Jaime Lowe, writing for Topic, examines baobab trees — as integral a part of the Botswana ecosytem as they are a part of local culture. Unfortunately, the scientists who discovered that ancient baobabs are dying have no clear explanation why.
All tagged Goodreads
How Cartographers for the U.S. Military Inadvertently Created a House of Horrors in South Africa
Kashmir Hill at Gizmodo spins this compelling story — and puts a remarkably human face on an ugly chapter in American history.
Midnight in the Garden of East Texas
Skip Hollandsworth, writing for Texas Monthly, shares the unbelievably true story of a charming assistant funeral home director named Bernie Tiede who murders a wealthy widow, keeps her in a freezer for months, finally gets caught, and still has the town’s sympathy as his case goes to trial.
Inglewood to Destroy More Than 100 Police Shooting Records That Could Otherwise Become Public under New California Law
The city of Inglewood has authorized the shredding of more than 100 police shooting and other internal investigation records weeks before a new state law could allow the public to access them for the first time.
75 shot: Mothers of the slain keep waiting for the call even when cases grow cold: 'We’re living amongst killers'
Madeline Buckley, writing at the Chicago Tribune, continues the newspaper’s in-depth coverage of the tragic weekend in August that saw at least 75 Chicagoans gunned down. The entire series, “75 Shot,” is worth checking out.
His Only Living Boy
Casey Parks, writing for The Trace in partnership with Mississippi Today, shares the truly remarkable tale of Roger Stringer v. Remington.
American Ghostwriter
Sean Patrick Cooper, writing for The Baffler, takes a close look at the future of ghostwriting.
Ellen DeGeneres Is Not as Nice as You Think
Feeling boxed in by her reputation for kindness, the comic is weighing whether to leave daytime TV, as her wife wants, or to stay, as her brother urges.
How a Lack of State Oversight Leaves Children in Day Cares Across Texas Unwatched
In Texas, children are sexually abused or killed at alarming rates inside daycare facilities with little oversight, Andrea Ball and Tony Plohetski reported. In a yearlong investigation, the team reviewed 40,000 inspection records and built a database to look for patterns.
Judge says Judicial Qualifications Commission Director Ordered Him Off Case Involving Influential Attorneys
The head of Georgia's judicial oversight body urged a tough judge to drop a case involving influential lawyers and politicians without any formal complaint or motion to recuse, Johnny Edwards reports.
Violated: How the Indian Health Service Betrays Patient Trust and treaties in the Great Plains
Native American patients in two federally run hospitals in South Dakota needlessly die while thousands more face limited access to primary care providers, long wait times for basic medical treatments and outstanding medical debt.
For Healthcare, Please Take a Number
When 8-year-old Adam goes to a new place, it can be exciting, almost overwhelming. A visit to a Mexican diner is more than enough to set him off. His head snaps left and right, attempting to take in the scene. His hands begin working, moving up and down excitedly until he is nearly lifting himself off the ground with his “flapping,” as his mother, Heather LeDoux, calls it.
“I have to tell him, ‘No flying at the table,’” LeDoux says. “What I'm trying to do is I'm trying to get him to be aware of how he feels in that moment.”
Adam was born with 10 fingers, 10 toes, and a clean bill of health. But from the moment she took him home, LeDoux — a first-time mother living in her hometown of Questa — was certain something was different.
Class-Action Lawsuit Alleges Deadly California Wildfire Was Caused by Pacific Gas & Electric
The utility company operating in the heart of the region devastated by the deadly Camp Fire in California was named Wednesday as the target of a class-action lawsuit, which alleged Pacific Gas & Electric bears responsibility for the "unprecedented disaster."
Attorneys representing several residents who lost everything in the tragedy said PG&E is to blame for the fire, which began Nov. 8 in Butte County. The lawsuit claims "unsafe electrical infrastructure" started the blaze.
"The fire was started by unsafe PG&E equipment . . . It becomes a tragedy that could have, and should have, been avoided had PG&E done their legal duty of safely operating and maintaining their power infrastructure," said the complaint, filed in San Francisco Superior Court.
Making President Trump’s Bed: A Housekeeper Without Papers
BEDMINSTER, N.J. — During more than five years as a housekeeper at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., Victorina Morales has made Donald J. Trump’s bed, cleaned his toilet and dusted his crystal golf trophies. When he visited as president, she was directed to wear a pin in the shape of the American flag adorned with a Secret Service logo.
Because of the “outstanding” support she has provided during Mr. Trump’s visits, Ms. Morales in July was given a certificate from the White House Communications Agency inscribed with her name.
Quite an achievement for an undocumented immigrant housekeeper.
Republican Officials Had Early Warnings of Voting Irregularities in North Carolina
BLADENBORO, N.C. — When GOP Rep. Robert Pittenger lost his primary by a narrow margin in May, he suspected something was amiss.
The congressman turned to a group of friends and family who had gathered with him on election night at a steakhouse near Charlotte and blamed the “ballot stuffers in Bladen,” according to three people at the gathering.
Grand Jury Investigating USC Gynecologist Accused of Sexually Abusing Hundreds of Patients
Los Angeles County prosecutors have convened a grand jury to hear evidence about Dr. George Tyndall, the USC gynecologist accused of sexually abusing hundreds of patients during three decades at a campus health clinic, according to two sources familiar with the case.
Don’t Call Tom Steyer a Mega-Donor
Three months after the 2016 presidential election, a still-bald Chia Pet in the shape of Donald Trump’s noggin stands on a windowsill in a downtown San Francisco office building, basking in the fog. Art books and an issue of Mother Jones lie stacked on a nearby table. Paintings hang adjacent to a “living wall” of cascading leafy green plants. A receptionist offers coffee, tea, or kombucha, apologizing for being all out of mason jars as she pours water into a glass milk bottle instead. And Tom Steyer, the billionaire hedge fund manager turned political mega-influencer—and long-rumored maybe-someday candidate for elected office—sits in a nearby transparent conference room, ready to rant about emails.