April 29 , 2015
Harrisburg's financial collapse recounted in new book by investigative reporter Chris Papst
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Sunbury Press has released Capital Murder: An investigative reporter’s hunt for answers in a collapsing city, Chris Papst's expose of the recent financial troubles in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the state capital. About the Book: Every city in America is unique. Each has its own instructive tale of success and failure. What makes Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's story most valuable lies not in its life but in its death - and in the actions of those who killed it. In late 2011, Harrisburg became the first – and only - capital city in American history to file for bankruptcy. For four years, investigative reporter Chris Papst provided award-winning coverage of this unprecedented financial collapse. Now, he has authored a book sharing his experiences while detailing what went wrong. Excerpt: In two-and-a-half years, I filed more than 200 reports on Harrisburg’s financial collapse and the hapless residents it affected. Nearly every day something news-worthy happened—and little of it good. Yet, despite my built-in safeguards, the abhorrent nature of Harrisburg’s demise eventually wore on my psyche. After hundreds of depressing reports, day-after-day, I started to break. This was where I worked. This was my home state’s capital city. I had friends who lived and raised families here. I wanted Harrisburg to win. But it seemed impossible. People were made massively wealthy issuing the bond deals that capsized Harrisburg. But every day at 4:00, I watched as the protagonists whoallowed it to happen hopped in their foreign sports sedans and fled town. They left behind a broke and broken city, and not one person was heldaccountable. No arrests. No charges.No indictments. No restitution. The city was financially dead, but apparently no one killed it. For the longest time, I couldn’t understand how a city could have been so financially raped. How could the residents allow it to happen? More importantly, how could the media allow it to happen? In a democracy, where everyone has the right to free speech, and the right to assemble and petition, how is this possible? It took me years to truly understand. And once I finally did, I found it necessary to write this book. --- Chris Papst About the Author Chris Papst is a multiple Emmy-award winning investigative reporter whose work has initiated changes in law and sparked criminal investigations. He currently works at ABC 7/WJLA in Washington, DC. Capital Murder Authored by Chris Papst List Price: $29.95 Hardcover: 244 pages Publisher: Sunbury Press, Inc. (April 22, 2015) Language: English ISBN-10: 1620065916 ISBN-13: 978-1620065914 Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds BISAC: Government / State & Local / Pennsylvania For more information, please see: http://www.sunburypressstore.com/Capital-Murder-978162006.... (http://www.sunburypressstore.com/The-B-Team-9781620065952...)