Archive for January, 2008

Disclosures show DA dines and drinks with campaign funds

Thursday, 01/31/08 Posted in Campaign Finance

An investigation by John O'Brien of The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) discovered Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick has used $11,633 of his campaign funds for dining and entertainment. His campaign ... Read more..

Text messages sink Detroit mayor’s sworn testimony

Friday, 01/25/08 Posted in Government (federal/state/local)

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is under investigation after M.L. Elrick and Jim Schaefer of The Detroit Free Press obtained text messages that contradict the mayor's testimony in a court ... Read more..

Charities enjoy tax-free profits from “unrelated business income”

Friday, 01/25/08 Posted in Nonprofit

An investigation by Grant Williams and Peter Panepento of The Chronicle of Philanthropy found that about half of the nation’s largest charities pay no taxes, even though they generate millions ... Read more..

Gaps in Wisconsin tornado warning system identified

Friday, 01/25/08 Posted in CAR, Disasters, Mapping

After tornadoes ripped through the southern part of the state earlier this month, Ben Poston of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel found that thousands of southeastern Wisconsin residents are out of ... Read more..

Porn sites exploit photos of high school athletes

Friday, 01/25/08 Posted in First Amendment & FOIA, Sports

An investigation by Scott M. Reid and Dan Albano of The Orange County Register has revealed that photographs of unsuspecting high school athletes are being posted next to pornographic images ... Read more..

Drought threatens nuclear power in Southeast

Friday, 01/25/08 Posted in CAR, Government (federal/state/local), Mapping

AP's Charlotte correspondent Mitch Weiss identified 24 nuclear reactors located in areas of severe drought that could potentially force reactors in the Southeast to reduce power or shut down later ... Read more..

Georgia purchasing cards abused to the tune of $370 million

Thursday, 01/24/08 Posted in CAR, Government (federal/state/local)

Andrea Jones and Megan Clarke of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution report that abuse of government purchasing cards cost the state approximately $370 million in 2007. An analysis of ... Read more..

Rearrest rate high in felons released on “shock probation”

Thursday, 01/24/08 Posted in Justice (courts/crime/law)

Jason Riley of The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.) found that many inmates granted "shock probation" were being re-incarcerated in Jefferson County, Ky. The program releases offenders after only one to ... Read more..

Reporter’s work leads to review of murder conviction

Wednesday, 01/16/08 Posted in Justice (courts/crime/law)

A report by Christine Young of the Times Herald-Record in Middletown, NY, in a special eight-page supplement and online multi-media presentation, suggests strongly that a New York City man who ... Read more..

Racist jokes, porn found on DA’s office computer

Wednesday, 01/16/08 Posted in Broadcast, Government (federal/state/local), Justice (courts/crime/law)

Community leaders are calling for Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal to resign after Jeremy Rogalski of KHOU-Houston uncovered racist emails and sex videos on the D.A.'s county computer, along ... Read more..