Howard Berkes

Big Changes At U.S. Speedskating Body, But Scandals Linger

Howard Berkes — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:40:00 +0000

Rebellious athletes, drained budgets, dysfunctional management and a string of embarrassing scandals forced a major reorganization of U.S. Speedskating over the weekend.

The group governs a sport that has produced 85 Winter Olympic medals for the United States — more than any other sport.

Doctors Confirm Black Lung In Victims Of Mine Blast

Howard Berkes — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:47:00 +0000

The tragic deaths of 29 coal miners in a massive explosion in 2010 have provided new evidence of a resurgence of the disease known as black lung.

On Monday, a team of pathologists and lung disease experts will present the results of a detailed study of lung tissue from some of the victims of the Upper Big Bran

Teen Charged With Homicide After Death Of Soccer Referee

Howard Berkes — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:56:00 +0000

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.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill sought the charge in a petition filed with a juvenile court Wednesday. Gill is also seeking to have the unidentified suspect certified as an adult.

The case is now in the hands of a juvenile court, as the suspected assailant is under 18.

On-The-Job Deaths Continue At Steady, Grim Pace

Howard Berkes — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:37:00 +0000

Dying on the job continues at a steady pace according to the latest statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The fatal injury rate for American workers dropped slightly in 2011 — the most recent year with reported numbers — from 3.6 to 3.5 deaths per 100,000 workers.

But 4,693 men, women and teenagers died at work. That's three more than the total number of lives lost on the job in 2010.

BLS says it's the third-lowest death toll since counting began in 1992.

The Cruelest Month: Boston Blasts Join List Of Dark Incidents

Howard Berkes — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:06:00 +0000

Howard Berkes is an NPR correspondent based in Salt Lake City.

It may have been the dumbest thing I ever said. On April 19, 1999, I stood before an audience at Idaho State University in Pocatello, talking about the cruelest month. April, I pointed out, and April 19 in particular, have provided celebrated, infamous and sometimes horrific moments in our history.

What was it about the month, I wondered, or the time of year, that made April so meaningful and at times so cruel?

Rare On-The-Job Death For Avalanche Forecaster In Utah

Howard Berkes — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:08:00 +0000

Dale Atkins has been tracking hundreds of avalanche deaths for years but the fatality report that arrived from Utah Friday morning was especially shocking.

"It's way too close to home," says Atkins, the Colorado-based president of the American Avalanche Association.

A Woman's Prayer Makes Mormon History

Howard Berkes — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 21:53:00 +0000

There was no formal acknowledgment of the historic moment Saturday when Jean Stevens stood at a dark wooden podium framed by potted plants and colorful flowers in the cavernous Mormon conference center in Salt Lake City.

"Our beloved father in heaven," she began, as 20,000 faithful and silent Mormons in the building listened, and as millions of others (according to Church officials) watched on television screens around the world.

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

New Federal Scrutiny In Wake Of NPR Grain Bin Reports

Howard Berkes — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 19:24:00 +0000

Congress, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Justice Department are beginning to respond to the NPR-Center for Public Integrity Series on hundreds of persistent and preventable deaths in grain storage bins and weak enforcement by federal agencies.

Two federal officials familiar with the case say that the Justice Department is again considering criminal charges in the incident in Mt.

Why Grain Storage Bin Rescues Are Risky And Complex

Howard Berkes — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 09:51:00 +0000

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

In the last three weeks, emergency responders in three states were called to grain storage bins to rescue trapped workers. Two victims were partially buried in grain but survived, two others were overcome by toxic gases and died. We've been reporting this week about hundreds of deaths in grain bins.

Enforcement Of Penalties Weak In Grain Bin Deaths

Howard Berkes — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 08:40:00 +0000

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.

Fines Slashed In Grain Bin Entrapment Deaths

Howard Berkes — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 04:03:00 +0000

The night before he died, Wyatt Whitebread couldn't stand the thought of going back to the grain bins on the edge of Mount Carroll, Ill.

The mischievous and popular 14-year-old had been excited about his first real job, he told Lisa Jones, the mother of some of his closest friends, as she drove him home from a night out for pizza. But nearly two weeks later he told her he was tired of being sent into massive storage bins clogged with corn.

Jones choked back tears as she recalled the conversation.

Should Grain Bins On Farms Be Regulated, Too?

Howard Berkes and Jim Morris — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 04:03:00 +0000

The commercial grain industry responded to a record number of grain entrapments and deaths in 2010 with more safety videos, publications and training programs.

"Have tragic incidents still happened? Yes," says Jeff Adkisson, who heads the Grain and Feed Association of Illinois. "Are we working to reduce them further? Absolutely."

Randy Gordon, president of the National Grain and Feed Association, sees no need for additional regulations.

U.S. Speedskating Investigating Sexual Abuse Allegations

Howard Berkes — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:10:00 +0000

Yet another scandal has hit U.S. Speedskating (USS), which governs the sport with the biggest haul of winter Olympic medals for Team USA.

The USS board announced Monday night that it is investigating allegations of sexual abuse involving short track silver medalist Andy Gabel, now 48, who also once served as president of USS.

"U.S.

Former Massey CEO Accused Of Conspiracy In Court Hearing

Howard Berkes — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 21:10:00 +0000

A relatively routine plea hearing in Beckley, W.Va, Thursday, took an unexpected and dramatic turn when a former Massey Energy executive implicated former CEO Don Blankenship in a criminal conspiracy.

It's the first time Blankenship has been publicly named as an alleged conspirator in the ongoing federal criminal investigation of the 2010 explosion at Massey's Upper Big Branch coal mine.

The accusation is also t

Center for Public Integrity: EPA Unaware Of Industry Ties On Cancer Review Panel

Howard Berkes — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:41:00 +0000

Our investigative reporting colleagues at the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) continue their look at the Environmental Protection Agency's regulation of toxic pollution with a new report scrutinizing the agency's delay in announcing that "even a small amount of a chemical compound commonly found in tap water may cause cancer."

CPI reporters David Heath and Ronnie Greene found that in 2011, the EPA "was