• The Vanishing Prairie series

    "The Vanishing Prairie'' is a Star Tribune series examining the way that agriculture is profoundly transforming the landscape of the Upper Midwest and its valuable native ecosystems.  Full storyFull story Updated Dec. 30, 2012

  • The Day-Care Threat

    The number of children dying in Minnesota's licensed child-care facilities has risen sharply in the past five years, from incidents that include asphyxia, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and unexplained causes.



    Check your provider

    Our database will show whether your child care provider has been sanctioned by the State of Minnesota.

     Full storyFull story Updated Dec. 26, 2012

  • Discipline deferred

    Dozens of doctors have benefitted from the non-punitive approach of Minnesota's Board of Medical Practice, which often shies away from punishing doctors who harm patients.  Full storyFull story Updated Feb. 6, 2012

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  • Violated

    State regulators have failed to protect some of Minnesota's most vulnerable citizens from being victimized by their care givers. Even known criminals have obtained state permission to work in nursing homes and other care settings.  Full storyFull story Updated Apr. 6, 2012

  • A Lethal Dose: The war on synthetic drugs

    They carry names like Bliss and TranQuility, but don't be fooled: Synthetic drugs can be deadly. From a small town in Oklahoma to suburban Minnesota, these products have generated unusual violence and physical suffering. Efforts to control these substances remains a losing battlle.  Full storyFull story Updated May. 7, 2012

  • Losing Our Lakes

    Home builders are routinely allowed to break the rules on shoreline development. Polluters are allowed to keep polluting. And clean-up efforts are falling short. While public officials are trying to save Minnesota's iconic lakes, their efforts are undercut by a lack of federal mandates.  Full storyFull story Updated Apr. 26, 2011

  • Smashed: The toll of driving drunk in Minnesota

    In Minnesota, drunken drivers who kill someone with their car sometimes get less time behind bars than nonviolent offenders. Read the Star Tribune's in-depth look at the scourge of drunken driving, the victims it claims and the public safety questions it raises.  Full storyFull story Updated May. 16, 2012

  • Hounded: Minnesotans in Debt

    Debtors' prisons were abolished in the19th century, but people in Minnesota are routinely being thrown in jail for failing to pay their debts. Such aggressive tactics are typical in today's collection industry, where companies can sue without proof and and sometimes hire ex-cons to collect.  Full storyFull story Updated Apr. 26, 2011

  • Investigating a Deadly Fire

    An apartment fire that killed six people in Minneapolis revealed serious flaws in the city's inspection practices and prompted major changes in the system. The apartments, which had multiple fire-code violations, were not inspected for at least 16 years.  Full storyFull story Updated Sep. 28, 2011

  • Wanted: When Convicts Go Missing

    Each year in Minnesota, about 1,800 convicted criminals become fugitives. Some commit serious crimes while on the run from state and local agencies with few resources devoted to finding them. This series examines the failures of Minnesota's supervised-release program.  Full storyFull story Updated Apr. 26, 2011

more from investigators

  • Crime fighters gone rogue

    In 2009, the Metro Gang Strike Force was shut down amid state and federal investigations. It was Minnesota's worst law enforcement meltdown in decades. The Star Tribune broke the first stories about the unit's troubles and the newspaper's dogged reporting ultimately showed what led to its demise.  Full storyFull story Updated Jul. 23, 2012

web links

Read some of the the nation's best investigative reporting, including last year's Pulitzer Prize winners.

Seattle Times: In Washington state, government wastes millions to indefinitely lock up 280 sex offenders.

Columbus Dispatch: Domestic silence: the truth about abuse in Ohio.

Minnesota Public Radio: Minnesota: Weak on Bullying.

The New York Times: Federal regulators go easy on problems at aging nuclear power plants .

Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Inside Florida's insurance nightmare (2011 Pulitzer winner) .

The Washington Post: The Hidden Life of Guns.

Los Angeles Times: Public officials enrich themselves in California town (2011 Pulitzer winner).

Las Vegas Sun: Do No Harm: Surgical mishaps and preventable injuries plague Las Vegas hospitals.

Chicago Tribune: Deadly Neglect: How 13 children and young adults died at troubled group home.

Bloomberg: Education Inc. - For-profit colleges become $30 billion industry by targeting the vulnerable.

CNN: Investigating misconduct within the FBI.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cashing in on Kids: Child-care scams in Wisconsin.

St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times: Under the Radar: How a fake charity collected millions by exploiting Navy veterans .

Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald: In Haiti, sexual exploitation of children rises after earthquake.

New York Times: The Burger That Shattered Her Life; Minnesota woman left paralyzed by tainted beef.

 
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