Awards for Education Reporting finalists! ewa.org/ewa-awards/2...

In trove of Farmers Insurance internal records, @susien.bsky.social + @meganmunce.bsky.social found the insurer shut down a probe of inaccurate rebuild estimates when wildfire survivors began to sue.

NEW: Florida touts spending millions of dollars to reduce water pollution. But the efforts aren’t working. Instead, hundreds of waterways have become dangerously contaminated. From the amazing Zack Sampson, Shreya Vuttaluru and Bethany Barnes: project.tampabay.com/investigatio...

No one does investigations quite like @tampabaytimes.bsky.social. This latest one will take your breath away: project.tampabay.com/investigatio...

👀 Groundbreaking environmental #journalism crunching mountains of data, using scientific experts, to document poorly regulated #Florida water pollution from sewage, fertilizer and manure, and the manatees who died from it. Tampa Bay Times project.tampabay.com/investigatio...

The depth of reporting from Tampa Bay Times journalists Zachary T. Sampson, Shreya Vuttaluru and Bethany Barnes is stunning and extraordinary. : #WastingAway gets to the heart of why Florida’s gentle giants – the manatees – have been perishing. A MUST READ. project.tampabay.com/investigatio...

“Times reporters conducted a first-of-its-kind statewide analysis, pinpointing alarming levels of chemicals in nearly 1 in 4 waterways. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection touts spending millions of dollars to reduce the contamination. But the efforts aren’t working”

I recently asked @katybkoz.bsky.social what it meant not to be able to access PRAMS, even temporarily: “It’s hard to imagine getting toward a future where fewer moms die giving birth in this country, because the tools we had to imagine that are not available.” It’s hard to see how that changes now

In response to @sfchronicle.com investigation of for-profit psych hospitals, a California lawmaker has introduced legislation to urgently set minimum staffing rules. www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

One of the best journalism jobs in the world is now open: NYT is looking for a new bureau chief to replace me in the Pacific Northwest.

Toxic household products, open records law violations and a dangerous hospital. Read this week's Local Matters newsletter with stories from @ajc.com, @oregonian.com, @latimes.com, @sfpublicpress.bsky.social & more! conta.cc/4kWZ8tU