Archive for August, 2009
Accidental deaths remain a problem for the medical industry
August 31st, 2009 
Beth 
Posted in 
Automaker blames drivers for spontaneous airbag deployments
August 31st, 2009 Beth Through analysis of data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Deborah Sherman of KUSA-Denver found air bags in newer-model Hondas have deployed 96 times without warning since 2004.
Army ends practice of profiling journalists covering war efforts
August 31st, 2009 Beth Stars and Stripes (Washington, D.C.) reporter Kevin Baron reports that less than a week after the paper first revealed that the Pentagon was routinely profiling journalists, the Army decided to cancel the program.
Atlanta schools under scrutiny for how cheating is handled
August 31st, 2009 Beth A story by Heather Vogell of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution raises questions about whether Atlanta is doing enough to probe allegations of cheating on state tests at its schools. Vogell used the state’s Open Records Law to obtain more than 2,400 pages of internal investigations into testing misconduct at six large metro school districts.
Details revealed about deaths at Memorial Medical Center after Katrina
August 28th, 2009 Beth An investigation by Sheri Fink of ProPublica reveals “what really happened to some of the patients who died at New Orleans’ Memorial Medical Center in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.“
Chemical industry fought ban of bisphenol A
August 26th, 2009 Beth Reporters Meg Kissinger and Susanne Rust of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reviewed thousands of pages of public records, from IRS documents to financial disclosure filings, to get inside the chemical industry’s push to fight a ban on bisphenol A, a chemical used in hard, clear plastics, including baby bottles. Their analysis showed the industry has [...]
Thousands of petroleum leaks go uncleaned in Florida
August 25th, 2009 Beth Matt Dixon of The News Herald (Panama City, Fla.) reports that budget cuts and strict state regulations have prevented the clean-up of thousands of underground petroleum leaks throughout Florida.
Common weed killer taints water supplies
August 24th, 2009 Beth An investigation by The New York Times looks at “>the impact of atrazine, a popular weed killer, on our water supply as part of its ongoing series on water pollution in America.
Former governor failed to report gift of $50,000 golf club dues
August 21st, 2009 Beth Andy Curliss of The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) reported that former North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley got at least $50,000 in free golf dues from an expensive club near Raleigh and did not report the gift on the required disclosure forms. The News & Observer‘s continued coverage of Gov. Easley has led to federal and state investigations the former governor.
Retreat pay a costly perk in UNC system
August 20th, 2009 Beth Dan Kane and Eric Ferreri of The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) took a look at a little known perk for University of North Carolina administrators known as “retreat rights” that paid them as much as a full year’s leave at their administrative salaries while they prepared for courses.
