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Undercover agents sneak bomb past TSA screeners

Deborah Sherman of KUSA-Denver reports that "Checkpoint security screeners at Denver International Airport last month failed to find liquid explosives packed in carry-on luggage and also improvised explosive devices, or IED's, worn by undercover agents, sources told 9NEWS." The agents testing the TSA security were part of the "Red Team," a group of covert agents organized in 1988 by the Federal Aviation Administration. Since 2003, they have investigated security measures at 735 airports.

Pivotal player in potential Bonds indictment remains silent

ESPN.com investigative sports reporter Mike Fish reports on Greg Anderson, the personal trainer whose testimony prosecutors believe could put Barry Bonds behind bars and, in turn, derail his record home run chase. Federal prosecutors "convinced U.S. District Judge William Alsup that Anderson's cooperation is pivotal to their ability to indict [Barry Bonds]. Because Anderson isn't talking despite being subpoenaed to appear before two grand juries, he remains locked up for contempt of court." Anderson will remain behind bars until the grand jury session is scheduled to end in July, unless the U.S Attorney grants a six-month extension.

Charter Schools: Missing the Grade

Digging through audits from more than 300 charter schools in Florida, Orlando Sentinel reporters Vicki McClure and Mary Shanklin showed the intertwined business dealings that allow school operators to make money on their publicly funded charters by leasing them buildings, loaning them money at interest rates as high as 21 percent and hiring relatives to work at the schools. While Florida never posted the audits for public consumption, the Sentinel put them online in a searchable format so parents could see the massive debt, operating losses at half of the schools, and dozens of related-party transactions. About 40 percent of the charter schools escaped report cards from the state education department, but the Sentinel compiled a database showing some of those ungraded schools were among the lowest-performing educational institutions in the state.

Conflicted Justice

Following a six-month investigation, Alan Maimon of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports on the "conflict system" in Clark County, Nev., in which private attorneys are assigned to poor defendants whom the public defender's office cannot represent due to conflicts of interest. An examination of every case the 30 contract defenders took to felony court in a recent 12-month period showed that the system suffers from a severe lack of standards and oversight that yield uneven justice and questionable government spending. In response to the newspaper's findings, a committee of judges has proposed dramatically overhauling the system. The entire series package can be viewed here.

Navy lacks plan to defend against Russian-built missile

Tony Capaccio of Bloomberg reveals that the "U.S. Navy, after nearly six years of warnings from Pentagon testers, still lacks a plan for defending aircraft carriers against a supersonic Russian-built missile, according to current and former officials and Defense Department documents." Concern exists that the missile, known as the "Sizzler" may be purchased by Iran. A Pentagon budget document shows that the Navy has until April 29 to report on how it plans to defend against this weapon.

One third of fatal accidents linked to shady driving records

Sarah Okeson of Florida Today investigated Brevard County drivers involved in fatal accidents, specifically looking at drivers charged with DUI manslaughter or vehicular homicide between 2000 and 2006. She found that more than a third of them didn't have a valid license to be on the road at the time of the wreck, had a prior conviction for DUI, or had been convicted of at least five traffic violations in the three years prior to the fatal accident. The investigation also revealed problems with coordination between courts and the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles in dealing with high-risk drivers.

Note: IRE and NICAR Database Library offers data from the Dept. of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, or FARS, database.

Journalist's investigation helps lead to woman's murder conviction

Nancy Badertscher of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports on the conviction of Lynn Turner. Turner, already serving a life term for the murder of Randy Thompson, was given a 2nd conviction for the murder of her late husband, Glenn Turner. "Turner and Thompson initially were thought to have died of heart problems. But several months after Thompson died, questions raised by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution led authorities to investigate the deaths as homicides, with the common link being their love for Lynn Turner." Read a Q & A with Jane Hansen, the AJC staff writer who helped to unearth the facts of the case.

Toxic vapors threaten well-being of residents of Victor, NY

The Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester, N.Y., presents stories from a two-month investigation into toxic vapor releases related to toxins improperly disposed of near Victor, N.Y., more than 17 years ago."State officials, drawing upon numerous visits and hundreds of water samples over the last 15 years, have mapped the damage: a mile-long plume of contaminated groundwater that underlies about 50 Victor homes and borders dozens of others. The principal contaminant, TCE [trichloroethene], can harm the central nervous, immune and reproductive systems, impair fetal development and cause cancer in people who are exposed to sufficient quantities." The Democrat and Chronicle website fleshes out the story with interactive graphics and links to documents related to the situation.

