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How transparent is New Hampshire? (MuckRock/Concord Monitor/Granite State News Collaborative)
New Hampshire’s Right-to-Know law promises “the greatest possible public access” to government records. But how open is New Hampshire really? As part of a multi-month collaboration, we tested transparency across New Hampshire by asking cities and towns and their corresponding school districts. Twenty appear in the scorecard below; the rest are documented in our published data.
‘The Air We Breathe:’ Our network of sensors shows how industry is still polluting Cicero’s air (MuckRock/Cicero Independiente)
The Cicero Independiente and MuckRock have been monitoring air pollution in Cicero. What we found: Cicero’s air quality is much worse than surrounding Cook County neighborhoods, and it’s worse than what the Environmental Protection Agency and pilot programs run by the city and Microsoft have routinely reported.
Mapping Manhattan Project radioactive waste across the St. Louis region (MuckRock/Missouri Independent/The Associated Press)
The Missouri Independent, MuckRock and The Associated Press spent months combing through thousands of pages of previously-unreleased government records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act that show radioactive waste was known to pose a threat to people living near Coldwater Creek as early as 1949.
‘Guardian angel’ donors poured more than $440.9 million into 73 federal super PACs during 2022 cycle (OpenSecrets)
“Guardian angel” donors poured more than $440.9 million into 73 federal super PACs during the contentious 2022 midterm elections, a new OpenSecrets analysis of year-end filings with the Federal Election Commission found. During the last cycle, only 47 individuals and their partners qualified as guardian angel donors.
Super Spenders: The NFL and Washington Commanders spent big on lobbying in 2022 (OpenSecrets)
As the National Football League prepares for its final game of the season this Sunday with the Philadelphia Eagles taking on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Ariz., year-end lobbying disclosures reveal that the NFL spent over $1.3 million on federal lobbying in 2022.
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How the century-old Koppers coal tar plant became, and remains, the town of Cicero’s toxic neighbor
The Koppers plant in Cicero has been found in violation of both state and federal environmental laws dating back 50 years — from the late 1970s until this past summer. A new Illinois EPA list of violations raises new questions about how much cancer-causing chemicals the plant is emitting.