Susan Merriam

We are so excited to share the semifinalists for this year's Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting! This group represents the top 30 entries that our judges deemed to be of extremely high quality and in keeping with the Prize's criteria for impact on US government: https://loom.ly/b1vGj3s

Yale researchers find high levels of ‘forever chemicals’ in SC farmland Yale researchers find contamination on SC farmland, the latest in the unfolding saga of forever chemical pollution in the Palmetto State

Yale research finds toxins on SC farm, the latest in the unfolding story of forever chemicals in the state

www.thestate.com/news/local/e...

SC community used sludge fertilizer, then residents got sick. Are they connected? Many farmers in Darlington, SC began using a textile factory’s waste sludge as fertilizer in the 1990s. But in 2019, the government realized residents’ wells were contaminated.

@sfretwell83.bsky.social
www.thestate.com/news/local/e...

Thank you @frontlinepbs.bsky.social @postandcourier.bsky.social @apnews.com for referencing our reporting for @thestate.com from 2023. Glad to see continued reporting on PFAS in South Carolina!

Florida senator pushes rail safety bill amid deaths documented in Herald/WLRN series State senator says the reporting on Brightline deaths underscores the need for sensors that would warn train crews when tracks aren’t clear.

State senator says the reporting on Brightline deaths underscores the need for sensors that would warn train crews when tracks aren’t clear.

The future of Brightline: Listen to episode 6 of WLRN/Herald podcast Episode 6 of WLRN/Miami Herald’s Killer Train podcast explores Brightline’s future, safety plans and taxpayer costs to secure Florida railroad crossings.

Over / under: The latest episode in our podcast series Killer Train by @wlrnnews.bsky.social and @miamiherald.com

www.miamiherald.com/news/local/a...

As young as 17, as old as 84: These are the 196 people killed by Brightline trains A full accounting, for the first time, of who died in Brightline accidents in Florida.

Documenting the dead
Since 2017, Brightline trains have struck and killed 196 people. These are their names.

✍️: @brittanywallman.bsky.social

Read here:
www.miamiherald.com/news/local/a...

Brightline Municipal Bonds Downgraded Five Notches by S&P Brightline Trains Florida LLC — the struggling private rail line connecting Orlando to Miami — was downgraded five notches by S&P Global Ratings, citing a “material deviation” from growth expectat...

"The ratings company noted that it’s been harder than expected to get potential customers to ditch their cars and take the train. S&P is forecasting slower growth in ticket revenue of 15% in 2026, compared to a previous forecast of 38% growth."

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Brightline’s South Florida revenue coming up short as its long distance fares continue growing so far this year Brightline is carrying more passengers throughout its service territory, but ticket revenue from its South Florida-only service remains lower than it was a year ago. The company also updated lenders t...

Brightline’s South Florida revenue coming up short as its long distance fares continue growing so far this year www.wlrn.org/business/202...

‘They need to do a lot more’: New Florida rules won’t fix Brightline’s deadly tracks Rules going into effect Jan. 1 about how to design safe rail crossings only apply to future projects.

Rules going into effect Jan. 1 about how to design safe rail crossings only apply to future projects.

Rebutting a Trump report, study shows U.S. sea-level rise is accelerating “It’s not politics. That’s what the data say,” said the study’s author, who examined 70 tide gauges around the country.

"The rate of sea-level rise along U.S. coastlines has more than doubled over the past 125 years, according to a new analysis that examined data from scores of tide gauges from around the country."

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

The Miami Herald’s guide to breaking down the Epstein files Julie K. Brown explains what — and who — to look out for in the files, scheduled to be released Friday by the Department of Justice.

Julie K. Brown explains what — and who — to look out for in the files, scheduled to be released Friday by the Department of Justice.

Brightline conductor sues for $60 million, says job on deadly rails caused PTSD A former Brightline conductor is suing the company after he says repeated exposure to traumatic incidents led to PTSD diagnosis.

Darren Brown, a former conductor, filed suit in federal court on Tuesday against Brightline Trains Florida LLC and Fortress Investment Group LLC. He was interviewed earlier this year for another story in our Killer Train series.

www.miamiherald.com/news/local/a...

Flood insurance costs are rising. Florida keeps paying, other states drop it Policy drops, lawsuits and shutdowns spotlight NFIP vulnerabilities; experts call for subsidies, longer authorizations and reforms to protect Florida homeowners and markets.

