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Ballooning cost of senior judges

Brandon Ortiz of the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader analyzed court records to show that Kentucky's judicial retirement system will pay out at least $1.57 million this year to compensate retired judges who work part-time to ease court backlogs. That's far more than the $420,000 agreed to seven years ago. "That revelation raises questions about whether the program will hurt the judicial retirement fund's long-term health, thus requiring larger subsidies by the state in the future." The retirement system's director denied theHerald-Leader's request for detailed records of service credits that determine the judges' pensions. The paper is appealing the decision.

Selling innocence

Scott Zamost and Jeff Burnside of WTVJ-South Florida update the 2001 "Selling Innocence" investigation by interviewing Savannah Haile, now 12 years old. Pictures of Haile were posted on a so-called "child-modeling" Web site without her consent, and her story became part of the WTVJ stories. The report exposed the two men behind the Florida-based Web site, and they currently face child pornography charges.

Sex offenders found in school safety zones

Chris Halsne of KIRO-Seattle used a computer analysis to locate more than 900 known child rapists and molesters living inside "school protection zones." Using mapping software, KIRO Team 7 Investigators plotted addresses of every school and every registered sex offender convicted of violating a child. Despite the fact that last June, state lawmakers ruled that convicted pedophiles must live at least 880 feet away from a school, the investigation located at least 100 convicted pedophiles living near schools. (IRE and NICAR contributed to the data analysis for this story.)

Hard lessons learned on the way to school

Jason Whitely of KHOU-Houston analyzed street-by-street crime data from the past two years to find out how close the city’s 1,500 murders, rapes and assaults came to Houston public schools. The investigation showed that, within a mile of Benavidez Elementary, there were nine murders, 39 rapes and six assaults since 2005. The neighborhood near Dogan Elementary saw six murders, 20 rapes and four assaults.

More tired truckers on South Carolina roads

Andy Pierrotti of WCBD-Charleston looked at every South Carolina truck accident report that noted a fatigued or sleeping truck driver as a contributing factor. He discovered a 75 percent increase in such crashes from 2001 to 2005. Those fatigued drivers contributed to 158 accidents that killed nine people and left more than 100 injured. "Despite property damage, loss of life, and injuries, only 42 percent of those tired truckers were never ticketed." State transport police say the biggest problem with tired truckers in the state lies in the number of interstate rest stops. There are simply not enough rest stops in South Carolina for truckers to park and sleep.

Investigation launched, repairs started after report on Walter Reed

In their continued coverage of conditions at Walter Reed, Dana Priest and Anne Hull of The Washington Post report that while Michael J. Wagner directed the Medical Family Assistance Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he also was seeking funders and soliciting donations for his own new charity, based in Dallas, according to documents and interviews with current and former staff members. Walter Reed launched a criminal investigation of Wagner last week after The Post sought a response to his charitable activities while also running the Army's largest effort to help outpatient soldiers.

Additionally, repairs to Building 18 were started on Monday after The Post reported on the deteriorating conditons in its series "The Other Walter Reed."

Unpoliced use of force plagues Milwaukee police department

Reporter John Diedrich of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel revealed the Milwaukee police department is inadequate in its tracking of the use of force. The article documented the record of an officer who was with the department for just three years but racked up a record of using force and attracted complaints far in excess of fellow officers. In three of the cases, the officer hit people with a flashlight. The department says it knew about this officer but did nothing. The story also showed Milwaukee’s use of force rate was far higher than a national average.

Despite fire safety issues, apartment complex remained open

Sarah Okeson and John McCarthy of Florida Today (Brevard County, Fla.) report on Manor House, an apartment complex in Florida that did not have an adequate fire alarm system for two years. The county slapped it with the largest fine ever for a code enforcement violation. However, the complex was able to stay open because the fire marshall said conditions were not hazardous enough to merit shutting it down. The complex also had been cited by the state because the sprinkler system wasn't working, and there were problems with the fire extinguishers and the exits. The complex's new owners claim to be "doing everything we can to make it a safe and affordable place to live."

Marines in Iraq angered by lack of proper equipment

A report by Richard Lardner of the Tampa Tribune indicates that "civilian casualties in Iraq's volatile Anbar province would have been greatly reduced over the past 20 months if an inexpensive, hand-held laser system had been sent to the Marines operating there, according to a series of e-mail messages between troops in the field and acquisition officials in suburban Washington." Two requests by the Marine officials in Iraq have gone unfilled since 2005; officials at Marine Corps Base Quantico cite inadequate testing and safety reviews of the laser systems.

"The Other Walter Reed"

In a two part series, Washington Post reporters Dana Priest and Anne Hull uncover dismal conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. "The common perception of Walter Reed is of a surgical hospital that shines as the crown jewel of military medicine. But 5 ½ years of sustained combat have transformed the venerable 113-acre institution into something else entirely -- a holding ground for physically and psychologically damaged outpatients." Priest and Hall interviewed patients, families, veterans aid groups and former Walter Reed staff for four months without permission from Walter Reed officials. Part one and two.

