Lee Zurik
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As the city of New Orleans's most honored investigative reporter, Lee has been uncovering and reporting impactful stories on WVUE since 2009. Following up his tenacious inquiries with detailed analysis and powerful storytelling, Lee delivers unprecedented accountability of government officials, private citizens and corporations. Lee has been honored with journalism’s top honors including two George Foster Peabody Awards, three Alfred I. duPont Silver Batons, nine National Edward R. Murrow Awards, and the Investigative Reporters and Editors Medal. Lee is a New Orleans native and a graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications.
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Foreign entities have bought 13 million more U.S. farm acres in 10 years, but agriculture policy scholars say the total could be far more.
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into the New Orleans Police Department, sources say.
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The lack of access to dental care plagues many parts of rural America.
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While the Saints’ latest post-hurricane homecoming did not end with a win like they had envisioned, it was a homecoming game after Hurricane Katrina that likely sealed the Saints’ future in New Orleans for many years.
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Gayle Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, says there is no way the basketball franchise will be sold as long as she is alive.
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It’s a topic that seems to come up at least once a decade -- what is the future of the New Orleans Saints and will they stay in New Orleans?
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15 of over 800 nursing home residents evacuated to a makeshift shelter ahead of Ida have died, according to LDH.
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Lawsuits are mounting against Bob Dean, the owner of seven nursing homes and the warehouse he used to shelter hundreds of residents during Hurricane Ida
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Officials have revoked the licenses of seven nursing homes involved in an evacuation that crammed elderly and vulnerable residents into a warehouse.
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As lawmakers debate including female drivers in more crash test standards, the agency in charge is staying quiet.
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Updated daily, this COVID-19 hotspot map illustrates where the largest number of new cases (relative to population) have been reported in the last seven days.
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The New Orleans Office of Inspector General has recommended charges be filed against two additional city inspectors who likely did not physically inspect the Hard Rock Hotel construction site before its collapse.
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Bridging the Great Health Divide explores issues in rural America through the lens of residents, doctors and other health care providers.
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Gray Television stations will air a documentary about disparities in rural health care and the people working to bridge the great health divide.
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The purpose of the food stamp program is to help low-income families access healthy foods, but in rural America, that can be difficult.
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Bills in both the U.S. House and Senate look to update crash test dummies and testing procedures to make sure drivers are equally protected.
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Before last year food insecurity impacted about 10% of all U.S. residents. Experts estimate that number has at least doubled since the pandemic.
Antes del año pasado, la inseguridad alimentaria afectó a aproximadamente el 10,5% de los residentes de EE. UU. Una vez que la pandemia cerró en gran medida la economía, los expertos estiman que el porcentaje de personas que sufren de inseguridad alimentaria al menos se duplicó.
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The federal government gives out subsidies to help farms through tough times, but much of the information about these taxpayer-funded payments is kept secret.
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Experts say one of the most advertised safety standards largely doesn't account for more than half of all licensed drivers.
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In nearly every Appalachian and Delta community, residents die on average before their 78th birthday, which is the average life expectancy in the United States. Health care providers are working on innovative ways to combat the unique disparities in the regions.
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A New Orleans City Councilmember says a major company is using a loophole to avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes owed to the city and now she wants a state board to put a stop to it.
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A group of workers for a national airport services contractor say their employer forced them to work their full schedule but claim unemployment for a portion of their paycheck.
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One couple tested in late June at a Northshore test site are still waiting on their results 16 days after being tested.
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Initial reports had the death toll at the Lambeth House at 13 people, as of late March. FOX 8 reached out to the families of those who died and reviewed coroner’s documents to show that 23 residents of the Lambeth House died from COVID-19.
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Testing has been at the forefront of concerns of getting a handle on the coronavirus outbreak that has sickened thousands in Louisiana and killed more than 1,500 people. But one doctor’s drive-thru testing method and use of a controversial drug has one medical expert saying it is not good medicine.
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A federal district court judge has denied a group of attorneys’ efforts for an injunction to stop the St. Tammany Parish Jail’s crowded jail cells. The attorneys filed the request for a temporary injunction citing concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak in Louisiana.
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State leaders are very concerned with hospital capacity in the New Orleans area during the novel coronavirus outbreak that is being seen across the state.
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New Orleans is experiencing one of the highest numbers of cases of COVID-19 per capita, based on an analysis of data across the country by FOX 8 News.
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Zurik: City to demote Safety and Permits Director following discrepancies by department’s inspectors
The City of New Orleans will be demoting Zachary Smith, the head of the city’s Department of Safety and Permits, the city’s chief administrative officer confirms to FOX 8 News on Monday. The move comes after discrepancies were exposed in a series of FOX 8 Investigations.
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Holding cells are meant to hold inmates for their first few days in custody. But a FOX 8 Lee Zurik Investigation found one jail was keeping people in these holding cells for weeks, against state standards.
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FOX 8 has uncovered additional discrepancies between the New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits inspection logs and GPS data from vehicles in the department.
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New Orleans City Hall officials are investigating whether employees signed off on inspections at the construction site of the Hard Rock Hotel without visiting the project. The site collapsed in October killing three men and leaving a scar on the city's skyline.
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As taxes begin to be filed for another year, the Internal Revenue Service is still trying to collect a hefty sum from New Orleans’ top-elected official.
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A subpoena obtained by FOX 8 shows the focus of a federal corruption investigation into State Senator Wesley Bishop, D-New Orleans, and his payroll records during his primary job as Vice-Chancellor at Southern University at New Orleans.
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State records obtained by FOX 8 News show that while staffing has remained largely unchanged at the Office of Motor Vehicles, wait times have been steadily increasing at facilities across the state.
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A Louisiana woman is puzzled how a bill for basic blood tests can be hundreds of dollars more than a co-worker who had the same tests performed. Kim Christina, of Hammond, said her doctor sent her to North Oaks Hospital for a routine blood test and a month later she received an ‘exorbitant bill.’
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A bill in the U.S. Senate could help stop the surprise medical bills that cost Americans thousands each year.Senator Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, helped write the Stop Surprise Bills Act of 2019. A bill that has 27 co-sponsors, more than a quarter of the U.S. Senate.
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The Louisiana Department of Education has allowed at least seven 'for-profit' schools into the state's scholarship program despite a rule saying that state and federal money cannot go to 'for-profit' schools.
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Governor John Bel Edwards plans on pushing for more changes to the state’s program that allows children at poor-performing public schools to attend certain private schools on a voucher or scholarship.
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A state senator has cut a check for discrepancies raised in a FOX 8 Investigation into his pay during a recent legislative session.
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Public money has flowed into one New Orleans voucher school despite low student scores, allegations of cheating and nepotism concerns.
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Louisiana’s distinction as most expensive auto insurance in the nation is one that is putting a major strain on transportation businesses.
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Louisiana has a ranking many people are not proud of -- home of the highest auto insurance rates in the nation. But the factors behind the distinction -- depend on who you ask.
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The Louisiana State Judiciary Commission is looking into four New Orleans judges who were part of a FOX 8 investigation into overcharging couples for weddings.