Aging U.S. railroad bridges self-inspected, findings kept secret

With no public access to railroad inspection reports, warnings of decay, collapse and environmental spills stay hidden By Lex Doig, Jaehee Kim and Adrian Mancera Cota Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University CORVALLIS, Oregon – The fire…

Many towns unprepared for derailments, hazmat spills that can trigger fires, evacuations

A train derails and releases at least 1,000 gallons of hazardous chemicals in the U.S. about once every two months. Many communities along the rail lines aren’t prepared to keep people safe when it happens.

About Off the Rails

The image of swirling toxic smoke and flames from a spectacular train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in 2023 has faded. But the serious questions it raised remain. Why have safety recommendations to more tightly regulate trains carrying hazardous materials…

Planes, trains and luxury stays: Despite reforms, lobbyists still involved in House travel

Congressional reforms passed nearly 20 years ago were supposed to severely restrict the role of lobbyists in congressional trips. A new investigation shows those reforms aren’t working.

About this project

Congressional reforms passed nearly 20 years ago were supposed to severely restrict the role of lobbyists in congressional trips. Reporters for the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland and at Boston University spent nine months examining…

Lethal Restraint: An investigation documenting police use of force

Why did more than 1,000 people die after police subdued them with force that isn’t meant to kill? This three-year investigation by the Associated Press, FRONTLINE (PBS) and The Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland and Arizona State University has answers.

About The Howard Center

The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, launched in 2019, gives University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism students the opportunity to work with news organizations across the country to report stories of national or international importance to the public.…

About The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

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Mega Billions: The great lottery wealth transfer

Using an analysis of cellphone location data, this nationwide investigation of state lotteries found that stores that sell tickets are disproportionately clustered in lower income communities in nearly every state and that their customers come from those neighborhoods. This pattern, coupled with predatory advertising practices and powerful state lobbying efforts, is driving a multibillion-dollar wealth transfer from low-income U.S. communities to powerful multinational companies, the collaboration between the Howard Center and Boston University found.

About “Mega Billions: The great lottery wealth transfer”

In the popular imagination, the lottery is a harmless amusement in which people spend a few dollars on a Powerball ticket when the jackpot gets big. Data journalists and reporters from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University…