Virginia investment company profits off blight

Meghan Hoyer and Matthew Jones of The Virginian-Pilot investigated the purchase of over 250 houses and lots in depressed areas of cities such as Portsmouth, Norfolk and Newport News by a Virginia Beach-based company and its investors. Five years later, half the properties still sit in disarray with thousands owed in back taxes. "Since forming in late 2001, CM Development has financed its operations largely by selling its properties repeatedly among a growing circle of investors at ever-higher prices. The investors, drawn by the promise of big returns, have taken out larger and larger loans on the houses." They take a look at the investors and the loopholes that allow them to keep cashing in on these blighted properties.

AP found unauthorized classification of Caltrans contracts

An investigation by the Associated Press uncovered that the California Transportation Department classified nearly 300 contracts worth over $13 million - and many of them not competitively bid - as confidential without proper authority. The General Services Department grants the authority to classify contracts. "The agency was unaware Caltrans listed confidential contracts in its records until notified by AP." An earlier AP investigation has found many California Justice Department contracts mistakenly labeled confidential, whic the CJD attributed to employee error. The issue of confidential contracts is being considered by a state Senate subcommittee to address concerns with how agencies track expenditures and improve transparency.

On-duty death benefits denied to firefighters, EMTs

Bill Dedman of MSNBC.com reports that more than three years after President Bush signed the Hometown Heroes Act of 2003, no benefits have been paid to families. The act promises federal benefits to the families of firefighters and EMTs who die of heart attacks or strokes on the job. "The U.S. Justice Department has denied all 34 claims that have been decided and has yet to act on more than 200 others, MSNBC.com has learned." Included is one widow's story of trying to collect the promised benefits. A Harvard study released March 22 states that the risk of heart attacks for firefighters on the scene are "up to 100 times the normal rate."

Loopholes allow abusers to slip through system

Based on a tip from viewers, Jeff Ballion of KMSP-Minneapolis investigated drug testing facilities around the Twin Cities. A Fox 9 producer went undercover for a Department of Transportation drug test and found that four of the five facilities visited did not measure up to the DOT's strict guidelines for drug testing. Compliance failures create loopholes that potentially allow drug users to get DOT jobs behind the wheel and out on the road. As a result of the investigation, U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, called for an investigation to determine if these drug testing problems found in Minnesota are widespread.

Healthcare nonprofits spend millions in federal funds, operate in secrecy

In a two-part series, Clark Kauffman of The Des Moines Register examined the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care, the largest of 53 federally funded Quality Improvement Organizations. The newspaper found that the tax-exempt Iowa foundation, which investigates complaints of poor patient care received by Iowa's 500,000 Medicare beneficiaries, reviewed only 12 complaints in 2005. That same year, the foundation spent $85 million and handed out more than half a million dollars to two former executives as severance pay. The Register also reported on the salaries and complaint investigations at all of the nation's QIOs, many of which operate as tax-exempt nonprofits.

Drug abuse, crime on rise among paramedics

A special report by Andrew McIntosh of The Sacramento Bee reveals problems with paramedics and EMTs in the state of California. Substance abuse is on the rise among paramedics, including theft of morphine on hand to treat patients in the field. Additionally, lax oversight of the paramedic and EMT licensing systems have led to fired paramedics being rehired as EMTs. The story had led to state legistlative action to tighten the licensing process, as well as a criminal forgery charge related to licensing fraud in Santa Clara County. The package includes online copies of documents obtained under the California Open Records Act.

Sold a Nightmare

A four-part series by Binyamin Appelbaum, Lisa Hammersly Munn and Ted Mellnik of The Charlotte (N.C) Observer profiles Beazer Homes USA and the failure of starter-home neighborhoods in the Charlotte area. As it sold homes and arranged mortgages, the company crossed the line between selling to people who could barely afford homes and selling to people who couldn't. The series features an up-close look at what went wrong in one neighborhood. It also includes an interactive map that allows readers to check foreclosure rates in their neighborhoods.

Law firms profit from Empire Zone tax breaks

Michelle Breidenbach and Mike McAndrew of the The Syracuse Post-Standard found some of the state's biggest and most politically connected law firms cashed in for millions of dollars through a state economic development program that was supposed to encourage new businesses. "At least 70 law firms cost state taxpayers more than $6 million in 2005, records show."

