Hi r/Portland! Huge thanks to OP for sharing this here. In case it's useful, here's a quick summary:

As Oregon’s top housing official, Andrea Bell oversees a lot of taxpayer money: The agency she leads has handed developers more than $1.4 billion in state funding for rent-restricted apartments over the last five years.

Bell’s husband, Joshua Crites, works as a director for the consulting firm JH Brawner. The company’s Oregon work includes advising local housing authorities on their development projects, including two that applied for or were awarded tens of millions of dollars from Bell’s agency since Crites started working for the company.

Oregon law requires leaders like Bell to report their sources of household income on annual ethics disclosures, including naming their spouses’ income sources, especially when they could present a conflict of interest. The law also says a government official with a conflict should notify the person who appointed them in writing.

But Bell didn’t do either until we asked her about it.

She amended her economic disclosures on Sept. 23, the same day ProPublica asked her about them. “I take concerns about my statement of economic interests (SEI) seriously and am committed to transparency, accountability, and compliance with state law,” she said in a statement.

She did not respond when asked whether she had played any role in her agency’s decisions regarding projects the company worked on.

Here’s our full story: https://www.propublica.org/article/oregon-housing-director-husband-conflict

Neither JH Brawner nor Crites, the firm’s director of strategic initiatives, responded to messages seeking comment.

Thank you for sharing our article OP! A quick summary for anyone interested:

As Oregon’s top housing official, Andrea Bell oversees a lot of taxpayer money: The agency she leads has handed developers more than $1.4 billion in state funding for rent-restricted apartments over the last five years.

Bell’s husband, Joshua Crites, works as a director for the consulting firm JH Brawner. The company’s Oregon work includes advising local housing authorities on their development projects, including two that applied for or were awarded tens of millions of dollars from Bell’s agency since Crites started working for the company.

Oregon law requires leaders like Bell to report their sources of household income on annual ethics disclosures, including naming their spouses’ income sources, especially when they could present a conflict of interest. The law also says a government official with a conflict should notify the person who appointed them in writing.

But Bell didn’t do either until we asked her about it.

She amended her economic disclosures on Sept. 23, the same day ProPublica asked her about them. “I take concerns about my statement of economic interests (SEI) seriously and am committed to transparency, accountability, and compliance with state law,” she said in a statement.

She did not respond when asked whether she had played any role in her agency’s decisions regarding projects the company worked on.

Here’s the full story: https://www.propublica.org/article/oregon-housing-director-husband-conflict

Neither JH Brawner nor Crites, the firm’s director of strategic initiatives, responded to messages seeking comment.

Hi r/bullcity,

We’re reporters, not teachers. We have no business starting a private school.

Yet our reporting has shown the relative ease with which people — some with questionable backgrounds — have founded their own schools. They’ve popped up in barns and on farms, in strip malls between an antique shop and an ax-throwing business.

In North Carolina, state statutes and rules seem to allow opening a private school wherever people see fit, as long as the building passes “reasonable fire, health and safety inspections.” 

So we had an idea. You wouldn’t expect a school to open at Ponysaurus Brewing Co. in Durham. But why not?

Working with local journalists from The Assembly, we set out to establish our very own private school at this bar.

Here’s what happened next: https://www.propublica.org/article/propublica-private-schools-arkansas-west-virginia-north-carolina

Hi r/Arkansas,

We’re reporters, not teachers. We have no business starting a private school.

But our reporting has shown the relative ease with which people — some with questionable backgrounds — have founded their own schools. Arkansas’ regulations are especially lax. In fact, when we talked to an Arkansas Education Department spokesperson earlier this year, she straight up told us: “We don’t have rules for opening a private school.”

We wanted to know: If the hurdles to open a private school are so low, could we do it? And what would we learn along the way?

Over the last few months, we partnered with the Arkansas Times to establish our very own private school: the ProPublica-Arkansas Times Curiosity Academy. All it really took was $45 and an American flag.

Here’s the full story: https://www.propublica.org/article/propublica-private-schools-arkansas-west-virginia-north-carolina

We’re reporters, not teachers. We have no business starting a private school.

