Past Articles by Howard Berkes
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Idaho Terrorism Suspect Waives Detention Hearing The waiver means the details of Fazliddin Kurbanov's alleged crimes remain mostly a mystery. |
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Idaho Terrorism Suspect Waives Detention Hearing The waiver means the details of Fazliddin Kurbanov's alleged crimes remain mostly a mystery. |
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Big Changes At U.S. Speedskating Body, But Scandals Linger Rebellious athletes, drained budgets, dysfunctional management and a string of embarrassing scandals. Persistent turmoil at U.S. Speedskating threatened American success at the looming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. So USS has undergone a major reorganization. |
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Big Changes At U.S. Speedskating Body, But Scandals Linger Rebellious athletes, drained budgets, dysfunctional management and a string of embarrassing scandals. Persistent turmoil at U.S. Speedskating threatened American success at the looming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. So USS has undergone a major reorganization. |
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Doctors Confirm Black Lung In Victims Of Mine Blast A study of mine blast victims finds further evidence that there's a resurgence of black lung among coal miners. The relatively young ages of some of the miners and their limited tenure underground suggests significant exposure to coal dust. |
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Doctors Confirm Black Lung In Victims Of Mine Blast A study of mine blast victims finds further evidence that there's a resurgence of black lung among coal miners. The relatively young ages of some of the miners and their limited tenure underground suggests significant exposure to coal dust. |
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Drought Eases In The East, But Still Worrisome Out West Forecasters are predicting better rainfall for the East and Midwest, but in parts of the West, drought conditions will persist. |
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Drought Eases In The East, But Still Worrisome Out West Forecasters are predicting better rainfall for the East and Midwest, but in parts of the West, drought conditions will persist. |
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Teen Charged With Homicide After Death Of Soccer Referee The 17-year-old soccer goalie who allegedly punched and killed a referee during a game in Utah last month faces a charge of "homicide by assault" and may be tried as an adult. |
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Teen Charged With Homicide After Death Of Soccer Referee The 17-year-old soccer goalie who allegedly punched and killed a referee during a game in Utah last month faces a charge of "homicide by assault" and may be tried as an adult. |
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On-The-Job Deaths Continue At Steady, Grim Pace While the most recent data show a slight dip in the rate of fatal injuries, the actual number of people who lost their lives while at work edged up. Groups that push to make work safer say not enough is being done to prevent such deaths. |
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On-The-Job Deaths Continue At Steady, Grim Pace While the most recent data show a slight dip in the rate of fatal injuries, the actual number of people who lost their lives while at work edged up. Groups that push to make work safer say not enough is being done to prevent such deaths. |
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On-The-Job Deaths Continue At Steady, Grim Pace While the most recent data show a slight dip in the rate of fatal injuries, the actual number of people who lost their lives while at work edged up. Groups that push to make work safer say not enough is being done to prevent such deaths. |
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The Cruelest Month: Boston Blasts Join List Of Dark Incidents The Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine school shootings and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster are among the infamous and sometimes horrific moments that have occurred during the month of April. |
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The Cruelest Month: Boston Blasts Join List Of Dark Incidents The Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine school shootings and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster are among the infamous and sometimes horrific moments that have occurred during the month of April. |
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Rare On-The-Job Death For Avalanche Forecaster In Utah An American Avalanche Association database counts only two other American forecasters killed while at work on snow. |
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Rare On-The-Job Death For Avalanche Forecaster In Utah An American Avalanche Association database counts only two other American forecasters killed while at work on snow. |
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Mine Safety Reform Stalled Three Years After Deadly Blast One critic said it was a travesty that Congress had not acted three years after the worst mine disaster in this country in 40 years. |
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Mine Safety Reform Stalled Three Years After Deadly Blast One critic said it was a travesty that Congress had not acted three years after the worst mine disaster in this country in 40 years. |
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A Woman's Prayer Makes Mormon History Jean Stevens became the first woman to recite a prayer at a general session of the faith's semiannual conferences, which Mormons consider the most important religious gatherings of the year. |
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A Woman's Prayer Makes Mormon History Jean Stevens became the first woman to recite a prayer at a general session of the faith's semiannual conferences, which Mormons consider the most important religious gatherings of the year. |
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New Federal Scrutiny In Wake Of NPR Grain Bin Reports Officials say the Department of Justice is reconsidering criminal charges in an incident that killed two teenagers. |
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New Federal Scrutiny In Wake Of NPR Grain Bin Reports Officials say the Department of Justice is reconsidering criminal charges in an incident that killed two teenagers. |
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Simple Strategies Can Prevent Grain Bin Tragedies A series on worker deaths in grain bins continues with a trip inside a grain bin — stepping into thousands of bushels of corn — to demonstrate the power of corn and the safe grain bin entry methods that are required by law. |
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Enforcement Of Penalties Weak In Grain Bin Deaths Nearly 500 farmers and workers have suffocated in grain storage bins in the past 40 years. The worst year on record was 2010, with 26 people dying. Hefty fines and criminal charges are possible for negligent employers. But NPR and The Center for Public Integrity found that enforcement is weak, even as workers continue to die. |
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U.S. Speedskating Investigating Sexual Abuse Allegations Andy Gabel, a former Olympian and previous president of U.S. Speedskating, has admitted he had an "inappropriate relationship with a female teammate" when she was 15 and he was 33. |
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U.S. Speedskating Investigating Sexual Abuse Allegations Andy Gabel, a former Olympian and previous president of U.S. Speedskating, has admitted he had an "inappropriate relationship with a female teammate" when she was 15 and he was 33. |
