Investigations
Over the past decade, I’ve investigated people, corporations, and government agencies that have broken laws, violated safety protocols, and engaged in immoral or unethical practices. My reporting has changed policy, led to accountability, and shined a spotlight on overlooked injustices. Since 2020, I have worked with ProPublica as an investigative journalist (first as a member of its Local Reporting Network, and now as a staff reporter with the newsroom’s South unit.)
The Coal Plant Next Door
Near America’s largest coal-fired power plant, toxins are showing up in drinking water and people have fallen ill. Thousands of pages of internal documents show how one giant energy company plans to avoid the cleanup costs for coal ash.
Read the full story at ProPublica and Georgia Health News.
Inside the Preventable Deaths Within a Prominent Transplant Center
Dr. James Eason, who earned acclaim by operating on Steve Jobs, led the transplant center named in his honor at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis. An internal analysis by Eason’s own team details the preventable deaths under his watch.
Read the full story at ProPublica.
The Tragedy of North Birmingham
Industrial plants in Birmingham, Alabama, have polluted the air and land in its historic Black communities for over a century. In an epicenter of environmental injustice, officials continue to fail to right the wrongs plaguing the city’s north side.
Read the full story at ProPublica.
The Dirty Secret of America’s Clean Dishes
The world’s largest chemical maker, BASF, produces ingredients for America’s most popular products, from soaps to surface cleaners to dishwasher detergent. Emissions from their U.S. plants elevate cancer risks for an estimated 1.5 million people.
Read the full story at ProPublica.
Locked Down
For sheriffs, healthcare for inmates can be a burden. For one doctor, it has been the opportunity of a lifetime.
Read the full story at Atlanta magazine.
No Accident
Marietta attorney Lance Cooper was looking for answers behind a single crash. What he found led to a recall of 30 million vehicles.
Read the full story at Atlanta magazine.
Unanswered
Metro Atlanta police officers have fatally shot at least 75 people between 2010 and 2015. In some cases, the use of deadly force has been questionable. Local leaders could make reforms to prevent future shootings now. Will they?
Read the full story at Creative Loafing.
He Wanted to Fix Rural America’s Broken Nursing Homes. Taxpayers May Be on the Hook for $76 Million.
Ronnie Rollins used a controversial loophole to secure $300 million in bonus payments for his nonprofit nursing home chain. A federal investigation called the payments “inappropriate,” and Georgia is caught in a multimillion dollar dispute.
Read the full story at ProPublica.
How a doctor stirred national demand for a detox device without solid evidence it works
An investigation into a controversial device called The Bridge, which was touted as an effective way to block the symptoms of opioid withdrawal.
Read the full story at STAT.
At teaching hospitals with safety violations, residents may be learning bad habits
A STAT analysis of federal inspection data finds that there’s a wide gap in the quality of training at teaching hospitals, as shown by how frequently these hospitals are cited for deficiencies by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Read the full story at STAT.
Knockout
The fast rise and slow fade of boxer O’Neil ‘Supernova’ Bell, a world champion boxer slain just weeks after he won the fight of his life against mental illness.
Read the full story at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Marketing Psychiatric Drugs to Jailers and Judges
Drug companies are courting jails and judges through sophisticated marketing efforts.
Read the full story at The Atlantic.