Broken Trust

In an investigative series by the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune staffers Matt Doig, Tiffany Lankes and editor Chris Davis expose an epidemic of misconduct in Florida schools. In the past ten years, more than 750 Florida teachers have been punished for misconduct toward students, and at least 150 are still teaching today. It's possible that the actual number of questionable teachers still working is much larger because 70 percent of cases reported to the state are dismissed as unfounded by state investigators who have little or no formal training. When cases do proceed, 90 percent end in settlement deals that keep teachers from having to admit guilt.

Virginia vanity plates elicit complaints

Aaron Lee of the Lynchburg (Va.) News & Advance used FOIA to obtain complaints to the state department of motor vehicles about vanity license plates that had been issued to Virginia drivers, as well as subsequent correspondence between the DMV and the plate holders. The story reveals a host of complaints against many of the vanity plates and detailed the process plate owners are faced with to keep their plates if they appeal. The News & Advance also discovered a surprising lack of oversight by the state when it came to issuing many plates in the first place.

Recognition of judicial inequities lead to man's release

Brooks Egerton of The Dallas Morning News covered the release of Tyrone Brown "17 years after a single positive marijuana test while he was on probation led a Dallas judge to sentence him to life in prison." Brown's story drew national attention last year after The News ran a story on the inequity of justice in Texas courts. The story was picked up by ABC's 20/20 spawning a web campaign which led to Dallas County officials and the Texas parole board to recommend his sentence be terminated. As a result, Texas Gov. Rick Perry granted his first ever conditional pardon to Brown.

Campus accidents increase as inspection rates fall

Jeffery Brainard of The Chronicle of Higher Education discovered an increase in accidents on campuses as proper inspections have declined. "Serious accidents in which workers were killed or hospitalized have became more common on college campuses, according to a Chronicle analysis of federal safety-inspection records...nearly 200 significant campus incidents were cited by government officials between 1996 and early 2006, up from the 140 serious injuries in the decade before." Included with the article are data on inspections and violations, colleges and their workplace fines, and information on how the data was analyzed.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) workplace inspection data is available from the IRE and NICAR Database Library.

Giuliani's firm lobbies for Chavez's Citgo Corp.

Henry Goldman and Jonathan D. Salant of Bloomberg report that Rudolph Giuliani's law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, "lobbies for Citgo Petroleum Corp., a unit of the state-owned oil company controlled by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the U.S.'s chief antagonist in the Western Hemisphere." The law firm first registered to lobby for Citgo in April of 2005, shortly after Giuliani joined as a named partner. The contract to lobby was renewed for 2006 and 2007, an arrangement that pays the firm $5,000 per month to track legislation. The firm claims Giuliani has no role in the lobbying position. As a Republican presidential hopeful, Giuliani maintains that Chavez is "no friend of the United States."

Motorcycle fatalities increasing in Brevard County

Jeff Schweers and Sarah Okeson of Florida Today looked at motorcycle fatalities in Brevard County and found that more than twice as many people were killed in 2006 as in 2000, and the county could top that this year. There are now twice as many bikers on Florida highways as there were five years ago. Contributing factors to the fatalities include speed, not wearing a helmet, and drinking.

Empire Zone tax breaks revealed

Michelle Breidenbach and Mike McAndrew of the Syracuse Post-Standard report on the paper's victory in a lawsuit that forced New York state to reveal how it distributes $558 million in tax credits to businesses. "The state kept the dollar amounts secret for years, even as the public and state legislators questioned how some of the state's oldest companies managed to get into a program meant for new businesses." As a result of the lawsuit, the state of New York was forced to disclose the information, which revealed that wealthy power companies, mall developers and big box retail stores have grabbed the largest tax breaks from New York state's Empire Zone program.

Response times faster on inner-city fires

John Tedesco, Karisa King and Kelly Guckian of the San Antonio Express-News analyzed six years of San Antonio Fire Department response-time data and found that firefighters reach inner-city structure fires quicker than in the outlying areas where firefighters cover more territory with fewer stations. In response to the Express-News coverage, local officials pledge to address the fire department's slow response times by either relocating or building new stations.

Superintendent profits while district falters

David Hunn of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports on Riverview Garden School District superintendent, Henry P. Williams. Williams "directed at least $85,000 in extra payments to his retirement and insurance accounts," payments not included in his contract. The paper's investigation shows that these deposits started about four years ago. In addition to financial improprieties, the districted has faltered under his direction. Numerous teachers have resigned and academic standards have plummeted. In last year's state performance review, the district only passed in 3 of 12 categories.