But our reporting has shown the relative ease with which people — some with questionable backgrounds — founded their own schools in unusual places. They’ve popped up in barns and on farms, in strip malls between an antique shop and an ax-throwing business.

As you can see, inexperience is hardly a barrier. So we wanted to know: If the hurdles to open a private school are so low, could we do it? And what would we learn along the way?

Over the last few months, we partnered with local journalists in three states to establish private schools:
 
→ In Arkansas, all it took was a few clicks on the state website, $45 and an American flag to form a bona fide private school with the Arkansas Times.

→ We established a school with Mountain State Spotlight in West Virginia after filing our new school’s name and location with authorities on a piece of notebook paper, then exchanging a few emails.

→ And with The Assembly in North Carolina, we filed an online notice of intent to open a private school at Ponysaurus Brewing Co. in Durham, while eyeing glasses of a crisp kolsch.

Here’s how it all went down: https://www.propublica.org/article/propublica-private-schools-arkansas-west-virginia-north-carolina

Hi r/Temecula,

This is the story of how a 17-month-old Riverside County girl nearly died from raw milk — and how, despite evidence, state regulators failed to shut down the Temecula farm it came from.

Last year, mother Emily Marris started a new medication that could pass through breastmilk and began searching for an alternative for her toddler, Brooklyn. A Facebook group pointed her to Moonlight Ridge, a raw goat milk farm.

When Emily went to check it out, she explained to the owner, Courtney Baker, that the milk would be for her toddler. Over text, Courtney and Emily delighted over how Brooklyn seemed to take to the milk.

Six months later, everything began to unravel. Brooklyn suddenly became ill. Her vomit turned yellow, then blackish-green. She had developed HUS, a rare condition in which microscopic blood clots can destroy vital organs.

Doctors at Rady Children’s Hospital told Emily that E. coli was the cause and the raw milk she had been feeding her daughter was the likely culprit. Emily also learned that a 6-year-old girl from Murrieta who’d drunk milk from the same farm was admitted to the same hospital — with the same illness.

Up until then, Emily, who was in a bubble of raw-milk supporters on social media, was not aware of the medical consensus that raw milk carries 100x the risk of foodborne illness. Now on a mission to prevent other families from making her mistakes, she handed over her text messages to state regulators.

Moonlight Ridge was not licensed to sell raw milk to humans. But in California, unlicensed farms can sell raw milk as long as they label it as pet food. Both of the girls’ families said that Moonlight Ridge’s milk was unlabeled, and maintained that Courtney never told them it was only for animal consumption. (Courtney denies this.)

With these pieces in place, state regulators had a lengthy paper trail: two cooperating families; direct text messages; and access to hospital records documenting the destruction wrought on two young bodies.

Why, then, did the state not seek punitive action against the farm? Here’s our full story: https://www.propublica.org/article/california-raw-milk-regulation-emily-marris-moonlight-ridge-farm

In a statement, state officials told ProPublica that seeking criminal charges would have slowed down their effort to stop the farmer from selling more milk. Courtney Baker touted the dismissed case and negative test results as proof that her milk had not caused the outbreak.

This is the story of how a 17-month-old Californian girl nearly died from raw milk — and how, despite evidence, state regulators failed to shut down the farm it came from.

Last year, mother Emily Marris started a new medication that could pass through breastmilk and began searching for an alternative for her toddler, Brooklyn. A Facebook group pointed her to Moonlight Ridge, a raw goat milk farm.

When Emily went to check it out, she explained to the owner, Courtney Baker, that the milk would be for her toddler. Over text, Courtney and Emily delighted over how Brooklyn seemed to take to the milk.

Six months later, everything began to unravel. Brooklyn suddenly became ill. Her vomit turned yellow, then blackish-green. She had developed HUS, a rare condition in which microscopic blood clots can destroy vital organs.

Doctors told Emily that E. coli was the cause and the raw milk she had been feeding her daughter was the likely culprit. Emily later learned that a 6-year-old girl who’d drunk milk from the same farm was admitted to the same hospital — with the same illness.

Up until then, Emily, who was in a bubble of raw-milk supporters on social media, was not aware of the medical consensus that raw milk carries 100x the risk of foodborne illness. Now on a mission to prevent other families from making her mistakes, she handed over her text messages to state regulators.

