Extra! Extra!

Data reveals no-bid contracts for hurricane clean up

Eric Lipton and Ron Nixon of The New York Times used federal contract data covering hurricane response to show that "more than 80 percent of the $1.5 billion in contracts signed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency alone were awarded without bidding or with limited competition ... provoking concerns among auditors and government officials about the potential for favoritism or abuse." FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers have spent the most so far. (Note: For other stories looking at what went wrong in the Katrina disaster, please see IRE's Katrina resources page.)

Disaster plans lacking in Hudson Valley area

Greg Bruno of the Times Herald-Record in Middletown, N.Y., looked into disaster plans for communities of the Catskills and Hudson Valley, finding that three-quarters of them would be unprepared. "Of the 75 communities that provided their plans for review, only 25 percent are updated or specific enough to be useful in a catastrophe, according to state emergency planning standards." The paper found some plans don't include basic information, such as shelter locations and phone numbers for first responders; others are generic or fill-in-the-blank documents; and some planners have not studied possible disaster scenarios. "Only 16 communities are in the process of reviewing and revising their plans." The story includes a chart detailing the results for each town and information about how the story was researched and reported.

Hospitals not prepared for worst quake scenario

Duane W. Gang and David Olson of The (Riverside, Calif.) Press-Enterprise examined state, county and hospital emergency plans and found that Inland California counties were unprepared to provide medical services after a large earthquake. "A major temblor could leave multiple hospitals damaged and unable to treat their own patients, let alone the thousands of injured."

Mayoral candidates raise money far and wide

Gregory Korte of The Cincinnati Enquirer analyzed campaign finance reports and found that more than half the contributions in a mayoral race comes from outside Cincinnati. There have been fund-raising evemts for the race held in San Francisco, New York City, Denver and Washington, D.C. The analysis also reveals that one candidate relies on larger contributions from more individuals while the other receives donations from industry groups. Maps show where the candidates' contributions come from.

Getty museum had clues it was buying looted pieces

Jason Felch and Ralph Frammolino of the Los Angeles Times report the J. Paul Getty Museum, the world's richest art institution, knew as early as 1985 that "three of their principal suppliers were selling objects that probably had been looted and that the museum continued to buy from them anyway." The Times obtained Getty documents that "include memos, purchase agreements, correspondence and other records going back 20 years."

Navy contracted for planes in CIA operation

Seth Hettena of The Associated Press reports the Navy issued contracts for planes "reportedly used to fly terror suspects to countries known to practice torture." The AP says documents from the Department of Defense, obtained through a FOIA request, involve more planes (33) than previously reported. While there was "scrutiny in 2001, but what hasn't been disclosed is the Navy's role in contracting planes involved in operations the CIA terms 'rendition' and what Italian prosecutors call kidnapping."

Missteps, fraud have plagued FEMA

Megan O'Matz, Sally Kestin, John Maines and Jon Burstein of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel continue the paper's investigation into FEMA. "The handling of aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina is only the latest in a series of missteps and fraud that has plagued this tax-funded government agency. The Sun-Sentinel took a look at 20 recent disasters and found mismanagement and misallocation abound." Among the findings: thousands of claims in Cleveland for damaged washers and dryers after a thunderstorm when the city received only 73 complaints; claims of smoke damage in Los Angeles from wildfires that were 30 miles or farther away; and $9 million paid to people up to 37 miles away from a tornado that touched down in South Florida. The package includes more information about how reporters reseached the agency.

Nonprofits mislead about destination of donations

Kelby Hartson Carr of The Times in Munster, Ind., looks into the accuracy of IRS 990 forms filed by nonprofit organizations. After an examination of all 990s filed for "fiscal year 2003 by nonprofit agencies based in Lake County, Porter County and Chicago's south suburbs," the paper found that 70 percent that raised public donations reported no fund-raising expenses. Experts say it is difficult to raise money without spending money and "zero-expense fund-raising claims always should be questioned." The project includes a database of the nonprofits that includes the data from their 990 forms. Other parts of the series look at nonprofit employees who make six figures and have generous benefits packages, the powerful part nonprofits play in the local economy and tips to evaluate a charitiy before donating.

County loses money to court-appointed attorney fees

Dave Moore of the Denton (Texas) Record-Chronicle finds Denton County might have paid more than $350,000 more that it was required in court-appointed attorney fees. "The source of most of the non-mandatory legal bills to the county has been 393rd District Court Judge Vicki Isaacks, who has been appointing those attorneys mostly for children in civil divorce cases," though state law only requires the count to pay for the defense of indigent people charge with crimes and for those involving Child Protective Services. "Because Vicki Isaacks' husband, Bruce Isaacks, is the Denton County district attorney, her cases infrequently deal with Child Protective Services or criminal matters, to reduce conflict of interest claims."

