Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 14h

"Asked what percentage of children she imagines should be in public schools going forward, Justice told ProPublica: 'I hope zero. I hope to get to zero.'”

by @megomatz.bsky.social / @jsmithrichards.bsky.social

These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.

Under Trump, the Department of Education has been bringing in activists hostile to public schools. It could mean a new era of private and religious schools boosted by tax dollars — and the end of publ...

www.propublica.org

4 29 40

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 1d

"The study found that before the Flint crisis ... [a certain number of water systems] reported lead concentrations rounded exactly to the federal threshold—a pattern the researchers say is statistically unlikely to occur by chance.

"After Flint, those suspicious clusters all but vanished ..."

Questionable Lead Reporting for Drinking Water Virtually Vanished after Flint Water Crisis, Study Reveals | UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst economists employ new statistical tools to detect suspicious reporting.

www.umass.edu

1 25 54

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 1d

"External reviews are one of the industry’s best-kept secrets, and only a tiny fraction of those eligible actually use them."

by @deldeib.bsky.social / @propublica.org

This Little-Known Appeal Could Force Your Insurer to Pay for Lifesaving Care. Here’s How to File It.

When a health insurer refuses to pay for your treatment, you may have the right to have the denial reviewed — and potentially overturned — by an independent provider. Here are six steps experts sugges...

www.propublica.org

4 9

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 3d

COMING UP: I'm teaching this one-session online class on Sunday, October 12, and I'd love for you to join!

"This craft seminar will explore what is possible when we take the light as seriously as the dark."

Craft Seminar: How to Write About Goodness and Happiness with Anna Clark — The Shipman Agency

1 Session: Sunday, October 12 2:00-4:00pm ET Anna Clark Goodness and happiness are difficult to write about in more than a glancing way, as if writers believe they are not real or multidimensional...

www.theshipmanagency.com

3 8

Reposted by Anna Clark

Jessica Lussenhop @jlussenhop.bsky.social · 4d

Some additional behind-the-scenes info on how the text messages were vetted. Thrilling to watch national news orgs following Andy Mannix's reporting in the @startribune.com — and a reminder to support your local newspaper!!! www.startribune.com/editors-note...

1 12 31

Reposted by Anna Clark

Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 5d

Trump wanted to give King Charles one of Ike's swords. The Eisenhower presidential library said it could not provide one because it is government property and illegal to give away. Now the library director has been fired. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/a...

After Declining to Give Trump a Sword for King Charles, a Museum Leader Is Out

www.nytimes.com

24 93 200

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 6d

"FLINT, MI -- The Environmental Protection Agency is asking two federal judges to suspend action on pending Flint water crisis lawsuits brought against it by city residents due to the federal government shutdown that began on Wednesday, Oct. 1."

via @mlive.com

Federal government shutdown could delay Flint water lawsuits against EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency is asking two federal judges to suspend action on pending Flint water crisis lawsuits brought against it by city residents due to the federal government shutdown th...

www.mlive.com

2 4

Reposted by Anna Clark

Jennifer Smith Richards @jsmithrichards.bsky.social · 6d

The ex-Chicago cop who got out of dozens of traffic tickets by repeating the same bogus story — that his girlfriend stole his BMW — pleaded guilty.

But there’s more: @jodiscohen.bsky.social and I have been tracking pending court cases that relied on his policing.

More than 90 have been dropped.

Chicago Cop Who Falsely Blamed an Ex-Girlfriend for Dozens of Traffic Tickets Pleads Guilty but Avoids Prison

Retired officer Jeffrey Kriv acknowledged repeatedly lying under oath to avoid paying dozens of speeding and other traffic tickets. Prosecutors have dropped at least 92 cases in which Kriv was a key w...

www.propublica.org

1 28 180

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 7d

Michael Socolow @michaelsocolow.bsky.social · 7d

RIP Jane Goodall, who could take a joke:

"In the aftermath, Goodall reached out to Larson, and the two became friends; Larson even licensed the cartoon to the Institute to produce a t-shirt that was then used to raise funds."

screenrant.com/far-side-con...

A cartoon of a female chimpanzee plucking a hair off the back of a male chimpanzee. Text: "Well, well - another blond hair - Conducting a little more 'research' with that Jane Goodall tramp?"

1 10

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 7d

"Every single day we live, we make some sort of impact on the world. Most of us can choose what sort of impact we make," Goodall said.

"Hope isn't wishful thinking. ... Find something you can do in your community. Do it."

At 91, legendary chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall comes to Detroit with a message of hope

"Every single day we live, we make some sort of impact on the world," Goodall said. "Most of us can choose what sort of impact we make."

www.freep.com

1 10 43

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 7d

Hell of a life.

Jane Goodall, Eminent Primatologist Who Chronicled the Lives of Chimps, Dies at 91

www.nytimes.com

2 8 72

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 7d

I wrote recently about how, nationwide, customer notice requirements are patchy, so people may not know about it when their fluoridation stops.

More at @propublica.org :

Amid Rise of RFK Jr., Officials Waver on Drinking Water Fluoridation — Even in the State Where It Started

As federal agencies review their guidance on fluoridation and the nation’s top health official calls fluoride “industrial waste,” state and local governments are pulling back on the practice, upending...

www.propublica.org

3 22 92

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 7d

Bloomington, Indiana -- home to Indiana University -- has been "without consistently fluoridated tap water for nearly six years, a fact that’s not been publicized despite impacts to public health."

