Featured Work

Courthouse News Service • 5th September 2025

A young girl’s testimony put a man behind bars. Did she lie?

She accused John Kinsel of sexually abusing her, then changed her story. Kinsel is still in prison almost 20 years after she recanted — but now, he may be getting a real chance at freedom.(CN) — In 1999, 12-year-old Alyssa Medlin told a Louisiana jury a horrific story. For three years, she said, her mother’s boyfriend John Kinsel had sexually abused her.Her own mother thought she was lying. She, Medlin’s aunt and Medlin’s grandfather all testified they’d never seen Kinsel behave inappropriately...

The Hill • 24th May 2023

How US farmland became a battleground in the fight against China

Chinese investors own about .03 percent of America’s farmland, according to federal data. But their land purchasing is becoming a major issue as politicians at the state and federal level ramp up their fight against perceived threats from China.

In the past couple of months, lawmakers in more than two dozen states have passed or considered legislation restricting Chinese purchases of U.S. farmland.

And former President Trump has promised that if he retakes the White House, he will ban Chinese

Arizona Republic • 27th April 2022

Pain patients hope new Arizona opioid prescribing law will improve their lives

Some patients say they haven’t been able to get the medication they need as a result of Arizona’s 2018 opioid law. A new law creates an exception for certain patients with chronic pain.

UPI • 8th December 2021

Visa lottery winners lose once-in-a-lifetime chance to come to U.S.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- When Mohammed Alarefi, a native of war-torn Yemen, won the U.S. visa lottery in May 2018, it was the realization of his childhood dream: a chance to move to America.

"I registered every year until the miracle happened and I was chosen for a diversity visa for fiscal 2019," Alarefi said.

MarketWatch • 15th October 2021

'Retail redlining' or small-business cost-saver? Lawmakers debate the impact of going cashless

Businesses should not be allowed to refuse to accept cash because it hurts vulnerable populations, Democrats on a House Financial Services subcommittee said Thursday, as Republicans said using cash increases operating costs for small retailers.

A bill co-sponsored by Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Texas Democrat and member of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, would make it illegal for retailers to refuse to accept cash for in-person payments.

The U.S. is increasingly moving away from ca

The Daily Northwestern • 25th June 2021

Last July, former City Clerk Devon Reid implemented a police transparency policy. Almost a year later, the city has yet to follow it.

Last July, Devon Reid, Evanston’s city clerk at the time, announced a policy he claimed would increase police transparency: publishing Evanston Police Department misconduct and use of force records on the city website.

In an interview with The Daily, Reid said the policy is important for holding the police accountable and also improving future police behavior. But it has been almost a year since the policy was announced, and no such records have been released. Instead, the policy has been the s

The Daily Northwestern • 16th April 2021

Latino Union of Chicago demands Evanston construction company pay worker owed wages

Organizers speak at the protest. The Latino Union of Chicago held a protest Thursday to demand Evanston-based construction company Continental Construction pay a worker wages.

The Latino Union of Chicago held a protest Thursday in front of the office of Evanston-based construction company Continental Construction, demanding the company pay the wages a day laborer says he is owed.

The Latino Union of Chicago is a workers’ center that advocates for non-unionized workers, including day laborers.

UPI • 10th November 2021

Supreme Court considers whether Puerto Ricans can be denied gov't benefits

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- A dispute over $28,000 could have broad implications for the rights of Puerto Ricans and residents of other U.S. territories.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday on whether the exclusion of Puerto Rico from the Supplemental Security Income program violates the equal protection component of the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause.