The sun illuminates a row of homes at Park Plaza Cooperative in Fridley, Minn. Five years ago, the residents formed a nonprofit co-op and bought their entire neighborhood from the company that owned it. Bridget Bennett for NPR hide caption

Dawn Tachell looks at the trash and debris that have collected in her community. Conditions in the neighborhood have become so bad that some people have abandoned their houses and moved out. Jed Conklin for NPR hide caption

The Pentagon building complex is seen from Air Force One on June 29. An Army review concludes that commanders did nothing wrong when they kicked out more than 22,000 soldiers for misconduct after they came back from Iraq or Afghanistan – even though all of those troops had been diagnosed with mental health problems or brain injuries. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP hide caption

Larry Morrison, who returned home with post-traumatic stress disorder after four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is being kicked out of the Army for misconduct, leaving him without military benefits. Michael de Yoanna/Colorado Public Radio hide caption

Larry Morrison is appealing the Army's decision to dismiss him for misconduct. Michael de Yoanna/Colorado Public Radio hide caption

Michael Bolla and Sally Singer lift Leon Anders using a ceiling lift and sling at the VA Hospital in Loma Linda, Calif. The VA system is among a very small number of hospitals that have installed equipment and provided proper training so their nursing staff can avoid physically lifting and moving patients themselves. Annie Tritt for NPR hide caption

To safely lift Bernard Valencia out of his hospital bed, Cheri Moore uses a ceiling lift and sling. The VA hospital in Loma Linda, Calif., has safe patient handling technology installed throughout its entire facility. Annie Tritt for NPR hide caption

Terry Cawthorn was a nurse at Mission Hospital for more than 20 years. But after a series of back injuries, mainly from lifting patients, she was fired. Cawthorn took legal action against the hospital and still faces daily struggles as a result of her injury. Susannah Kay for NPR hide caption

The screenshot from a simulation video shows the magnitude and distribution of forces NPR correspondent Daniel Zwerdling endured on his spine while re-creating the way nurses lift patients from their beds. Courtesy of the Spine Research Institute at The Ohio State University hide caption

The X-ray of Tove Schuster's spine shows the metal cage and four screws her surgeon used to repair a damaged disk in her back. Daniel Zwerdling/NPR hide caption

Workers inspect an area near storage tanks where a chemical leaked into the Elk River at Freedom Industries storage facility in Charleston, W.Va., on Jan. 13. It is still unclear exactly how much of the chemicals leaked into the area's water supply. Steve Helber/AP hide caption

NPR interviewed dozens of current or former soldiers who said they have struggled under toxic leaders. iStockphoto hide caption

Judge Michael Zusman's bialys are topped with roasted onions, poppy seeds and coarse salt. Daniel Zwerdling/NPR hide caption