Bloomington goes over five years without fluoridated water – and doesn't tell residents

The CBU said it withheld on sending out an alert about fluoride as it didn't affect the safety of the drinking water.

www.tmnews.com

5 36 68

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 7d

"While legislation strengthening ethics oversight did pass in some places, a ProPublica analysis found lawmakers across multiple states targeted or thwarted reforms designed to keep the public and elected officials accountable to the people they serve."

Lawmakers Across the Country This Year Blocked Ethics Reforms Meant to Increase Public Trust

Democratic and Republican lawmakers across the country tried to push through bills to tighten gift limits, toughen conflict-of-interest provisions or expand financial disclosure reporting requirements...

www.propublica.org

3 7

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 7d

"In the absence of new state aid, some Michigan school districts started charging students for meals Wednesday, while others kept subsidizing all students for breakfasts and lunches out of existing revenues in hopes of receiving continued funding."

via @detroitnews.com

No more free lunch? Michigan schools decide on charging families with no state budget

Some Michigan parents and students are finding out there is no longer a free lunch, as the state began a new fiscal year without a K-12 budget.

www.detroitnews.com

4 7

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 10d

"Ten people were shot, two fatally, late Sunday morning at a Mormon church in Grand Blanc Township after a Genesee County man allegedly rammed his truck through the church's entrance and opened fire.

"A 40-year-old man from Burton also is accused of setting fire" to the church....

Two victims, suspect dead in shooting at Mormon church in Grand Blanc Township

A 40-year-old man from Burton allegedly rammed his truck through the doors of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and opened fire, authorities said.

www.detroitnews.com

9 28

Reposted by Anna Clark

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · 12d

NEW: Kristi Noem has been widely criticized for slowing down FEMA's response to natural disasters.

But she fast-tracked $11 million+ to fix a Florida tourist attraction — after one of her big donors reached out. www.propublica.org/article/kris...

Kristi Noem Fast-Tracked Millions in Disaster Aid to Florida Tourist Attraction After Campaign Donor Intervened

The DHS chief has been widely criticized for slowing down FEMA’s response after natural disasters. Texts and emails obtained by ProPublica point to an effective way to get help faster: have one of Noe...

www.propublica.org

26 280 650

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 13d

GOOD NEWS.

Clinical teams across the country are forming a five-year, $37 million consortium to research stillbirth, a neglected public health concern.

“There’s no question that the ProPublica reporting was intimately tied to this,” one expert said.

Specifically, @deldeib.bsky.social's reporting.

NIH Launches New Multimillion-Dollar Initiative to Reduce U.S. Stillbirth Rate

Clinical teams across the country are forming a five-year, $37 million consortium to research stillbirth, a long-neglected public health concern. “There’s no question that the ProPublica reporting was...

www.propublica.org

5 58 250

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 13d

“In the early eighties, it was north of fifty companies that owned or controlled 90 percent of broadcast media. And I think over the last decade or so, it’s become five or six, depending on how you break it down.”

Local ABC affiliates are getting slammed.

Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, promised to bring power to community stations. But it’s their corporate owners who make the big decisions—while regional reporters ...

www.cjr.org

4 16

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 14d

This is the third time the EPA has lost its attempt to dismiss the negligence claims, first filed in 2017.

Via @mlive.com

Judge rules EPA can be held liable in Flint water crisis lawsuits

A judge has denied the federal government’s latest request to dismiss consolidated Flint water crisis lawsuits brought against it by city residents -- the third time the Environmental Protection Agen...

www.mlive.com

2 15 50

Reposted by Anna Clark

ProPublica @propublica.org · 14d

NEW: Andrew Bailey’s nearly three-year term as Missouri’s top lawyer was marked by splashy fights over gender, schools and diversity that often fizzled but boosted his political profile.

Now he’s co-deputy director of the FBI.

By @jeremykohler.bsky.social

“His Audience Was Really Trump”: How New FBI Lead Used His Missouri AG Role to Wage a Culture War

Andrew Bailey’s nearly three-year term as Missouri’s top lawyer was marked by splashy fights over gender, schools and diversity that often fizzled but boosted his political profile. Now he’s co-deputy...

www.propublica.org

18 140 370

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 14d

"The Pentagon has delayed cleanups at more than 100 contaminated military installations nationally, including six in Michigan .... "

via @bridgemi.com

PFAS cleanups delayed by years at Michigan military sites - Bridge Michigan

Lawmakers and advocates are decrying a lack of transparency after the Pentagon extended the timelines with no public announcement or explanation why.

bridgemi.com

16 42

Reposted by Anna Clark

Logan Jaffe @loganjaffe.bsky.social · 15d

Hell yes. And if you want to get @propublica.org’s next big story directly, subscribe to our Big Story newsletter:

💌 www.propublica.org/newsletters/...

Chris Bing @chrisbing.bsky.social · 15d

Seen on the DC metro:

2 25 190

Reposted by Anna Clark

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 29d

New craft class coming up quick. I've dreamed of teaching this one for years!

We'll explore the porous boundaries of investigative literature, from Gwendolyn Brooks in Montgomery to Lynn Nottage in Reading, PA., to Patrick Radden Keefe in Northern Ireland.

Online + open to all, incl. all genres.

Craft Seminar: Investigative Literature with Anna Clark — The Shipman Agency

1 Session: Sunday, September 28 1:00-3:00pm ET Anna Clark Anna Clark wrote or edited three books, including The Poisoned City: Flint's Water and the American Tragedy , which won the Hillman P...

www.theshipmanagency.com

2 6 28

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 17d

Wow, that is amazing to hear. Thank you so much for sharing that.

1 2