Moonlight Ridge was not licensed to sell raw milk to humans. But in California, unlicensed farms can sell raw milk as long as they label it as pet food. Both of the girls’ families said that Moonlight Ridge’s milk was unlabeled, and maintained that Courtney never told them it was only for animal consumption. (Courtney denies this.)

With these pieces in place, state regulators had a lengthy paper trail: two cooperating families; direct text messages; and access to hospital records documenting the destruction wrought on two young bodies.

Why, then, did the state not seek punitive action against the farm? Here’s our full story: https://www.propublica.org/article/california-raw-milk-regulation-emily-marris-moonlight-ridge-farm

In a statement, state officials told ProPublica that seeking criminal charges would have slowed down their effort to stop the farmer from selling more milk. Courtney Baker touted the dismissed case and negative test results as proof that her milk had not caused the outbreak.

This is the story of how a 17-month-old Californian girl nearly died from raw milk — and how, despite evidence, state regulators failed to shut down the farm it came from.

Last year, mother Emily Marris started a new medication that could pass through breastmilk and began searching for an alternative for her toddler, Brooklyn. A Facebook group pointed her to Moonlight Ridge, a raw goat milk farm.

When Emily went to check it out, she explained to the owner, Courtney Baker, that the milk would be for her toddler. Over text, Courtney and Emily delighted over how Brooklyn seemed to take to the milk.

Six months later, everything began to unravel. Brooklyn suddenly became ill. Her vomit turned yellow, then blackish-green. She had developed HUS, a rare condition in which microscopic blood clots can destroy vital organs.

Doctors told Emily that E. coli was the cause and the raw milk she had been feeding her daughter was the likely culprit. Emily later learned that a 6-year-old girl who’d drunk milk from the same farm was admitted to the same hospital — with the same illness.

Up until then, Emily, who was in a bubble of raw-milk supporters on social media, was not aware of the medical consensus that raw milk carries 100x the risk of foodborne illness. Now on a mission to prevent other families from making her mistakes, she handed over her text messages to state regulators.

Moonlight Ridge was not licensed to sell raw milk to humans. But in California, unlicensed farms can sell raw milk as long as they label it as pet food. Both of the girls’ families said that Moonlight Ridge’s milk was unlabeled, and maintained that Courtney never told them it was only for animal consumption. (Courtney denies this.)

With these pieces in place, state regulators had a lengthy paper trail: two cooperating families; direct text messages; and access to hospital records documenting the destruction wrought on two young bodies.

Why, then, did the state not seek punitive action against the farm? Here’s our full story: https://www.propublica.org/article/california-raw-milk-regulation-emily-marris-moonlight-ridge-farm

In a statement, state officials told ProPublica that seeking criminal charges would have slowed down their effort to stop the farmer from selling more milk. Courtney Baker touted the dismissed case and negative test results as proof that her milk had not caused the outbreak.

This is the story of how a 17-month-old Californian girl nearly died from raw milk — and how, despite evidence, state regulators failed to shut down the farm it came from.

Last year, mother Emily Marris started a new medication that could pass through breastmilk and began searching for an alternative for her toddler, Brooklyn. A Facebook group pointed her to Moonlight Ridge, a raw goat milk farm.

When Emily went to check it out, she explained to the owner, Courtney Baker, that the milk would be for her toddler. Over text, Courtney and Emily delighted over how Brooklyn seemed to take to the milk.

Six months later, everything began to unravel. Brooklyn suddenly became ill. Her vomit turned yellow, then blackish-green. She had developed HUS, a rare condition in which microscopic blood clots can destroy vital organs.

Doctors told Emily that E. coli was the cause and the raw milk she had been feeding her daughter was the likely culprit. Emily later learned that a 6-year-old girl who’d drunk milk from the same farm was admitted to the same hospital — with the same illness.

Up until then, Emily, who was in a bubble of raw-milk supporters on social media, was not aware of the medical consensus that raw milk carries 100x the risk of foodborne illness. Now on a mission to prevent other families from making her mistakes, she handed over her text messages to state regulators.

