Terence Cantarella, writing at the Miami New Times, examines a crazy neighborhood feud — that KEPT getting crazier. It’s a great piece of longform reporting.
All tagged Longreads
The Bicycle Thief
Steven Leckart, writing for Chicago Magazine, has this shocking story.
The Mysterious Life (and Death) of Africa’s Oldest Trees
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.
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.
Will Amazon Finally Kill New York?
In May of 2017, Mayor de Blasio unveiled Jimmy Breslin Way, a street sign dedicating the stretch of 42nd Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue to the late reporter. It was a strange press conference — half eulogy, half lecture — a chance for the mayor to laud Breslin and scold members of today’s media by whom he often feels unfairly maligned.
Take Script, Add Snow
Jane Borden, writing for Longreads, explores why we’re so obsessed with predictable Hallmark Christmas movies.
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.
Mounting legal threats surround Trump as nearly every organization he has led is under investigation
David A. Fahrenthold, Matt Zapotosky and Seung Min Kim, writing for The Washington Post, unravel the many investigations mounting against Donald J. Trump.
This City's Air Is Killing People. Here's Why...
Factories along the Mexican border pollute the air and water in neighboring cities at deadly rates, while government regulators fail to rein in those responsible, Ian James, writing for the (Palm Springs, CA) Desert Sun, reports.
Daley Pension Debacle: Where Did $54 Million Go?
A Chicago mayor's nephew lost $54 million while managing the city's pension funds. Chicago Sun-Times reporter Tim Novak chased this story, finding the money had been spent on misguided real estate deals and management fees.
These Women Say a Bangor Prison Guard Sent Them Obscene Photos. It Stayed a Secret for Years.
Prison employees in Maine kept secret allegations of a supervisor who sent female guards obscene photos and sexually assaulted at least one inmate in the laundry room, Erin Rhoda and Callie Ferguson reports for the Bangor Daily News.
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.
‘I Want to Live Like a Human Being’: Where N.Y. Fails Its Mentally Ill
A cutting-edge program to help severely mentally ill people live on their own has endangered people who were not ready, a new investigation shows. And some have died.
‘The World Moves On And You Don’t.’ Parents Who Lost Children in School Shootings Find Comfort in a Group No One Wants to Join
Mitchell Dworet and Melissa Willey have never met and don’t have much in common. Dworet, whom everyone calls Mitch, is an outgoing real estate agent from a busy part of Florida; Willey is a reserved stay-at-home mother of nine from a small town in southern Maryland. But one thing unites them: both had kids on a high school swim team, and now both of those kids are dead.