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Jeff Brady

Jeff Brady is a National Desk Correspondent based in Philadelphia, where he covers the mid-Atlantic region and energy issues. 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 visited a solar power plant in the Nevada desert that lights casinos after the sun goes down. 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.

  • An oil boom in the American heartland has created an oil glut in the middle of the country. Now, a pipeline that has been pumping crude oil from Texas to the Midwest will reverse its flow, reducing the bottleneck — and potentially creating winners and losers at the pump.
  • Philadelphia's school district plans to close a quarter of its school buildings in coming years to eliminate a huge budget hole. But parents and activists don't trust the decision-makers. Many of them suspect the plan is a ruse to force charter schools and privatization on the district.
  • Two years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, one issue has received little attention: the oil industry faces a shortage of experienced workers. Some analysts are concerned more inexperienced workers could compromise safety, but the industry says training is more rigorous than ever.
  • The wireless phone industry has a plan to take the profit out of the market for stolen smartphones. At the urging of police chiefs across the country and federal regulators, the industry is developing a database of stolen devices.
  • A Colorado animal protection group has created a website and smartphone application designed to help someone who's found an injured animal, lost or found a pet or wants to report animal cruelty. Animal Watch hopes to expand the program nationally in the future.
  • Several companies have developed smartphone applications to help people find the cheapest gasoline prices in town. We tried two popular apps; they work, but there are a few things to watch out for.
  • Gasoline costs about 50 cents more per gallon than it did in January. Motorists dread the trip to the pump and wonder why prices are so high — and when they'll go back down. But growing world demand could mean oil prices will continue to rise in coming years.
  • The trial to determine liability in the Deepwater Horizon spill was scheduled to start Monday in New Orleans. But late Friday, BP and some of the plaintiffs announced a settlement. The rest of the plaintiffs could still choose to take the case to trial.
  • Need a costumed Mardi Gras mannequin or a bedazzled 1974 Gremlin? On Thursday, collectors can bid on some of the memorabilia from the former Kenner Mardi Gras Museum. The museum is about a half-hour drive from the French Quarter — not a convenient trip for many tourists — and declining attendance caused it to close its doors.
  • The company also is agreeing to spend up to $9 million to professionally clean homes in Nitro, West Virginia.