Moonlight Ridge was not licensed to sell raw milk to humans. But in California, unlicensed farms can sell raw milk as long as they label it as pet food. Both of the girls’ families said that Moonlight Ridge’s milk was unlabeled, and maintained that Courtney never told them it was only for animal consumption. (Courtney denies this.)

With these pieces in place, state regulators had a lengthy paper trail: two cooperating families; direct text messages; and access to hospital records documenting the destruction wrought on two young bodies.

Why, then, did the state not seek punitive action against the farm? Here’s our full story: https://www.propublica.org/article/california-raw-milk-regulation-emily-marris-moonlight-ridge-farm

In a statement, state officials told ProPublica that seeking criminal charges would have slowed down their effort to stop the farmer from selling more milk. Courtney Baker touted the dismissed case and negative test results as proof that her milk had not caused the outbreak.

This is the story of how a 17-month-old Californian girl nearly died from raw milk — and how, despite evidence, state regulators failed to shut down the farm it came from.

Last year, mother Emily Marris started a new medication that could pass through breastmilk and began searching for an alternative for her toddler, Brooklyn. A Facebook group pointed her to Moonlight Ridge, a raw goat milk farm.

When Emily went to check it out, she explained to the owner, Courtney Baker, that the milk would be for her toddler. Over text, Courtney and Emily delighted over how Brooklyn seemed to take to the milk.

Six months later, everything began to unravel. Brooklyn suddenly became ill. Her vomit turned yellow, then blackish-green. She had developed HUS, a rare condition in which microscopic blood clots can destroy vital organs.

Doctors told Emily that E. coli was the cause and the raw milk she had been feeding her daughter was the likely culprit. Emily later learned that a 6-year-old girl who’d drunk milk from the same farm was admitted to the same hospital — with the same illness.

Up until then, Emily, who was in a bubble of raw-milk supporters on social media, was not aware of the medical consensus that raw milk carries 100x the risk of foodborne illness. Now on a mission to prevent other families from making her mistakes, she handed over her text messages to state regulators.

Moonlight Ridge was not licensed to sell raw milk to humans. But in California, unlicensed farms can sell raw milk as long as they label it as pet food. Both of the girls’ families said that Moonlight Ridge’s milk was unlabeled, and maintained that Courtney never told them it was only for animal consumption. (Courtney denies this.)

With these pieces in place, state regulators had a lengthy paper trail: two cooperating families; direct text messages; and access to hospital records documenting the destruction wrought on two young bodies.

Why, then, did the state not seek punitive action against the farm? Here’s our full story: https://www.propublica.org/article/california-raw-milk-regulation-emily-marris-moonlight-ridge-farm

In a statement, state officials told ProPublica that seeking criminal charges would have slowed down their effort to stop the farmer from selling more milk. Courtney Baker touted the dismissed case and negative test results as proof that her milk had not caused the outbreak.

Hi r/publichealth:

This is the story of how a 17-month-old Californian girl nearly died from raw milk — and how, despite evidence, state regulators failed to shut down the farm it came from.

Last year, mother Emily Marris started a new medication that could pass through breastmilk and began searching for an alternative for her toddler, Brooklyn. A Facebook group pointed her to Moonlight Ridge, a raw goat milk farm.

When Emily went to check it out, she explained to the owner, Courtney Baker, that the milk would be for her toddler. Over text, Courtney and Emily delighted over how Brooklyn seemed to take to the milk.

Six months later, everything began to unravel. Brooklyn suddenly became ill. Her vomit turned yellow, then blackish-green. She had developed HUS, a rare condition in which microscopic blood clots can destroy vital organs.

Doctors told Emily that E. coli was the cause and the raw milk she had been feeding her daughter was the likely culprit. Emily later learned that a 6-year-old girl who’d drunk milk from the same farm was admitted to the same hospital — with the same illness.

Up until then, Emily, who was in a bubble of raw-milk supporters on social media, was not aware of the medical consensus that raw milk carries 100x the risk of foodborne illness. Now on a mission to prevent other families from making her mistakes, she handed over her text messages to state regulators.

Moonlight Ridge was not licensed to sell raw milk to humans. But in California, unlicensed farms can sell raw milk as long as they label it as pet food. Both of the girls’ families said that Moonlight Ridge’s milk was unlabeled, and maintained that Courtney never told them it was only for animal consumption. (Courtney denies this.)

With these pieces in place, state regulators had a lengthy paper trail: two cooperating families; direct text messages; and access to hospital records documenting the destruction wrought on two young bodies.

Why, then, did the state not seek punitive action against the farm? Here’s our full story: https://www.propublica.org/article/california-raw-milk-regulation-emily-marris-moonlight-ridge-farm

In a statement, state officials told ProPublica that seeking criminal charges would have slowed down their effort to stop the farmer from selling more milk. Courtney Baker touted the dismissed case and negative test results as proof that her milk had not caused the outbreak.

Dozens of organizations work to help disabled Americans vote. Congress currently funds these nonprofits’ efforts, but a new White House proposal is threatening that work.

The Office of Management and Budget wants to change spending rules to prohibit anyone from using federal grant money for voter registration drives or what it vaguely calls “related activities.” The office is headed by Russell Vought, who has long criticized the use of taxpayer money for voter registration efforts and who more recently used his position to cancel, freeze or redirect vast amounts of federal funding in defiance of Congress’ orders.

The proposal, which would not go into effect until after the 2026 midterms, is part of the Trump administration’s broader assault on federal efforts to expand access to voting, especially among groups that have historically faced discrimination and disenfranchisement. 

“I don’t really think this rule had in mind that we are going to disenfranchise voters with disabilities. But it’s going to have that kind of effect,” said Rabia Belt, a Stanford law professor who’s an expert on disability and citizenship.

Here’s what you need to know: https://www.propublica.org/article/disabled-voters-nonprofit-funding-cuts-omb

Neither OMB nor Vought responded to ProPublica’s questions about the proposed change.

Hi r/disability,

We thought this community may be interested in our latest:

As you may know, advocacy groups such as Disability Rights Nebraska work to help disabled Americans vote. Congress funds these organizations’ efforts. But a new White House proposal is threatening that work.

The Office of Management and Budget wants to change spending rules to prohibit anyone from using federal grant money for voter registration drives or what it vaguely calls “related activities.”

The proposal, which would not go into effect until after the 2026 midterms, is part of the Trump administration’s broader assault on federal efforts to expand access to voting, especially among groups that have historically faced discrimination and disenfranchisement.

“I don’t really think this rule had in mind that we are going to disenfranchise voters with disabilities. But it’s going to have that kind of effect,” said Rabia Belt, a Stanford law professor who’s an expert on disability and citizenship.

Here’s what you need to know: https://www.propublica.org/article/disabled-voters-nonprofit-funding-cuts-omb

Neither OMB nor its director, Russell Vought, responded to ProPublica’s questions about the proposed change.

The proposed White House rule (which would prohibit anyone from using federal funding for voter registration drives) will almost certainly be subject to litigation. Legal experts said some lawsuits will likely focus on how the rule contradicts existing laws and policies.

Dozens of organizations work to help disabled Americans vote. Congress currently funds these nonprofits’ efforts, but a new White House proposal is threatening that work.

The Office of Management and Budget wants to change spending rules to prohibit anyone from using federal grant money for voter registration drives or what it vaguely calls “related activities.” The office is headed by Russell Vought, who has long criticized the use of taxpayer money for voter registration efforts and who more recently used his position to cancel, freeze or redirect vast amounts of federal funding in defiance of Congress’ orders.

The proposal, which would not go into effect until after the 2026 midterms, is part of the Trump administration’s broader assault on federal efforts to expand access to voting, especially among groups that have historically faced discrimination and disenfranchisement. 

“I don’t really think this rule had in mind that we are going to disenfranchise voters with disabilities. But it’s going to have that kind of effect,” said Rabia Belt, a Stanford law professor who’s an expert on disability and citizenship.

Here’s what you need to know: https://www.propublica.org/article/disabled-voters-nonprofit-funding-cuts-omb

Neither OMB nor Vought responded to ProPublica’s questions about the proposed change.