ProPublica

Cairo, once a food desert, welcomed its new market last year with balloons and cheers. But the store is struggling — exposing problems with the programs set up to help.

While each state has different regulations for homeschooling, Illinois is among a small minority that places virtually no rules on parents who homeschool their children.

With a high violent crime rate and claims of inequitable policing in St. Louis, local leaders are questioning the $100,000 per year Chief Robert Tracy receives from local business owners. “Can the criminals get together and pay the chief?” asked one alderwoman.

The chief judge over the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center in rural southern Illinois abruptly moved to close it as of Dec. 31, citing staffing shortages that made it difficult to meet new state standards governing the treatment of youth in custody.

In St. Louis, murder investigations often rely on a single detective, making them vulnerable if the detective is unable or unwilling to come to court. But a former homicide investigator said he has no obligation to cooperate, claiming that “retirement is meant to be retirement.”

State audits point to troubling conditions in juvenile detention centers, but no agency has strong enough oversight to bring about change.

No one was charged when staff were caught on a 911 tape threatening violence against a Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center resident who has developmental disabilities. New reporting shows a culture of cover-ups at the facility.

The Illinois State Board of Education is encouraging anyone with information about abusive time-out rooms or restraints in any school setting to share...

The Illinois State Board of Education announced on Wednesday that it will take emergency action to end isolated seclusion of children in schools, saying…