How the Virus Won
A stunning and sobering data visualisation, charting the spread of coronavirus in the United States.
Boss of the Beach
A story of power and patronage in a perhaps unexpected place, the New York beach lifeguarding fiefdom of Peter Stein, who presided over a network of lifeguards named by one as “La Cosa Nostra.”
The History of the “Riot” Report
A study of reports published by government commissions after periods of protest and struggles for justice, which have perversely “acted as alibis for inaction”.
There Are Many Man-Made Objects. The Rape Kit Is Not One of Them.
The story of Marty Goddard’s invention of the rape kit, work which was later incorrectly attributed to a police officer at his insistence. The piece examines the importance of the invention and the deeply troubled history of police and judicial responses to rape.
The Cave Kingpin Buying Up America’s Underground
The story of an eccentric millionaire with a passion for caves that extends to purchasing and charting huge numbers of them, mainly in Minnesota. His methods have proven controversial.
The C.D.C. Waited ‘Its Entire Existence for This Moment.’ What Went Wrong?
An account (disputed in some quarters) of the Center for Disease Control & Prevention’s response to the covid-19 pandemic that is none too complimentary.
How Do We Change America?
A powerful essay that poses the question “How do we change America?”, looks to the past and finds a repetitive cycle of calls for reform much like those being put forward by many politicians now, followed by policy making and implementation failures. The author proposes that, in the end, “We cannot insist on “real change” in the United States by continuing to use the same methods, arguments, and failed political strategies that have brought us to this moment.”
They Built a Utopian Sanctuary in a Minneapolis Hotel. Then They Got Evicted.
The story of a hotel that was “comandeered” during protests in Minneapolis and turned into a sanctuary run by volunteers.
My Restaurant Was My Life for 20 Years. Does the World Need It Anymore?
An intimate portrait of a popular local restaurant shutting down due to covid-19, written by its owner. The piece looks beyond the end of this crisis, to what purpose a restaurant will have in our cities in the future.
Murder at Sutton Place
A young man who had come from a tough upbringing in Florida became the protege of a wealthy jeweller and lived a glitzy lifestyle in New York. This story examines how he ended up in jail after a brutal killing at his apartment in the small hours of the morning.