Local Matters Newsletter

Wrongful death lawsuits stacked up. But a Charlotte-area surgeon kept operating. Former patients and their loved ones say North Carolina doctor with a string of malpractice settlements should face more accountability.

Charlotte-area surgeon Dr. Timothy Ryan Heider has been sued for wrongful death or malpractice again and again, often settling out of court.

But the surgeon is still operating. And data shows doctors like Heider face few consequences from regulators.

www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/a...

Former professor requested thousands from Jeffrey Epstein Foundation to fund campus rape policy conference Content warning: This story contains discussion of pedophilia, sexual assault, harassment, rape and suicide. A former UT Classics professor requested over $10,000 from Jeffrey Epstein’s charitable org...

The headline is bad here but somehow, incredibly, each paragraph of the story and quote from the professor makes it worse, as does the photo.

(h/t to the @localmatters.bsky.social newsletter for flagging the story)

FEMA official overseeing NM fire victims fund received six-figure payout, documents show • Source New Mexico Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon claims director Mitchell received six-figure payment for smoke damage at his Angel Fire home

Great reporting by @sourcenm.com, highlighted in the @localmatters.bsky.social newsletter this week, which is always full of great reads.

sourcenm.com/2026/01/28/f...

Bless this reporter for finding some obscure meeting notes on one of the biggest transit projects in the city that “had a plan” to tell the public about it eventually lmao

Here’s what Richmond police Chief Rick Edwards asked ChatGPT about ICE, snowstorms Documents show Edwards used the chatbot to find information about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, learn about state law on recovery homes and identify potential issues with his department’s ...

"The Times-Dispatch asked ChatGPT about its explanation to Edwards.

'I shouldn’t have said that,' it responded. 'That phrasing was incorrect and misleading, and it does not accurately reflect Virginia law.'"

richmond.com/news/local/g...

‘Alarm bells of the highest order’: APD chief's testimony reveals years of deleted police texts to avoid public records - City Desk ABQ Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina testified under oath that he and other high-ranking APD officials have been routinely deleting text messages about official business since 2018, violating state ...

citydesk.org/2025/11/24/a...

Hello! Feeling so much gratitude this week for local news 🗞️🥰

We are off for the holiday but the letter will return next Sunday!

As always, don’t be shy. Pitch us your great investigations!!

Email localmatters@ire.org

The note can be this simple: Hi! For your consideration [link]
— So-and-So

How an Ohio Youth Treatment Center Tried to End Escalating Violence A year after taking over Mohican Young Star Academy, new owners and leadership face questions from workers, police and neighbors about its direction.

Investigation here: www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/06/r...

Juvenile court reconsiders placement at youth treatment center after recent reports of fighting Lucas County’s juvenile court is reconsidering its relationship with an Ashland County youth treatment center after being made aware of recent reporting ...

Lucas County’s juvenile court is reconsidering its relationship with Ashland County youth treatment center Mohican Young Star Academy after being made aware of The Marshall Project reporting that detailed fights inside the facility.

www.toledoblade.com/local/politi...

Thank you @localmatters.bsky.social! Subscribe to their incredible newsletter here: linktr.ee/lmattersnews

Five Western states including California launch probe into underinsurance California and four other states are investigating the problem of wildfire survivors not having enough insurance to rebuild their homes after a Chronicle investigation exposed the depth of the...

Chronicle investigation leads to multi-state insurance probe.

EXCLUSIVE: Baltimore's comptroller has asked the city inspector general to investigate after 11 News Investigates uncovered financial discrepancies at one of the state's biggest nonprofits.
Officials say the nonprofit may have broken state laws and could face a $20K fine. 👇

IRE’s AccessFest Conference returns online this October - Investigative Reporters & Editors The AccessFest Conference will be Oct. 9-11, 2025, featuring keynote speakers Sara Luterman of the 19th and Wendy Lu of the New York Times.

IRE's AccessFest Conference returns this fall, with a major gift to celebrate our 50th birthday!

Registration is just $50 right now for all attendees. We’re honored to have @slooterman.bsky.social and @wendyluwrites.bsky.social join us for the keynote conversation. www.ire.org/2025-accessf...

Judge Orders Columbus County Sheriff to Release Additional Records At a hearing on our ongoing records suit, the judge directed the county to grant access to public records about former sheriff Jody Greene.

A judge ordered Columbus County to respond to our longstanding public records requests related to alleged corruption and other misconduct. www.theassemblync.com/politics/cou... #ncpol

How Sheriffs Fail to Report Miscarriages, Stillbirths In Ohio Jails One woman’s pregnancy ended in the Cuyahoga County Jail amid ignored cries for help and an ‘egregious performance failure’ by medical staff.

A new investigation from TMP-C and Scott Noll at WEWS. She went to jail pregnant. What happened next isn't even a statistic. Why didn't Cuyahoga County tell Ohio offcials about a pregancy loss? Because the fetus was not incarcerated. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/05/15/c...

A ‘silent threat’: California officials announce hearing into wildfire victim underinsurance following Chronicle investigation A state board plans to hold a hearing on potential legislation to address underinsurance caused by flawed algorithms, unearthed by Chronicle reporting.

New from me and @meganmunce.bsky.social - California government officials have called a hearing on widespread, algorithm-driven underinsurance among wildfire victims, citing our @sfchronicle.com investigation into the issue.

Gift link: www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

Proud of colleagues like @koriedean.bsky.social, who work hard to reveal things a lot of people in power would like to keep shrouded in darkness.

CT demands Hartford nonprofit return state aid amid theft concerns Leaders of a Hartford nonprofit waited months to notify state officials of an alleged cyber theft of $300,000 in taxpayer-funded grants, records show.

A $300k state grant was stolen, so nearly everyone at this Hartford nonprofit that has received $8 million in state aid this year was laid off.

Leaders of the org didn't tell the state or their board of the theft for 3 months.

www.ctpost.com/connecticut/...

Suspect in attack on Pa. governor couldn’t get arrested despite 3 attempts to surrender Cody Balmer called 911 to claim responsibility for setting fire to the Governor's Residence within an hour of the attack. He later walked to a police station, where he was turned away.

Just phenomenal reporting here by @pennlive.com on how Cody Balmer may never have been arrested had he not been so willing to give himself up. www.pennlive.com/crime/2025/0...

Brace yourselves, then read this story by
Lauren Peace. It's heart-wrenching but proud of @tampabaytimes.bsky.social for drawing attention to domestic violence. I hope it inspires lawmakers and police to figure out a better way to handle situations like this one. www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2...

Before embezzlement scheme was revealed, Tulsa schools executives secretly planned departure of the man involved A state investigator raised questions about how much school leaders knew about a scheme to defraud Tulsa Public Schools of at least $800,000 before they notified the police, documents show.

A state investigator raised questions about how much school leaders knew about a scheme to defraud Tulsa Public Schools of at least $800,000 before they notified the police, documents show.

Thank you 📰✨

Can confirm @localmatters.bsky.social is the best - encourage anyone who can to chip in $5 a month to recognize the great work of volunteers!

Thank you! 📰✨

Local Matters Newsletter (@localmatters.bsky.social) A free weekly newsletter, curating the best in U.S. local journalism. By Joey Cranney, Brett Murphy, Bethany Barnes and Lulu Ramadan. Sponsored by Investigative Reporters & Editors and the Knight Foun...

Giving a shout-out to the @localmatters.bsky.social newsletter, which consistently delivers the best journalism from local news across the U.S., you can sign up for the once a week email here visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin... or follow 'em on BlueSky

Florida must act quickly to stop water pollution, federal lawmakers urge After a Times investigation found rising contamination, congressional leaders sound alarm.

“Florida’s legislature needs to act immediately to stop the pollution of our waterways.”
www.tampabay.com/investigatio...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed for child labor rollbacks behind the scenes, records show Email communications first obtained by Orlando Weekly through a public records request show that staffers from DeSantis's office emailed draft legislation for Republican lawmakers to file.

Scoop from me: Emails first obtained by @orlandoweekly.bsky.social show that staff in Florida Gov. DeSantis' office drafted legislation for Republican lawmakers to file this year that aims to roll back certain child labor protections for workers as young as 14. www.orlandoweekly.com/news/florida...

Wasting Away: Rampant pollution caused manatees to starve. Florida waters are getting worse. A Times analysis of millions of water samples found dangerous contamination across the state.

NEW: Florida touts spending millions of dollars to reduce water pollution. But the efforts aren’t working.

Instead, hundreds of waterways have become dangerously contaminated.

From the amazing Zack Sampson, Shreya Vuttaluru and Bethany Barnes:

project.tampabay.com/investigatio...

A broken system is keeping California homes underinsured. Millions are at risk California's biggest insurance companies are using faulty algorithms and flawed processes to estimate rebuilding costs — leaving millions of homeowners unprotected from disaster.

NEW INVESTIGATION: California is facing an underinsurance crisis, as wildfire survivors struggle to rebuild their homes.

Insurers often blame homeowners for this crisis. But as
@meganmunce.bsky.social & I found, the companies are largely responsible. Read more tinyurl.com/39pdydwj

Wasting Away: Rampant pollution caused manatees to starve. Florida waters are getting worse. A Times analysis of millions of water samples found dangerous contamination across the state.

The depth of reporting from Tampa Bay Times journalists Zachary T. Sampson, Shreya Vuttaluru and Bethany Barnes is stunning and extraordinary. : #WastingAway gets to the heart of why Florida’s gentle giants – the manatees – have been perishing. A MUST READ.

project.tampabay.com/investigatio...