Lax oversight contributes to high foreclosure rate

Geoff Dutton and Jill Riepenhoff of The Columbus Dispatch investigated Ohio's high foreclosure rate, "a problem fueled by a weak economy, aggressive mortgage brokers, financial overreaching and tepid state oversight.". The newspaper analyzed Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data, obtained U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development audit reports of homebuilders through the federal Freedom of Information Act, and analyzed state and county foreclosure records and sheriff's sales data. On the second day of the series, state lawmakers from both political parties vowed to tighten Ohio's loose regulation of the mortgage industry. (Note: For reporters interested in pursuing similar stories, IRE and NICAR offer a beat book, "Home Mortgage Lending: How to detect disparities," as well as Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data.)

San Diego land inventory flawed

Brooke Williams and Danielle Cervantes of the San Diego Union-Tribune compiled data on the city's land holdings, finding that "the city's inventory of real estate assets, worth billions of dollars, is seriously flawed. A roster of 4,430 parcels the city supplied omits some property, and it also lists land the city has never owned, land it hopes to own and land it sold long ago." About 200 properties that were sold over the past 20 years are still on the list. San Diego is considering selling some of its property to improve the city's financial condition. A PDF graphic highlights the inventory's flaws.

Funds for workers could drive agencies to bankruptcy

Troy Anderson of the Los Angeles Daily News found that "California's largest public agencies face setting an extra $108 billion aside in the coming years to pay for promised retiree pensions, health care and workers' compensation claims." Experts say the estimate is conservative and that some public agencies might face bankruptcy in the future.

Payday lenders find lucrative home in Ariz.

Craig Harris, Ryan Konig and Matt Dempsey of The Arizona Republic looked at how minimum regulation and a large population of low-income workers has created a thriving market for payday lenders. "In the past four years, the number of payday-loan offices in Arizona has nearly tripled to 610, and there are more of these offices across the state than McDonald's restaurants and Starbucks coffee shops combined. Arizona also has a higher number of payday-loan offices per capita than the national average." The paper projects that Arizonans will pay $165 million dollars in interest on such loans this year.

Tax break backfires for some Fla. residents

Maurice Tamman of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune examines the effects of Florida's "10-year-old Save Our Homes constitutional amendment, which limits the annual increase of a homesteader's taxable property value." He finds that "over the years, the program that was supposed to save little old ladies from being forced from their homes has turned into a cash cow largely for the rich." Today, millionaires are paying the same as middle-class families, people who want to move can't afford to lose their tax breaks and counties are experiencing uneven income based on recent construction. The weeklong series includes an interactive map using Google Maps API that allows readers to see how neighbors' taxes compare.

S.C. port authority operates like a business

Michael R. Shea of The Beaufort (S.C.) Gazette delved into the South Carolina State Ports Authority, the state agency that manages "the fourth-largest waterborne shipping network in the country through marine terminals in Charleston, Georgetown and Port Royal, South Carolina." The stories show that political contributions, political appointments and no-bid contracts blur the line between state agency and a private business. It also discusses its battle for records from the agency. The 18-story project includes more than a dozen of the public records, received through FOIAs, that were used in the reporting.

Contributors get the contracts in Ohio

James Drew and Mike Wilkinson of The (Toledo) Blade examine the relationships between Ohio politicians and the businesses that do work for the state's Department of Transportation. "Over the last decade, a Blade investigation shows, those firms have contributed more than $1 million to politicians, political parties, and political action committees. In the last five years, those same firms have received more than $400 million in ODOT contracts." The second part of the three-part series finds that Democratic Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman, a critic of the state's so-called "pay-to-play system," has gotten about 13 percent of his campaign cash from "the same engineers and consultants that have pumped money for years predominately into GOP campaigns in the state."

Poorer and university neighborhoods supported tax

Lee Ann O'Neal and Ian Demsky of The Tennessean used spreadsheets and mapping software to analyze Nashville's failed Sept. 13 sales tax referendum. They found the greatest support for the half-cent sales tax increase was in poorer neighborhoods and the areas around Vanderbilt and Belmont universities. Themap identifies voting precincts and how they voted on the referendum.

Vulnerable in Fla. county could be left behind in hurricane

Matt Reed and John Kelly of Florida Today used Census data to identify neighborhoods in Brevard County that are "home to higher-than-average numbers of seniors, poor people and families without cars — people who may need help fleeing" a hurricane like Katrina. They found that thousands of seniors, poor people and families without cars might not be able to evacuate areas almost certain to flood. The county would provide free rides to them, but they must register beforehand, something many are not aware of or willing to do.

W. Va. cashes in on video poker

Lawrence Messina and Vicki Smith of The Associated Press have a three-part series examining the impact of the video poker industry on West Virginia. They found that nearly 2,000 businesses have the gambling machines installed and "fifteen businesses, families or partnerships — out of more than 1,300 that held one or more licenses — collected one-fifth of the $173 million in profits, and accounted for a similar share of the money wagered and the revenue to the state." Video poker terminals are in all but one of West Virginia's 55 counties. Parts two and three address the concentration of ownership and state regulation.

Mo. tops in alcohol-related boating accidents

Bente Birkland and Catherine Rentz Pernot of the Columbia Missourian used data from the U.S. Coast Guard to determine that "between 2000 and 2004, Missouri led the nation in alcohol-related boating accidents." Among other findings: "The Lake of the Ozarks topped the list for boating accidents in Missouri, and it is the most dangerous body of water to drink and boat. Between 2000 and 2004, the lake had more alcohol-related accidents than anywhere else in the nation, including the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico ..." (Note: The Coast Guard's boating accident data and boat registration data is available to journalists from the IRE and NICAR Database Library.)

Disaster planning focused on terror threats

In a Web exclusive report, Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball of Newsweek report that state emergency management directors have complained FEMA has concentrated too much on preparing for terror threats and not enough on natural disasters. "Internal Homeland Security documents obtained by Newsweek lend support to the state directors' complaints. Out of 15 'all hazards' disaster-planning scenarios approved by DHS and the White House Homeland Security Council last May, only three involved natural disasters, one document shows." (Note: For more stories looking at what went wrong in the Katrina disaster, please see IRE's Katrina resources page.)

Potential conflicts identified for Supreme Court nominee

Center for Investigative Reporting's Dan Noyes finds that "After a long career spent representing blue chip corporations and resource industries, Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, Jr. brings more potential conflicts of interest to the bench than any justice of his generation." The investigation looks at "rules governing conflicts of interest and reveals cases already on the docket for the Supreme Court that may cause conflicts for Roberts."

Call for entries: Philip Meyer Journalism Award

The National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, a joint program of IRE and the Missouri School of Journalism; the Knight Chair in Journalism at Arizona State University; and IRE are proud to introduce the Philip Meyer Journalism Award, a contest to recognize the best journalism done using social science research methods. The awards are in honor of Philip Meyer, Knight Chair in Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Meyer is the author of Precision Journalism, the seminal 1972 book (and subsequent editions) that focused growing numbers of journalists on the idea of using social science methods to do better journalism. He pioneered in using survey research as a reporter for Knight Ridder newspapers to explore the causes of race riots in the 1960s. Three awards will be given annually — a first, second and third place — to recognize the best work using techniques that are part of precision journalism, computer-assisted reporting and social science research.

Lucrative perks for school administrators

Bill Bowman and Paul D'Ambrosio of Gannett New Jersey newspapers navigated the details of school district contracts to show that "in districts around the state, it is not uncommon for boards of education to grant tens of thousands of dollars in extra pay to their chief administrators through complex contract deals that keep the true cost of compensation from the taxpayers. Generous benefits packages include free use of district cars or lucrative car allowances, thousands of dollars in tax-deferred annuities and money for unused vacation and sick days." The perks vary from district to district, with one administrator receiving 55 percent more than his base pay in bonuses and other payments.

Mapping tornado sirens allows look at disaster planning

Sarah Okeson of the Peoria, Ill., Journal Star mapped tornado sirens and looked at how much of the county they cover, as well as geocoding the county's schools and nursing homes and looking for gaps in the coverage. "The National Weather Service thinks Peoria is adequately prepared for a tornado or other disaster." Okeson describes in a NICAR-L posting that "I went to all 80 of the county's tornado sirens with a GPS device and then put the locations on my computer and converted them to a shapefile. I drew buffers around the sirens and calculated how many people in the county weren't covered by comparing the siren coverage area to the census blocks."

Sept. 11 loans go to many unaffected by terror

Frank Bass and Dirk Lammers of The Associated Press examined nearly $5 billion in loans granted by the Small Business Administration as Sept. 11 recovery aid, and found that many went to businesses "that didn't need terror relief — or even know they were getting it." The SBA said it first learned of the problems from AP. "The records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act also show that many other loan recipients who made cases they were injured by Sept. 11 were far removed from the direct devastation of New York City and Washington, like a South Dakota country radio station, a Virgin Islands perfume shop and a Utah dog boutique."

Foundation for children buys luxury home

Dan Stockman of The (Fort Wayne, Ind.) Journal Gazette used business and property records to show that an Indiana foundation set up to benefit children and schools "has been used to buy a luxury vacation home in an exclusive neighborhood where an advertisement says 'the fortunate few' will 'live where everybody wants to play.'" Directors of the Olin B. and Desta Schwab Foundation refused to answer questions about the organization's spending. The original Indiana foundation "has been merged into a Nevada non-profit of the same name, and the Indiana agency that helped students choose vocations for more than 15 years was dissolved. Its assets — the millions Schwab left behind — are property of the Nevada foundation." The paper's story has led to a state investigation.