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Former Massey CEO Accused Of Conspiracy In Court Hearing Don Blankenship was implicated by another Massey executive who was pleading guilty to two conspiracy counts for his role in providing advance warnings to miners underground when federal inspectors arrived on the surface for surprise safety inspections. |
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Center for Public Integrity: EPA Unaware Of Industry Ties On Cancer Review Panel Scientists who the agency deferred to when it delayed action related to the cancer risks of one chemical had previously worked on behalf of a company that used the chemical. But the EPA didn't know of the possible conflict of interest. |
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Center for Public Integrity: EPA Unaware Of Industry Ties On Cancer Review Panel Scientists who the agency deferred to when it delayed action related to the cancer risks of one chemical had previously worked on behalf of a company that used the chemical. But the EPA didn't know of the possible conflict of interest. |
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International Skating Union Wants Harder Look At Tampering Scandal An ISU official is calling for a hearing before the institutions disciplinary commission, which may look at further violations of the ISU's Code of Ethics. |
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International Skating Union Wants Harder Look At Tampering Scandal An ISU official is calling for a hearing before the institutions disciplinary commission, which may look at further violations of the ISU's Code of Ethics. |
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Once-Secret 'Watch List' Of Alleged Polluters Under Review At EPA The Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general is looking at the records kept about allegedly chronic polluters and whether regulators have been doing enough to enforce environmental laws. |
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Once-Secret 'Watch List' Of Alleged Polluters Under Review At EPA The Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general is looking at the records kept about allegedly chronic polluters and whether regulators have been doing enough to enforce environmental laws. |
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Report: W.Va. Fails To Enforce New Regs Designed To Prevent Mine Explosions The Charleston Gazette reports that mine regulators found hundreds of violations but haven't issued any citations. |
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Report: W.Va. Fails To Enforce New Regs Designed To Prevent Mine Explosions The Charleston Gazette reports that mine regulators found hundreds of violations but haven't issued any citations. |
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Massey Mine Boss Sentenced; Feds Toughen Mine Safety Rule Nearly three years after a deadly mine explosion in West Virginia, a former Massey Energy mine superintendent has been sentenced to prison and federal regulators have toughened a regulation that could have helped prevent the disaster. |
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Massey Mine Boss Sentenced; Feds Toughen Mine Safety Rule Nearly three years after a deadly mine explosion in West Virginia, a former Massey Energy mine superintendent has been sentenced to prison and federal regulators have toughened a regulation that could have helped prevent the disaster. |
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Shell Faces New Questions After Rig Runs Aground After a massive oil rig ran aground near Kodiak, Alaska, Shell Oil again faces questions about its ambitious and expensive plans to drill for oil offshore in the Arctic. The rig doesn't hold any crude oil but carries more than 150,000 gallons of diesel and lube and hydraulic fluids. Drilling opponents claim the incident shows that fierce weather and daunting logistics make the Arctic unsafe for oil production. |
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Salt Lake City Says It's 'Ready, Willing And Able' To Host Another Olympics The city and the state of Utah want the 2026 Winter Games. Ten years ago, a successful Olympics there helped launch Mitt Romney's political career. |
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Mine Disaster Probe Leads To Conspiracy Charges Against Former Executive David C. Hughart, former president of a Massey Energy subsidiary, is pleading guilty. The charges relate to a corporate culture that investigators say contributed to the nation's worst mine disaster in 40 years. Twenty nine miners died at one of Massey's West Virginia mines in a 2010 explosion. |
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Mine Disaster Probe Leads To Conspiracy Charges Against Former Executive David C. Hughart, former president of a Massey Energy subsidiary, is pleading guilty. The charges relate to a corporate culture that investigators say contributed to the nation's worst mine disaster in 40 years. Twenty nine miners died at one of Massey's West Virginia mines in a 2010 explosion. |
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After Romney's Loss, Mormons Lament What Might Have Been Mitt Romney's White House run raised the profile of his Mormon faith, and made many fellow Mormons hope that misunderstandings of their faith could be dispelled. And, of course, there was pride in seeing one of their own come so close to the White House. Those hopes were dashed with his loss Tuesday. |
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Coal Mine Inspection Sweep Targets Cause Of Black Lung One of the 13 coal mines singled out by inspectors was once owned by Massey Energy, the company that owned the Upper Big Branch mine, the scene of a deadly 2010 explosion. Two others are owned by Murray Energy, whose Crandall Canyon coal mine experienced two collapses in 2007, killing nine miners and rescuers. |
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Put Off By 'Too Many Mitts,' 'Salt Lake Tribune' Endorses Obama Utah could give Mitt Romney his largest margin on Election Day, but the state's biggest newspaper is rooting for his rival. The Tribune's editorial board says the Romney it praised for turning around the 2002 Olympics is not the same Romney running for president in 2012. |
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Poll: Romney Has Large Lead In Rural Swing Counties As Mitt Romney and President Obama get ready for their second debate, a new bipartisan survey shows a surge for Romney in a key voter group following their first debate Oct. 3. The poll of 600 likely rural voters in nine battleground states shows Romney's support stands at 59 percent, while Obama's is down to 37 percent. |
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Embattled U.S. Speedskating Coach Responds To Resignation And Suspension Jae Su Chun says he did not verbally or physically abuse his skaters. He also denies telling one athlete to damage a competitor's skates. But he does apologize for not reporting the incident. |
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New Regulations Aimed At Black Lung Disease Appear To Be Stalled United Mine Workers officials suspect the Obama administration doesn't want to move forward on the new rules during the presidential campaign. The federal mine safety chief says the process takes time. |
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Embattled Speedskating Coaches Resign They have been accused of physically abusing skaters and failing to report that one athlete sabotaged a Canadian competitor's skates. |
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Speedskating Abuse Report Inaccurate And Incomplete? The report included an email praising the embattled U.S. coach, but attributed the email to the wrong speedskater. The investigator apologized for the faulty attribution, but said it did not affect the report's conclusions. |
