Clark Kauffman of the Des Moines Register reports that more than 300 mentally retarded wards of the state are being paid less than the minimum wage for work performed at two state-run homes for the disabled. Seventy-four of the workers are paid an average hourly wage of 60 cents or less, and some of the [...]
Archive for December, 2009
Posted in 
Questions about results, conflict-of-interest surround early-childhood initiative
December 28th, 2009 
Mark Horvit The Fresno Bee published a two-part series on accountability problems with Fresno County First 5, an early childhood initiative approved by voters in 1998. The first story found that, despite promises made to voters and millions of dollars spent on evaluations, First 5 hasn’t produced a complete evaluation of its results, raising questions about the [...]
Lax regulators allow nurses to lose licenses in one state, keep them in others
December 26th, 2009 Mark Horvit Nurses with troubled records can cross state lines and work without restriction, an investigation by the nonprofit news organization ProPublica and The Los Angeles Times found. Using public databases and state disciplinary reports, reporters found hundreds of cases in which registered nurses held clear licenses in some states after they’d been sanctioned in others, often [...]
Regulations crippling commercial fishing industry
December 23rd, 2009 Beth A Life at Sea/A Life at Risk, a six-part series by The Press of Atlantic City (N.J.), examined the crushing impact of federal and state fishing regulations on New Jersey’s $1 billion a year commercial fishing industry. “The regulations use size limits, gear restrictions, seasons, quotas and other methods to reduce the catch. A new [...]
Top subprime lender willingly pushed through fraudulent loans
December 22nd, 2009 Beth The Huffington Post Investigative Fund exposes how lending practices at Washington Mutual’s subprime lender, Long Beach Mortgage, allowed fraud to run rampant. Former employees say efforts to stop fraudulent loan applications were commonly overridden and lavish commissions encouraged bad lending.
Loopholes lead to large salaries for charity CEOs
December 21st, 2009 Beth A Charlotte (N.C.) Observer investigation showed how loopholes and understaffed regulators allow charities to pay almost any salary to their executives.
Stimulus loans scarce for minority-owned businesses
December 17th, 2009 Beth Aaron Glantz of New American Media reports that analysis of data from the federal government’s Small Business Association (SBA) revealed racial inequities in small business loans given out as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Losing ‘Letta series
December 16th, 2009 Beth A six-month investigation by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette attempts to document the story of Carmeletta Green, a 12-year-old who disappeared from her home 27 years ago.
Distribution of economic development loans questioned
December 16th, 2009 Beth The Buffalo News analyzed loans and grants data to see how the city “spends the federal funds it receives to promote economic development and urban renewal.” The analysis showed that two-thirds of the almost $2 million in grant money went to Masten District where the mayor used to serve as councilman. Other regions in need [...]
Teacher placement system undermines hiring choices
December 15th, 2009 Beth A voiceofsandiego.org project reveals a flawed teacher placement system that can undercut schools from making straightforward choices on the fundamental issue of who teaches in their classrooms.
