Selected Clips
The Leader of New York’s “City of the Dead” Cashes In. Again. — ProPublica
The pandemic has boosted revenues at cemeteries. But for the Locke family, which has run Pinelawn Memorial Park — one of the largest in the U.S. — for more than a century, raking in large sums from a nonprofit cemetery is a longstanding practice.
The Celebrity-Backed Green “Fintech” Company That Isn’t as Green as It Seems— ProPublica
Aspiration is among a group of companies that provide banking and financial services, and promise to help the environment. But so far its marketing is greener than its reality.
A Banking App Has Been Suddenly Closing Accounts, Sometimes Not Returning Customers’ Money— ProPublica
Chime, a “neobank” serving millions, is racking up complaints from users who can’t access their cash. The company says it’s cracking down on an “extraordinary surge” in fraudulent deposits. That’s little consolation to customers caught in the fray.
New York City’s Volunteer Ambulance Crews Struggling When They’re Needed Most—THE CITY
On July 12, a 1-year-old boy was fatally shot at a family cookout in Brooklyn. Just three blocks away, an empty ambulance sat outside of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps headquarters.
But the EMTs couldn’t answer the call.
Somewhere to Sleep—The Brooklyn Ink
For many Chinese immigrants in Sunset Park, beds are hard to come by—but for $3 an hour, a worn black leather chair, a computer monitor, and a pair of noise canceling headphones become home for the night.
Many Deaths at New York State Prisons Are Preventable, Review Finds—THE CITY
William Cullen died from a heart attack after a nurse sought an off-site doctor’s take on what to do after he collapsed and seized on the floor on April 3, 2016. The nurse took an hour to call an ambulance, the review found.
Our analysis of over 400-pages of prison medical reviews revealed 35 of prison deaths from 2017-2020 could have been prevented — or delayed — had the prisoners been given better medical care, the medical reviews indicated.
Cleaning Up After Death— VICE
Scott Vogel works in an industry that not many people know exists, until they need it. The bio-recovery industry—often referred to as crime scene cleanup, biohazard remediation, or trauma scene restoration—specializes in the cleaning of blood, bodily fluids, and other potentially dangerous materials.
To learn more, I shadowed Vogel as he cleaned up after an “unattended death.”
DoorDash and Postmates Have Built a Potent Rivalry— FORTUNE
Can you build a billion-dollar business on the backs of cyclists weaving through traffic with tacos in tow? According to Silicon Valley, absolutely. The rise of a new breed of delivery company, fueled by algorithms and venture capital, is making it easier than ever to get a hot meal (or anything else) brought to your door.