Policy drops, lawsuits and shutdowns spotlight NFIP vulnerabilities; experts call for subsidies, longer authorizations and reforms to protect Florida homeowners and markets.

Earlier this month, the Herald reported on the development of high rises in Sunny Isles.

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How this Florida barrier island community pushed back against overdevelopment Residents of southern Brevard lobbied lawmakers to limit development, protect sea turtles and secure an Area of Critical State Concern for their island.

In Brevard, local community groups have also fought increasing development. A little group called BIPPA, the Barrier Islands Preservation and Protection Association, secured one of the strongest protections placed on a Florida barrier island in four decades.

www.miamiherald.com/news/local/e...

Miami-Dade and Brevard counties have similar barrier island populations though the counties look very different. An estimated 58 percent of housing units on Miami-Dade's are in structures with 50 or more units whereas in Brevard, it's only 7 percent.

Chart with populations for top 15 barrier island populations for each county in Florida

A third of all housing on barrier islands is now in buildings with more than 50 units. For comparison, only about 9 percent of all housing in the entire state is in buildings with more than 50 units.

Map of barrier islands of Florida

A Miami Herald analysis found that these inherently unstable strips of sand are now home to nearly 765,000 residents, the most in the nation. Between 2010 and 2023, Florida’s barrier island population grew an estimated 6 percent, even as climate risks worsened.

Their beauty eventually became visible — and increasingly irresistible — to humans. And developers keep building on them and people keep moving to them in a building boom on land meant to wash away.

Illustration of barrier islands and barrier spits

In their natural state, barrier islands are ephemeral. Slowly but continuously, waves reshape their form. Over thousands of years, the sea has pushed them landward, a grain by grain migration from miles offshore to the edge of the coast.

Barrier islands are narrow strips of sand that, by definition, take the full brunt of hurricanes and storm surge, stand as sacrificial buffers for the mainland and rank among the state’s most precarious places to live.

Florida keeps packing people and buildings on barrier islands. It comes at a high cost Florida barrier islands host 765,000+ residents as development raises hurricane, erosion and insurance risks while taxpayers fund repeated beach restorations.

Latest in the Built on Sand series for @miamiherald.com
Reporting by @denisehruby.bsky.social and myself

Read more at: www.miamiherald.com/news/local/e...

An illustration showing a hypothetical State Department letterhead in two different fonts.

So about that font news ... gift article:

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

What happens to a child born of rape? Grandma raises the baby her daughter rejects “You can’t accept him,” she told her daughter. “But I do.”

“You can’t accept him,” she told her daughter. “But I do.”

DeSantis admin diverted child welfare and medical funds for consultants, ads A Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times investigation found the DeSantis’ administration’s use of public money to fund a campaign against marijuana and abortion access was more sprawling than previously known.

A Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times investigation found the DeSantis’ administration’s use of public money to fund a campaign against marijuana and abortion access was more sprawling than previously known.

Rape, pregnancy and a stroke: The scars that sexual violence leaves on Haiti’s victims “They don’t want their children to play with my child because he is a child of a rape. When people say that, it makes me cry.”

“They don’t want their children to play with my child because he is a child of a rape. When people say that, it makes me cry.”

‘Unimaginable’: The toll on Haiti’s women and girls raped by violent gangs Haiti’s extreme and alarming violence is disproportionately affecting women and girls, who are part of a generation lost.

The very brave and talented Jacqueline Charles and Jose Iglesias began documenting Haiti’s worsening rape crisis in 2024 for @miamiherald.com. The first in the series is out this morning. Warning: This story includes disturbing descriptions of rape and violence.

www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...

Amid construction boom, experts urge for monitoring of sinking South Florida towers Experts urge mandatory sensors and independent monitoring after studies show Sunny Isles Beach condos are sinking beyond predictions due to nearby construction.

Experts urge mandatory sensors and independent monitoring after studies show Sunny Isles Beach condos are sinking beyond predictions due to nearby construction.

Zillow Deleting Home Climate Risk Scores Reveals Limits of Flood, Fire Data Property owners and buyers need more information on climate dangers. But pinpointing them is hard, even for experts.

🆕➡️ Zillow last month removed property-level climate-risk scores from its listings. After a year of the US disappearing its data, this caused still more outrage from exhausted observers. However: This particular story is more complicated...
🎁🔗 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...