A Top UC Berkeley Professor Taught With Remains That May Include Dozens of Native Americans
Despite decades of Indigenous activism and resistance, UC Berkeley has failed to return the remains of thousands of Native Americans to tribes.
Reporting From the Southwest
ProPublica’s seven-person reporting unit based in Phoenix covers the Southwest, including Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah. Many of these states are among the fastest-growing in the country, and the region is experiencing rapid changes to the climate, economy, demographics and other trends that will shape the nation’s future.
Barricaded Siblings Turn to TikTok While Defying Court Order to Return to Father They Say Abused Them
A judge concluded the children were victims of “parental alienation,” which continues to influence family courts despite being rejected by mainstream scientific groups, and authorized police to use “reasonable force” to remove them from their mother.
Nevada Governor Turns to Lobbyist Tied to COVID Lab Scandal for Help With Budget
Gov. Joe Lombardo once called his predecessor’s support of an error-prone COVID-19 testing lab the “biggest scandal in our history” but then brought in the lobbyist who pulled strings to get that lab licensed to help prepare his state budget.
America’s Biggest Museums Fail to Return Native American Human Remains
The remains of more than 100,000 Native Americans are held by prestigious U.S. institutions, despite a 1990 law meant to return them to tribal nations. Here’s how the ancestors were stolen — and how tribes are working to get them back.
Southwest News Staff
- Southwest Editor
- Michael Squires
- Reporters
- Anjeanette Damon, Eli Hager, Mary Hudetz, Mark Olalde and Nicole Santa Cruz
- Abrams Reporting Fellow
- Hannah Dreyfus
Local Reporting Network Partners
ProPublica is supporting local and regional newsrooms as they work on important investigative projects affecting their communities. Some of our past and present partners in the region:
- Arizona Daily Star
- Tucson, Arizona
- Arizona Republic
- Phoenix, Arizona
- New Mexico In Depth
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Searchlight New Mexico
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Santa Fe New Mexican
- Sante Fe, New Mexico
- Rocky Mountain PBS
- Denver, Colorado
Are Colorado’s Efforts to Curb HOA Foreclosures Working?
Homeowners associations have filed far fewer foreclosure cases since the state enacted a law aimed at protecting residents in disputes with their HOAs, according to a ProPublica-Rocky Mountain PBS analysis.
HOA Foreclosures Are a “Lose-Lose” Game for Coloradans, but These Lawyers Win Regardless of the Outcome
A retired NFL player’s legal battle with a homeowners association spotlights why critics say Colorado law incentivizes attorneys to advise that HOAs foreclose on residents rather than find less expensive solutions.
New Mexico Has Lost Track of Juveniles Locked Up for Life. We Found Nearly Two Dozen.
New legislation would require the New Mexico Corrections Department to help schedule parole hearings for prisoners given life sentences as children. But the agency wasn’t aware of at least 21 “juvenile lifers” in its custody.
Some Election Officials Refused to Certify Results. Few Were Held Accountable.
A ProPublica review of local officials who refused to certify 2022 election results found that most did not face formal consequences. Experts explain what that means for the future of American elections.
Legislators Vote to Fix Utah Law That Made It Hard for Some Sexual Assault Survivors to Sue
The vote last week helps those assaulted in medical settings. But it won’t help the 94 women whose suit brought the issue to light.
Colorado Lawmakers Consider Reforms to the Way Family Courts Handle Abuse Allegations
Several people who testified in favor of the proposed reforms are plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against former custody evaluator Mark Kilmer, alleging fraud and breach of contract.
Were You Affected by the Massive Wildfire in Northern New Mexico? We Want to Hear From You.
Last summer’s wildfire caused thousands to flee. Source New Mexico and ProPublica want to know if people got the help they needed.
Arizona Child Welfare Director Dismissed Amid GOP Attacks Speaks Out
Gov. Katie Hobbs said she appointed Matthew Stewart to “transform” Arizona’s troubled child welfare system. But as an election-denying Republican was gearing up to attack him, she gave up on her pick.
94 Women Allege a Utah Doctor Sexually Assaulted Them. Here’s Why a Judge Threw Out Their Case.
When dozens of women sued their OB-GYN for sexual assault, a judge said the case falls under the state’s medical malpractice law. As the women appeal, lawmakers are asking whether that law should be changed.
A School Superintendent Says Our Story About Expulsions in His District Is Incorrect. Here’s Why He’s Wrong.
The New Mexico school district’s discipline data, reported to the state education department each year, contradicts the superintendent’s defense.
Arizona’s Governor-Elect Chooses Critic of Racial Disparities in Child Welfare to Lead CPS Agency
Matthew Stewart will become the first Black leader of the Department of Child Safety, which ProPublica and NBC News found had investigated the families of 1 in 3 Black children in metro Phoenix during a recent five-year period.
Wildfires in Colorado Are Growing More Unpredictable. Officials Have Ignored the Warnings.
A year after the deadly Marshall Fire drove thousands of Coloradans from their homes, the state’s densest communities aren’t preparing for the next climate-driven wildfire.
This Scientist Fled a Deadly Wildfire, Then Returned to Study How It Happened
In 2021, the devastating Marshall Fire showed wildfire can strike Colorado in almost any place or season. Scientists now hope to glean lessons from it for communities across the West.
A Water War Is Brewing Over the Dwindling Colorado River
Diminished by climate change and overuse, the river can no longer provide the water states try to take from it.
This School District Is Ground Zero for Harsh Discipline of Native Students in New Mexico
In Gallup-McKinley County Schools, wearing the wrong color shirt can get you written up for “gang-related activity.” Banging on a window is bullying. The district is responsible for most of New Mexico’s disproportionate expulsions of Native students.
