Articles Photography Multimedia Contact
CT Examiner •

Waterbury Secures $5M to Renovate Church into Youth Health Clinic

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As a first step toward expanding school-based health centers in Waterbury, the city is planning to use new federal funding to renovate St. Lucy’s Church as a one-stop clinic for local students.

“It’s valuable for students because they already have trusted adults that they have connections with, within the school setting,” said Aisling McGuckin, director of the Waterbury Public Health Department. “They have a network of teachers that are looking out for them, they have their s
CT Examiner •

UConn Faculty Question Contractor's Role in Budget Cuts

Several UConn faculty members are questioning the role of an outside consulting firm in the university’s cost-cutting decisions, and the possible elimination of academic programs and jobs.

Huron Consulting, a global professional services firm, has had contracts with UConn since 2014 for various projects. Most recently, the university paid Huron more than $123,000 to manage grants and implement and evaluate technological software, according to UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz.
Times Union •

Food deserts persist as Congress seeks to help

WASHINGTON — By the time Tracie Killar was 17, she said much of the food she ate contained too much sugar and there were health consequences from it. Killar, who has lived in upstate New York for more than 50 years, grew up in Albany’s South End area, a food desert where most of her meals were highly processed and unhealthy.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand visited the cafe last month, a few weeks after introducing legislation in Congress that aims to eliminate food deserts by allocating federal fu
The Detroit News •

Anti-Trump group urging Democrats to crossover for Haley in S.C., Michigan primaries

CHARLESTON, S.C. - In an attempt to influence the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, some Trump
critics have been trying to convince left-leaning and moderate voters to cross over and vote
for Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, in states
with open primaries like New Hampshire on Jan. 23, South Carolina on Feb. 24 and
Michigan on Feb. 27.
ProPublica •

Millions of People Used Tainted Breathing Machines. The FDA Failed to Use Its Power to Protect Them.

The family of the former Louisiana Attorney General Richard Ieyoub, a longtime user of a Philips continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine. From left, son Phillip Ieyoub, wife Caprice Ieyoub, daughter Khoury Ieyoub, daughter Anna Michael Ieyoub and son Christian Ieyoub at their childhood home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

In 2021, after Philips Respironics sold millions of defective medical devices to those who struggle to breathe, the federal agency charged with protecting the health
Medill News Service •

Families of Hamas hostages urge members of Congress to get all hostages released

Families of hostages held by Hamas stand alongside congress members at a roundtable on Nov. 29, 2023. They hold a sign that says “Men. Women. Babies. Elderly. Are still held hostage by Hamas. #BringThemHomeNow.” (Juliann Ventura / Medill News Service)

WASHINGTON – Members of Congress put aside their partisanship on Wednesday to meet with families of hostages held by Hamas, who called on them to continue their urgency in getting more hostages released.

Hamas and Israel had released more than 25
The Fulcrum •

Negative ads overwhelm Virginia voters

As election day in Virginia’s 31st District neared, Candice Skinker said that she became so overwhelmed with the number of negative political ads in her mailbox that she just started dumping them into the trash.

“We've been inundated with ads in the mail,” the Fauquier County resident said. “And a lot of them are negative ads that I just dump in the trash. I want to know what they [candidates] want to do or are going to do, not what they think the other guy is going to do.”
The Fulcrum •

Redistricting in Virginia shakes up off-year election

Voters in Virginia will have a chance to elect new lawmakers to all 140 seats in the General Assembly when they head to the polls today, potentially shifting control of the state legislature.

Virginia will vote under new district maps for the first time since redistricting reform was approved in December 2021. These new districts, which many experts say more fairly represent the population, have created new competitive districts that have the potential to affect the political power in the commonwealth.
Sojourners •

‘Catholics Say Ceasefire Now’ at White House Pray-in

Fifty protesters gathered for a “pray-in” in Lafayette Square on Thursday afternoon, holding signs directly facing the White House that said, “Catholics say ceasefire now.”

The Catholic and Christian-led prayer service was meant to urge President Joe Biden, the second Catholic U.S. president, to call for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Speakers and attendees expressed their disapproval of Biden’s response to the war since it started in early October.

“We’re here as Catholics, Christians
Medill News Service •

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators express disappointment for the Biden Administration

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold a sign that says "Ceasefire" at a Washington rally for Palestinian solidarity on Oct. 20, 2023. (Juliann Ventura/Medill News Service)

WASHINGTON — Laila El-Haddad said for weeks she had the same ritual morning and night: She checked to make sure her family in Gaza is still alive.

She said they sent “frenzied and harrowing,” updates about bombs that only seemed to get closer, shattered windows, dilapidated trees and neighbors losing entire bloodlines.

El-Hadd
Planet Forward •

Early climate disaster warning systems can promote community resilience and reduce vulnerability, experts say

WASHINGTON– Developing new systems to detect disasters before they strike can reduce the damage communities suffer as climate change increases the intensity and frequencies of landslides, floods and other disasters in the Himalayan region, experts said on October 19 in a panel called, “Cascading Disasters and Vulnerable Infrastructure in the Himalaya: Placing the Sikkim and Melamchi Floods in Context.”

The urgency to implement better warning systems was made clear earlier this month when a glac
Medill News Service •

Thousands gather in Washington to show solidarity for Palestinians

Demonstrators wearing keffiyeh wave the Palestinian flag at the Day of Action for Palestine in Washington on Oct. 14, 2023. (Haajrah Gilani / MEDILL NEWS SERVICE)

WASHINGTON — At a rally Saturday to show support for Palestinians, a small but powerful voice cut through the deep, collective roar of the protesters’ chants, “Long live Palestine!” screamed a young boy, maybe 6 years old. He was among thousands of protesters gathered in a downpour in Lafayette Square, right across from the White Hous
Medill News Service •

Recent report describes China and Russia’s human rights violations in North Korea

WASHINGTON– China and Russia both facilitate human rights violations in North Korea by evading international sanctions, forcing refugees back to North Korea and enabling human trafficking across the Chinese border, experts said at a Thursday webinar.

“These two great powers, China and Russia, in broad daylight, supporting these egregious human rights violations inevitably has implications for international order,” said Katrin Fraser Katz, a fellow and Korea expert from the Center for Strategic
Medill News Service •

Reporter's Notebook: How history played out inside the Capitol on the day Kevin McCarthy was ousted.

“Chaos” was the word of the day in the U.S. Capitol.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said it before the House voted on his measure to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy as a speaker. He took the House floor before the historic vote on McCarthy’s fate, and declared, “Chaos is Speaker McCarthy.”

But this wasn’t the first time I heard the word “chaos”– or even felt it– today.

Some context: Tuesday was just the second day I’d reported on Capitol Hill after being credentialed only two weeks earlier as a Northwes
Medill News Service •

New poll shows abortion and women’s rights will drive some voters’ decisions

Ms. Magazine Executive Editor Kathy Spillar stands at the lectern alongside other speakers introducing the results of a Ms. Magazine and Feminist Majority Foundation poll by Lake Research Partners showing voters’ motivations on the afternoon of Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at the National Press Club. (Juliann Ventura/MEDILL NEWS SERVICE)

WASHINGTON – Abortion and women’s rights combined are significant issues determining voters’ decisions for Congress and the 2024 elections, according to a new M
ProPublica •

Philips Kept Complaints About Dangerous Breathing Machines Secret While Company Profits Soared

Tainted CPAP machines and ventilators went to children, the elderly and at least 700,000 veterans despite internal warnings. Company insiders said the devices posed an “unacceptable” risk.

Philips knew about a dangerous breakdown inside its widely used ventilators and sleep apnea machines but waited years before recalling the devices

The first complaints landed at the offices of Philips Respironics in 2010, soon after the company made a fateful decision to redesign its bestselling breathing ma