Punishment for child porn charges lax

A computer-assisted investigation by Steve Daniels of WTVD-Raleigh, Durham and Fayetteville (N.C.) compared data from the state court system with data from the state prison system to find that "only 30 percent of people facing child pornography charges in North Carolina between 2003 and mid-December have been sentenced to prison time. Twenty-six percent have been sentenced to probation only." The Attorney General of North Carolina blames lax child pornography laws and has called for the legislature to pass more stringent legislation.

N.C. state rep guilty of taking bribes for legislative favors

In a follow-up to earlier reports, Dan Kane and J. Andrew Curliss of The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer report that former North Carolina House Speaker Jim Black pled guilty in federal court to "taking money for legislative favors." Black received $25,000 in cash, as well as a $4,000 check, from three chiropractors in exchange for legislation that favored them. He could face up to 10 years in prison for the charges.

Oversight lax on school fire drill law

Ben Jones of The (Appleton, Wis.) Post Crescent reports that area schools are failing to comply with a state law that requires they do monthly fire drills. A change in state law resulted in school no longer having to file annual fire drill reports with the Department of Commerce. Oversight now rests with the local fire departments. For the 2005-06 school year, only 60% of Wisconsin schools reported their drills to the state. About 35% of those reporting failed hold the mandated number of drills for the school year. Wisconsin school fire drill records can be reviewed on a database set up by the paper.

Documentary sheds light on paparazzi culture

In an investigative documentary broadcast nationally on the E! Network, host and reporter Rob Nelson investigated the shadowy world of Hollywood's paparazzi/stalkarazzi and the world of "celebrity news" in all its forms. The piece looks into how the ever increasing public appetite for "entertainment as news" is driving a "wild-wild west" atmosphere on the streets of Los Angeles, where getting the "money shot" is all that matters. The program exposes and confronts a top paparazzo in LA about his secret criminal past as a convicted sex offender. It also led to the LAPD reassessing it policies concerning the paparazzi and how it issues press credentials to member of the media. The program continues to be rerun. Executive Producer Suzanne Murch along with TeleMedia News Productions-Los Angeles based Producer and investigative journalist Eric Longabardi and co-producer Melaine Switzer and AP Raheem Dawson, spent nearly three months on the investigative project. Information about the show can be found here.

Florida requires no training for executioners

Kevin Begos of The Tampa Tribune reports that executioners in Florida "aren't required to have training, certification or any qualifications other than being at least 18 years old, according to Florida's interpretation of lethal injection guidelines." The Tampa Tribune received a copy of the state's execution guidelines through a public records request. The protocol is under review, and executions have been suspended since December, after it took over 30 minutes for prisoner Angel Diaz to die "because the lethal chemicals missed his veins."

Houston burglary hot spots mapped

Dave Fehling of KHOU_Houston reports on the city's burglary trends. "Analyzing raw numbers from the last two years, a special mapping program found five hot spots." Further analysis of the data showed that the hot spots covered a higher concentration of apartment complexes, where it is easier for unfamiliar faces to move around unnoticed. The IRE and NICAR Database Library assisted with data analysis and mapping for this story.

Insurance settlements often undercut victim's expenses

Investigative correspondent Drew Griffin, of CNN’s "Anderson Cooper 360" filed a report on how automobile insurance companies deal with victims of auto accidents. It follows the stories of accident victims who sustained soft tissue injuries in collisions that caused only minor damage to their vehicles. Victims and some industry watchdogs say that, in this accident scenario, major insurers appear to be systematically offering summary monetary settlements that often cover only a fraction of the victim’s expenses. Some industry critics suggest that the small-sum settlement policy stems from a consultant's advice aimed at improving profit margins. See part 1 and part 2 here.

The Dominican Steroid Problem

As spring training opens around baseball, Mike Fish of ESPN.com takes a two-day look at the state of Major League Baseball's fight against performance-enhancing drugs in the Dominican Republic with a series of stories and reports. (The articles are also available in Spanish.)

Dodd outpaces rivals in race for money

Jonathan D. Salant and Kristin Jensen of Bloomberg report that Sen. Christopher Dodd has outpaced his political rivals in the race to raise money for a presidential bid. A third of the $3 million he raised in the last quarter of 2006 came from the financial-services industry -- the industry he oversees as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.

Wisconsin's coal-burning plants pump out more greenhouse gas

Thomas Content and Lee Bergquist of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report on how Wisconsin is responsible for disproportionate contributions to global warming. By examining public records, they found that coal-burning power plants generate greenhouse gases about one-third faster than the national average. Wisconsin is one of twelve states that relies on coal for the majority of its power supply, and two more coal-burning power plants are under construction in the state. When they are completed in 2012, carbon dioxide emissions will rise by an additional ten percent.

School bus drivers in Ohio have questionable driving records

Using a database of school bus drivers and public records searches, Randy Ludlow and Jill Riepenhoff of the Columbus Dispatch found that more than 150 school-bus drivers have records of drunken driving and drug abuse. "State laws, practice and policies make it virtually impossible for school officials to review complete driving histories maintained by the state," they report. Despite the fact that Bureau of Motor Vehicles knows every offense committed by a licensed driver, not all of this information is shared. Abstracts obtained for background checks only include records from the past three years. Unbeknownst to most schools, full motor vehicle records can be obtained if requested specifically.

New conflict of interest concerns arise in state corruption case

As part of a two-year investigation by The (Toledo, Ohio) Blade into the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation and corruption in state government, James Drew and Steve Eder have discovered that a conflict of interest was not disclosed when in a five-year, $384,000 contract was given to the accounting firm of Ciuni & Panichi. The contract was granted by the Turnpike Commission despite the fact that Vince Panichi and his wife had an existing financial relationship with Tom Noe, the commission's chairman. Since then, Noe, a former Republican fund-raiser, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for his stealing from a rare-coin fund he managed for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

Lax monitoring creates security issues at Chicago airport

Dave Savini of CBS 2 - Chicago investigates a breach of security at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Insufficient tracking of employee ID badges at Chicago's O'Hare Airport have created a gaping hole in airport security. The badges enable employees of the airport to access high-security areas without being screened . A database obtained from Chicago's Department of Aviation revealed that 3,760 badges have gone missing since 2004.

Flaws in firefighters' safety gear ignored for 5 years

Bill Dedman of MSNBC.com reports that the U.S. government took 5 years to react to warnings made in 2000 that firefighters' PASS alarms were failing to perform as intended. These units sound an alarm and flash lights if a firefighter has been motionless for 30 seconds. Documents made public under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that nine deaths occurred after the federal government blocked an investigation by its own expert into possible failures of PASS alarms and other firefighting equipment. The CDC, the federal agency responsible for investigating firefighter fatalities, finally called for higher testing standards for the devices in April 2005.

Washington's $8 Billion Shadow

Writing for Vanity Fair, Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele uncover the influence of SAIC, a "mega-contractor" in Washington, D.C. SAIC, unlike other contractors, is often called upon for expertise "—expertise about weapons, about homeland security, about surveillance, about computer systems, about 'information dominance' and 'information warfare.'" Despite the fact that SAIC employs 44,000 people and was paid $8 billion by the US government last year, there is a shroud of secrecy around the company and its operations. Barlett and Steele shed light on the scope of SAIC's influence, the culture of the company and how its "biggest projects have turned out to be colossal failures."

Lax security leaves airports and community vulnerable

Investigative Reporter Jeremy Rogalski and the 11 Investigates team discovered that local general aviation airports in the Houston area have almost no security funding or regulation. As a result, the team was easily able to walk onto unattended small and medium-size jets. One expert described the planes as "flying weapon(s)" because they could be used to crash into any of Houston's many toxic chemical storage containers.

Stolen Ford trucks tracked from Florida to Mexico

WTVJ-Miami Investigative Producer Scott Zamost discovered that the popular Ford F-series truck is being stolen at a high rate in South Florida and ending up in Mexico via Texas. The vehicles' older key design makes them more vulnerable to thieves. More than 600 F-series trucks, most in Miami-Dade County, were stolen last year. Reporter Willard Shepard traveled to Juarez, Mexico, where he toured a huge police impound lot filled with stolen vehicles from the United States. Police say the trucks are being used to smuggle drugs and illegal immigrants across the border.

Politics play into road fund allocation

Richard Rubin of The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer investigated how politics determine how money is allocated from a North Carolina road fund. "The $15 million contingency fund is controlled largely by legislative leaders who distribute it to their colleagues' districts, and their own, without a comprehensive analysis of traffic, safety or population, according to an Observer investigation." The structure of the fund has come under criticism by those who feel the money is unfairly distributed, while its proponents believe it is an important resource for smaller communities.

Outsourcing the Government

In the first article of a series examining government contracting, Scott Shane and Ron Nixon of The New York Times describe how independent contractors have become "a virtual fourth branch of government. On the rise for decades, spending on federal contracts has soared during the Bush administration, to about $400 billion last year from $207 billion in 2000." Concerns are mounting with regard to "propriety, cost and accountability" of these contracts. For example, less than half of all government contracts in 2005 were competitive. At the same time, government supervision of contract work is compromised by the fact that the government workforce responsible for oversight has remained level while the number of contracts has exploded.

NJ taxpayers bankrolling Meadowlands development gamble

John Brennan and Jeff Pillets at The (Bergen County, NJ) Record went deep into the financial underpinnings of a developer's promise to transform the state's most infamous landmark from smelly garbage dumps and swamps into an Emerald City of golf courses, luxury condos and resort hotels. They emerged with a compelling story about the way business is done in New Jersey. The story reveals that, despite assertions to the contrary, the project relies overwhelmingly on public funds. In the wake of The Record's reporting, the governor has commissioned an investigation into how the politically connected developer cobbled together such an unprecedented series of government incentives.

Budget cuts threaten vulnerable students in Wisconsin

A three-day series by Andy Hall of the Wisconsin State Journal looks at budget cuts in Wisconsin schools which threaten funding aimed to aid vulnerable students. Citing a lack of money, increasing numbers of Wisconsin schools are pulling out of a state program credited with boosting the scores of vulnerable poor and minority students. In an analysis of the effects of the state's school funding system, the paper found the first indications that class size is being sacrificed to balance budgets.