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Articles by Mollie Simon
Vouchers promise students with disabilities a path to private school. Parents say that’s not the reality.
This story was originally published by ProPublica. It’s after 6 p.m. by the time Angela Johnson hurries home from work. Her 12-year-old daughter, Amelia, is at their house outside of Pensacola, Florida, with a nurse trained to care for medically fragile children. Amelia, who was born with a rare genetic anomaly, has endured many surgeries and requires a brain shunt and a feeding tube. The nurse starts caring for Amelia as soon as a bus from the public school drops her off.
Barns, go-karts and strip malls: The wild west of private schools that collect taxpayer dollars
This article is co-published with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom. This story was originally published by Mountain State Spotlight. Get stories like this delivered to your email inbox once a week; sign up for the free newsletter at mountainstatespotlight.org/newsletter. A decade ago, the state of Florida stripped a teacher of her license for sexual abuse of a 16-year-old boy. Last year, she opened a private school there with ease. kAmw6C ?2>6 2?5 A9@E@ H6C6 @?
Barns, go-karts and strip malls: The wild west of private schools that collect taxpayer dollars
A decade ago, the state of Florida stripped a teacher of her license for sexual abuse of a 16-year-old boy. Last year, she opened a private school there with ease. Her name and photo were on her new school’s website and details of her case were easy to find with an online search.
Barns, go-karts and strip malls: The wild west of private schools that collect taxpayer dollars
This article is co-published with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom. This story was originally published by Mountain State Spotlight. Get stories like this delivered to your email inbox once a week; sign up for the free newsletter at mountainstatespotlight.org/newsletter. A decade ago, the state of Florida stripped a teacher of her license for sexual abuse of a 16-year-old boy. Last year, she opened a private school there with ease. kAmw6C ?2>6 2?5 A9@E@ H6C6 @?
How to Research Private Schools Like an Investigative Reporter
Republish This Story for Free Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) Thank you for your interest in republishing this story. You are free to republish it so long as you do the following: You have to credit ProPublica and any co-reporting partners. In the byline, we prefer "Author Name, Publication(s)." At the top of the text of your story, include a line that reads: "This story was originally published by ProPublica." You must link the word "ProPublica" to the original URL of the story.
Barns, Go-Karts and Strip Malls: The Wild West of Private Schools That Collect Taxpayer Dollars
Reporting Highlights Private Schools, Public Money: Friendly state legislatures are steering money to private schools, catalyzing huge growth in recent years with far-reaching consequences. Minimal Oversight: States examined by ProPublica have little interest in overseeing the schools: not who runs them, what they teach or how they perform. Troubling Backgrounds: In Florida, a public school teacher lost her license and was prosecuted over sexual abuse of a minor, but now she runs a private school.
She Abused a Minor. He Served Time for Rape. They Both Launched Private Schools Taking Public Money.
U.
Public Money Is Fueling an Explosion of Private Schools. States Often Don’t Care How They’re Run.
Social Justice 1 hour ago 7 Colleges Suggesting 'White Supremacy' Persists in America dailysignal.com - Tyler O’Neil • 1h FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A new report exposes seven colleges and universities for featuring statements about “white supremacy” that, the report’s … College & University 2 hours ago Chatham University Placed On Warning By Accreditor hoodline.com - Ryan Miller • 2h Chatham University is staying accredited for now, but its financial playbook is under a microscope.
He Was Fired for Sexually Harassing Students. California Allowed Him to Keep Teaching Anyway
The California Newsroom Home / Education / The California Newsroom May 12, 2026 Save Article Failed to save article Please try again Email A KQED and ProPublica investigation found that California’s teacher credentialing system allowed some educators accused of misconduct of a sexual nature to continue teaching even after school districts took disciplinary action. (Anna Vignet/KQED) This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with KQED.
He Was Fired for Sexually Harassing Students. California Allowed Him to Keep Teaching Anyway
Now Pro wrestling legend Ric Flair took another shot at Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic ahead of the team’s Game 4 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. Flair was critical of Doncic for missing games with a hamstring injury and doubled down on his remarks in an interview on "Yahoo Sports …
He Was Fired for Sexually Harassing Students. California Allowed Him to Keep Teaching Anyway.
Reporting Highlights Massages in Class: A California teacher was deemed “unfit to teach” after students reported him for touching them in ways that made them uncomfortable, including massaging their shoulders. License to Teach: Jason Agan is one of 67 teachers whose credentials were not revoked by California after their schools determined they had committed sexual harassment or misconduct.
He Was Fired for Sexually Harassing Students. California Allowed Him to Keep Teaching Anyway.
1 hour ago A growing number of families and educators say they’re fed up with i-Ready’s personalized math and reading lessons, which feature repetitive cartoons and slow voice-overs. In Anchorage, Alaska, math tutor Katelynn Petersen has watched hundreds of students struggle to use the software. “They all hate …
'Incalculable' Damage: How a “We Buy Ugly Houses” Franchise Left a Trail of Financial Wreckage Across Texas
This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive its biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Ronald Carver was skeptical when his investment adviser first tried to sell him on an “ugly houses” investment opportunity eight years ago. But once the Texas retiree heard the details, it seemed like a no-lose situation.
Tennessee Lawmakers and Lenders Said This Law Would Protect Borrowers. Instead It Trapped Them in Debt.
This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Tennessee Lookout . Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published. ProPublica and the Tennessee Lookout are continuing to investigate Harpeth Financial, which owns Flex Loan operator Advance Financial and online sportsbook Action 247. To tell us about the experience you had with either or both companies, call or text reporter Adam Friedman at 615-249-8509.
How Richard L. Bean Stayed in Power at a Tennessee Youth Detention Center Despite Scandals
This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with WPLN/Nashville Public Radio, a 2023-2024 LRN partner. Sign up for Dispatches to get our stories in your inbox every week. For half a century, through scandals, investigations, failed state inspections and even the illegal use of seclusion to punish children, Richard L. Bean remained in his perch of power as the superintendent of the juvenile detention center that bears his name.
The Head of a Tennessee Youth Detention Center Will Step Down After “Loss of Confidence” in His Leadership
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This article was produced by WPLN/Nashville Public Radio, a 2023 ProPublica Local Reporting Network partner. Sign up for Dispatches to get our stories in your inbox every week. Richard L. Bean, the longtime superintendent of the East Tennessee juvenile detention center that bears his name, abruptly announced Friday that he will be stepping down. His decision to retire came the day after the Knox County mayor said he had lost confidence in Bean’s leadership.
By Paige Pfleger Verified, Anjeanette Damon Verified, Mollie Simon Verified, Dana Brozost-Kelleher Verified
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ProPublica
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Busted: 'We Buy Ugly Houses' franchise owner to plead guilty in $40 million fraud scheme
Federal prosecutors in Texas identified 80 victims defrauded of nearly $40 million by Charles Carrier since 2018. Though Carrier agreed to plead guilty to only one count of felony wire fraud involving one $200,000 transfer, he admitted to the broader scheme as part of the deal and agreed to pay restitution — the amount of which has yet to be determined. The charge also carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence and the possibility of millions of dollars in fines.
Former “We Buy Ugly Houses” Franchise Owner to Plead Guilty in Fraud Scheme That Cost Investors $40 Million
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ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. The former operator of one of the largest HomeVestors of America franchises has agreed to plead guilty to federal wire fraud in connection with a sprawling Ponzi scheme targeting people who believed they were investing in his real estate empire. Federal prosecutors in Texas identified 80 victims defrauded of nearly $40 million by Charles Carrier since 2018.
By Anjeanette Damon Verified, Mollie Simon Verified, Dana Brozost-Kelleher Verified, Isabelle Senechal
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ProPublica
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Former “We Buy Ugly Houses” Franchise Owner to Plead Guilty in Fraud Scheme That Cost Investors $40 Million
Former “We Buy Ugly Houses” Franchise Owner to Plead Guilty in Fraud Scheme That Cost Investors $40 Million Charles Carrier agreed to plead guilty to one count of felony wire fraud that carries a potential 20-year prison sentence. The plea follows a …
Newtok, Alaska, Was Supposed to Be a Model for Climate Relocation. Here’s How It Went Wrong.
This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with KYUK. Sign up for Dispatches to get our stories in your inbox every week. This story is not subject to our Creative Commons license. NEWTOK, Alaska — A jumble of shipping containers hold all that remains of the demolished public school in Newtok, Alaska, where on a recent visit, a few stray dogs and a lone ermine prowled among the ruins.
On the end of school, graduation, Micaville, and "confirmation of purpose"
A confirmation of purpose: Road to Hire’s Commitment Day 2025 by Derick Lee ‘Tis the season when high school seniors launch their countdown to graduation. Simultaneously, many students have announced and finalized their postsecondary plans.
Prescient warnings about Helene didn’t reach people in harm’s way. Here are 5 lessons for the next hurricane.
This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. When Hurricane Helene plowed over the Southeast last September, it caused more inland deaths than any hurricane in recorded history. The highest per capita death toll occurred in Yancey County, a rural expanse in the rugged Black Mountains of North Carolina devastated by flash flooding and landslides.
Prescient Warnings About Helene Didn’t Reach People in Harm’s Way. Here Are 5 Lessons for the Next Hurricane. Original
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. When Hurricane Helene plowed over the Southeast last September, it caused more inland deaths than any hurricane in recorded history.
“Incalculable” Damage: How A “We Buy Ugly Houses” Franchise Left A Trail Of Financial Wreckage Across Texas
Reporting Highlights Lost Investments: People who invested with a Dallas HomeVestors franchise, once touted as the largest, accuse the owner of operating a scheme that cost them tens of millions of dollars. Red Flags: HomeVestors says its franchises follow best business practices. But investors say lax oversight allowed the “We Buy Ugly Houses” brand to be used to further the scheme.
How a 'We Buy Ugly Houses' franchise left a trail of financial wreckage across this red state
Reporting Highlights Lost Investments: People who invested with a Dallas HomeVestors franchise, once touted as the largest, accuse the owner of operating a scheme that cost them tens of millions of dollars. Red Flags: HomeVestors says its franchises follow best business practices. But investors say lax oversight allowed the “We Buy Ugly Houses” brand to be used to further the scheme.
The 'We Buy Ugly Houses' franchise that left a trail of financial wreckage
Now CNN — For months, President Donald Trump has falsely claimed that egg prices are tumbling. It wasn’t true then, but it’s true now. Egg prices fell 12.7% last month, the biggest monthly decline since 1984, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. And they could continue to fall this month, …
“Incalculable” Damage: How a “We Buy Ugly Houses” Franchise Left a Trail of Financial Wreckage Across Texas
5 hours ago Why a 3.5 Inch Difference in Rail Width Is a $27 Billion Problem for NATO The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have better rail connections to Russia than the rest of Europe. Here’s how a new, strategic railway project is addressing NATO concerns about Russian aggression in Europe. Now 10 Years Ago Behavioral Scientists Boiled Down Their Key Findings to Just 4 Letters.
How Demographic Data on Private Schools Helped ProPublica Report on Segregation Academies
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. In South Carolina, where I live, rural towns often remain largely divided by race, especially those with larger Black communities. You’ll often hear people describe railroad tracks that run through these towns and how white people live on one side of the tracks, Black people on the other.
ProPublica Releases New Private School Demographics Lookup
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ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Join us Jan. 31 at 3 p.m. Eastern for a live demonstration of this database’s features. Private schools in the United States are, on the whole, whiter than public schools, with fewer Black, Hispanic or Latino students. This may not be a surprising statistic because private schools can often be expensive and exclusionary, but it’s not a simple one to pin down.
By Sergio Hernandez Verified, Ken Schwencke Verified, Alec MacGillis Verified, Mollie Simon Verified
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ProPublica
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Two Families Sue After 11-Year-Old and 13-Year-Old Students Were Arrested Under Tennessee’s School Threat Law
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. Two families have sued an East Tennessee school district in federal court, arguing that school officials violated students’ rights when they called the police under a Tennessee law that seeks to severely punish threats of mass violence.
Feds Fine Baker College $2.5 Million for Deceptive Marketing That Left Students With Debts and Regrets
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. The U.S. Department of Education has fined a Michigan college $2.5 million for years of “substantial misrepresentation” of career outcomes.
Story of one Mississippi county shows how private schools are exacerbating segregation
The scoreboard glowed with the promise of another Friday night football game in Liberty, a small town near the Louisiana border. The Trojans, in black and gold, sprinted onto the field to hollers from friends and families who filled barely half the bleachers. The fans were almost all Black, as is the student body at the county's lone public high school. Scanning the field and the stands would give you little indication that more than half the county's residents are white.
The Story of One Mississippi County Shows How Private Schools Are Exacerbating Segregation
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. A new ProPublica analysis shows how much private schools segregate students by race. Across the South, many of these schools are segregation academies. In Amite County, Mississippi, the divide is especially stark.
Segregation academies across the South are getting millions in taxpayer dollars
This story, the first in a two-part series, was first published in ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive their biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Update, Nov. 20, 2024: The North Carolina legislature has voted to override the governor’s veto of funding for 54,000 children on the school voucher waitlist. The move could more than double the number of students receiving private school vouchers and send more money to segregation academies.
Illinois’ AG Said It’s Illegal for Schools to Use Police to Ticket Students. But His Office Told Only One District. Original
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ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. In the strongest rebuke yet of Illinois school districts that ask police to ticket misbehaving students, the state attorney general has declared that the practice — still being used across the state — is illegal and should stop.
By Jodi S. Cohen Verified, Jennifer Smith Richards Verified, Mollie Simon Verified, Aliyya Swaby Verified
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ProPublica
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Segregation Academies in Mississippi Are Benefiting From Public Dollars, as They Did in the 1960s
By Jennifer Berry Hawes and Mollie Simon ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. More in this series On May 14, the final day for submitting new bills in the Mississippi Legislature, a bold new package of them landed on the desks of Mississippi lawmakers. The plans called for the creation of a voucher program that paid for students to attend private schools.
