Investigative Reporting
Varvara Budetti
Digital Data Journalist
United States
Journalist with a big J. Compulsive filer of FOIA requests. Fan of listing things in groups of three.
United States
Journalist with a big J. Compulsive filer of FOIA requests. Fan of listing things in groups of three.
Investigative Reporting
ROARING BROOK TOWNSHIP, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU-TV) - Following a lawsuit filed by Montage Mountain Resorts against Pennsylvania American Water Company, Eyewitness News has uncovered potentially environmentally hazardous plastic pellets in a brook within state forest lands. Montage Mountain Resorts claims plastic pellets damaged its snowmaking equipment, which draws water from the PA-5 Reservoir.
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU-TV) - Students attending schools in the Scranton School District may have been exposed to unsafe levels of lead and asbestos for several years. According to Attorney General Josh Shapiro administrators knew about the problem, environmental testing results show.
HARRISBURG, DAUPHIN COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU-TV) - The Lehighton Area School District had operated with a cumulative deficit for half a decade which reduced its general fund balance by more than $13 million, an audit by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has found.
News
MONTROSE, SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU-TV) - Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is formally charging Cabot Oil and Gas, a fracking company, for environmental crimes, his office announced on Monday. The charges stem from a two-year grand jury investigation into alleged environmental damage caused by the Texas-based company's operations in Susquehanna County.
A proposal within the 2020-21 Pennsylvania state budget would have all municipalities paying for state police funding, even if they have a local police force. The amount is calculated based on factors including municipality's median income, cost of police coverage, and population.
A man is suing T-Mobile for allegedly failing to enable security measures, allowing hackers to block his access to his account and steal thousands of dollars worth of cryptocurrency. According to court documents, Carlos Tapang had been a T-Mobile customer on the same plan as his wife and two children when their phones restarted and their data was wiped without any notice.
Science
Phishing is one of the most common ways for scammers to steal information. Through social engineering or deception, fraudsters attempt to trick people into handing over personal or confidential information to then use it for malicious purposes. With some basic information like your full name and address, a scammer
Muon Radiography of the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania