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Jeff Brady

Jeff Brady is a National Desk Correspondent based in Philadelphia, where he covers energy issues, climate change and the mid-Atlantic region. Brady helped establish NPR's environment and energy collaborative which brings together NPR and Member station reporters from across the country to cover the big stories involving the natural world.

Brady approaches energy stories from the consumer side of the light switch and the gas pump in an effort to demystify an industry that can seem complicated and opaque. Frequently traveling throughout the country for NPR, Brady has reported on the Texas oil business hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, the closing of a light bulb factory in Pennsylvania and a new generation of climate activists holding protests from Oregon to New York. In 2017 his reporting showed a history of racism and sexism that have made it difficult for the oil business to diversify its workforce.

In 2011 Brady led NPR's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State—from the night legendary football coach Joe Paterno was fired to the trial where Sandusky was found guilty.

In 2005, Brady was among the NPR reporters who covered the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. His reporting on flooded cars left behind after the storm exposed efforts to stall the implementation of a national car titling system. Today, the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System is operational and the Department of Justice estimates it could save car buyers up to $11 billion a year.

Before coming to NPR in September 2003, Brady was a reporter at Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) in Portland. He has also worked in commercial television as an anchor and a reporter, and in commercial radio as a talk-show host and reporter.

Brady graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Southern Oregon State College (now Southern Oregon University). In 2018 SOU honored Brady with its annual "Distinguished Alumni" award.

  • Americans spend $2 billion per year on organic milk. For milk to be labeled organic, the USDA says that cows must be raised on pesticide-free feed, without hormones. As organic mega-dairies sprout up, small-dairy farmers say some so-called "organic" cows don't get enough meadow time.
  • The Bush administration wants Congress to authorize billions to bolster New Orleans levees. But most of Plaquemines Parish is not included in the request. Communities such as Port Sulphur fear they'll be left out.
  • FEMA releases new federal advisories and recommendations about which areas of New Orleans are vulnerable to flooding in the future. The advisories will require that many houses be raised several feet to qualify for insurance. Residents plan to use the guide to decide whether to rebuild or relocate.
  • Several thousand people turn out in New Orleans for a march and rally led by Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton and others. They want a delay in local elections. Many New Orleans residents remain in far-off cities, displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
  • Wildfires have burned 1,000 square miles of the Texas panhandle since Sunday. The fires are blamed for 11 deaths. Firefighters are relying heavily on air power; a fleet of 26 tanker aircraft is dropping fire retardant on the blaze.
  • Courts around the country are busy with people rushing to beat a tougher bankruptcy law that goes into effect Monday. Lines are stretching outside courthouses, and since many bankruptcy attorneys stopped taking new clients, many people are representing themselves in proceedings.
  • Crews are busy across the West battling wildfires. In rural Southern Colorado, the Mason Fire forced 5,000 people to flee their homes. Lightning sparked that blaze nearly a week ago. Wind and hot temperatures helped it grow quickly to more than 11,000 acres.
  • A military panel says it did not find evidence of religious discrimination at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. The task force said cadets and staff do have more to learn about being sensitive to other people's beliefs. The report comes after allegations that Evangelical Christian cadets were given special treatment and encouraged to convert their colleagues. Critics are giving the task force report and recommendations mixed reviews.
  • The battle over water continues in the Klamath River Basin on the Oregon-California border. Another year of drought has been declared, which may spell trouble in a region where there isn't enough water to meet demand.
  • Rape charges against Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant are dismissed at the request of prosecutors. Bryant's accuser says she no longer wants to go through with the trial. A civil case remains unresolved. NPR's Jeff Brady reports.