Segregation academies across the South are getting millions in taxpayer dollars
This story was originally published by ProPublica. Private schools across the South that were established for white children during desegregation are now benefiting from tens of millions in taxpayer dollars flowing from rapidly expanding voucher-style programs, a ProPublica analysis found. In North Carolina alone, we identified 39 of these likely “segregation academies” that are still operating and that have received voucher money.
Mississippi Segregation Academies Are Benefitting From Taxpayer Dollars — ProPublica - Business And America
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. On May 14, the final day for submitting new bills in the Mississippi Legislature, a bold new package of them landed on the desks of Mississippi lawmakers. The plans called for the creation of a voucher program that paid for students to attend private schools.
Private Segregated Schools Across the South Are Getting Millions in Taxpayer Dollars Original
This story was originally published by ProPublica. Private schools across the South that were established for white children during desegregation are now benefiting from tens of millions in taxpayer dollars flowing from rapidly expanding voucher-style programs, a ProPublica analysis found. In North Carolina alone, we identified 39 of these likely “segregation academies” that are still operating and that have received voucher money.
politics and vouchers in North Carolina
politics and vouchers in North Carolina by Jennifer Berry Hawes and Mollie Simon Private schools across the South that were established for white children during desegregation are now benefiting from tens of millions in taxpayer dollars flowing from rapidly expanding voucher-style programs, a ProPublica analysis found. In North Carolina alone, we identified 39 of these likely “segregation academies” that are still operating and that have received voucher money.
Segregation academies across the South are getting millions in taxpayer dollars
North Carolina offers an especially telling window into what is happening across this once legally segregated region where legislatures are now rapidly expanding and adopting controversial voucher-style programs. Private schools across the South that were established for white children during desegregation are now benefiting from tens of millions in taxpayer dollars flowing from rapidly expanding voucher-style programs, a ProPublica analysis found.
Segregation academies across the South are getting millions in taxpayer dollars
Private schools across the South that were established for white children during desegregation are now benefiting from tens of millions in taxpayer dollars flowing from rapidly expanding voucher-style programs, a ProPublica analysis found. In North Carolina alone, we identified 39 of these likely “segregation academies” that are still operating and that have received voucher money.
Schools Once Built for Whites Only Are Receiving Millions in Taxpayer Money
This article was originally published at ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. Private schools across the South that were established for white children during desegregation are now benefiting from tens of millions in taxpayer dollars flowing from rapidly expanding voucher-style programs, a ProPublica analysis found.
Segregation Academies Across the South Are Getting Millions in Taxpayer Dollars
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. Private schools across the South that were established for white children during desegregation are now benefiting from tens of millions in taxpayer dollars flowing from rapidly expanding voucher-style programs, a ProPublica analysis found.
Segregation Academies Across the South Are Getting Millions in Taxpayer Dollars
Salesman refused to sell a BMW car to a woman with cash — so she taught him a priceless lesson The woman was refused by the salesman to take a prospective car to test drive for reasons best known to him. Profiling is a social evil that impacts …
Despite Trump’s Win, School Vouchers Were Again Rejected by Majorities of Voters
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. In 2018, Arizona voters overwhelmingly rejected school vouchers. On the ballot that year was a measure that would have allowed all parents — even the wealthiest ones — to receive taxpayer money to send their kids to private, typically religious schools. Arizonans voted no, and it wasn’t close.
An 11-Year-Old Denied Making a Threat and Was Allowed to Return to School. Tennessee Police Arrested Him Anyway.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. Starting this academic year, making a threat of mass violence at schools in Tennessee is a felony, for adults or children. Law enforcement officers say that even when kids make threats that are not credible, they need to be held accountable for their actions.
Reuse Degraded Lands for Clean Energy
In March, the Biden administration awarded $475 million to five clean energy demonstration projects on mine lands—including a Pennsylvania solar project on a former coal mine in Clearfield County. Funding came from the Clean Energy Demonstration Program on Current and Former Mine Land (CEML) funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Those projects have outsized importance.
Conservatives Go to War — Against Each Other — Over School Vouchers
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Drive an hour south of Nashville into the rolling countryside of Marshall County, Tennessee — past horse farms, mobile homes and McMansions — and you will arrive in Chapel Hill, population 1,796. It’s the birthplace of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, who helped found the Ku Klux Klan.
An Energy Transition without National Security Won’t Be “Just”
The following Kleinman Center for Energy Policy Insight is based on a similar article that appears as the cover story for the May 2024 volume of the German-language climate law journal Klima und Recht, published by the Institut für Klimaschutz, Energie, und Mobilität e.V., (IKEM) in Berlin, Germany. The German-language version of the below Insight can be found at the Klima und Recht website here or in the pdf publication here.
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