Investigations

The COVID-19 pandemic created “crisis”-level worker shortages at many U.S. long-term care facilities and nursing homes, as workers were sidelined by illness, quarantine or childcare challenges. But a review by the News4 I-Team found it also exposed long-term staffing shortages that many experts say are likely to remain even after the pandemic subsi...

A cybersecurity threat expert tells News4 the hack of D.C.’s police department ranks among the most serious ransomware attacks he’s seen. Thursday the hackers made good on their threat, releasing all of the remaining files they stole from the Metropolitan Police Department onto the dark web. Investigative Reporter Jodie Fleischer report...

The number of problem gamblers caught violating their voluntary bans from Maryland casinos doubled in March, according to a review by the News4 I-Team.

Though first responders risk their lives by fighting fires and crime every day, an investigation by the News4 I-Team found thousands of public safety personnel in the D.C. region may be risking their safety in another way: by declining to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

A surge in new gun purchases has triggered a shortage of ammunition, raising concern among local police departments.

The News4 I-Team found in March alone, there were 400 more calls to 311 about illegal dumping in the District than the same time last year.

Washington, D.C.-area public schools are suffering a “critical shortage” of special education teachers as students return from the long year of virtual learning, according to a review by the News4 I-Team.     A lack of available special ed instructors has dogged school systems across the country for yearsbut now risks being exac...

The News4 I-Team requested call data from five 911 centers in the D.C. region and found nearly 100,000 calls each year, sometimes hundreds of calls a day, have to be transferred to reach the correct jurisdiction before help can be sent.

A new report from Digital Citizens Alliance and The Coalition for a Safer Web says social platforms need to do a better job cracking down on domestic extremists who continue to use digital platforms to recruit new members, spread misinformation and glorify their violent acts. The 56-page report, released Monday, calls on Congress to enact new penal...

Online watchdogs call on social media tech companies to increase policing sites to prevent extremists posts. News4’s Jodie Fleischer reports.

The prosecutions of defendants from the U.S. Capitol insurrection are flooding the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, threatening to slow the processing of cases and stretching the resources and public defenders in the court system.

As students return to school buildings after a year of unprecedented stress, public schools across our region are operating with fewer counselors and psychologists than recommended by national experts, according to an investigation by the News4 I-Team.

Some D.C. Council members are calling for action to address a stop sign camera that has some drivers avoiding a local intersection.