Texas Youth Commission investigation

The Dallas Morning News has posted a page dedicated to its continuing investigation into sexual abuse at Texas juvenile detention centers. Records obtained by the paper showed that young inmates were being sexually assaulted, and nothing was done to stop it, despite complaints and reports by staffers at the West Texas State School. Included on the page is Web-only video and documents from the Texas Youth Commission's report on the West Texas State School.

Lax inspections leave Pennsylvania pets in peril

Tim Darragh and Christopher Schnaars of The Morning Call investigated the inspection of Pennsylvania dog kennels. Analyzing a database of 20,000 inspections since 2003, they found that kennel owners almost always got a satisfactory grade, even when they had violations. This kennel inspection data was made availabe on The Morning Call's site and is searchable by county and kennel. The governor of Pennsylvania is considering significant new regulations on the state's kennels.

Post-season success equals big rewards for winning coaches

Steve Weiberg and Jodi Upton of USA Today looked at the salaries of men's Division I basketball coaches. "USA Today obtained contracts or other documents detailing salaries for coaches at 58 of the 65 schools in the 2006 tournament field. Their average salary this season: nearly $800,000. In the six marquee conferences — the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pacific-10 and Southeastern — that average jumps to $1.2 million, not counting benefits, incentives or any of the perks coaches routinely receive." Success in the post-season NCAA tournament often parlays itself into lucrative contract extensions earning coaches even more. Included with the article are links to a database of salaries, contract incentives, mid-major salary trends, and pressure to pay women's coaches more.

Stolen Property Found In Home Of Denver's City Attorney

Tony Kovaleski of Denver's 7NEWS revealed that stolen property was found in the home of Denver City Attorney Larry Manzanares. Manzaneres claimed he purchased the stolen laptop from a man in a parking lot. The laptop had gone missing from the City & County building in Denver. Manzanares had been placed on "investigatory leave" after the story broke. On Tuesday, he resigned his position on Tuesday following the 7NEWS investigation.

Miami's political leader arrested on fraud and grand theft

Debbie Cenziper of The Miami Herald reports that one of Miami's leading political and civic figures, Raul Masvidal, was arrested on fraud and grand theft charges. The arrest is the result of an investigation prompted by The Herald's "House of Lies" series that exposed rampant corruption in the Miami-Date Housing Agency. Masvidal is one of at least six people investigated as a result of the "House of Lies" investigation.

Squeezing millions from pennies

Ron Campbell of the Orange County Register reports on Irvine businessman Mark Ellis who made millions of dollars through his money-losing penny stock company, Winsted Holdings. By reverse-splitting the stock and then flooding the market with billions of new shares, he effectively drove down the stock's price to a hundredth of a penny.The story explores Winsted's tumultuous history and shows how penny-stock investors miss out on protections available to other investors.

Major political contributor receives helping hand

Reporters Cary Spivak and Patrick Marley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel disclosed that a top official in Gov. Jim Doyle’s administration ordered two state workers to lend a hand to three trucking firms fighting nearly $1 million in out-of-state tax bills. The firms were owned by Dennis Troha, a major contributor to Doyle’s campaigns, who was indicted last week on unrelated charges stemming from other campaign donations to Doyle.

CBS 2's Dave Savini to testify in Springfield on Friday

Dave Savini, the CBS 2 reporter who has investigated security loopholes at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, is scheduled to testify before the newly created State of Illinois Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Committee. The report resulted in calls from Congressman Mark Kirk and others for security changes at the airport including increased screenings of airport workers.

Black children left in danger by state agency

Investigative Reporter Jeremy Rogalski of KHOU-Houston discovered the state agency that protects abused children may be more likely to leave black children in dangerous and abusive home situations. The story examines whether a Texas program designed to address the large percentage of African-American children in foster homes has pressured case workers into "leaving African-American children in place at all costs."

Sexual discrimination in Texas Air Guard

You've heard of the Bronze Star, but have you heard of "The Vagisil Award"? Mark Greenblatt of KHOU-Houston found it had been given to a female airman in the Texas Air National Guard and the humiliation nearly ruined her. He also uncovered claims of rampant sexual discrimination such as decorated women officers (one an Iraq war veteran and the winner of the Bronze Star) who say their male commanding officers tanked their careers. The report has caught the eye of Congressional members who are now promising action.

Housing conditions for Milwakee's impoverished mentally ill

Reforms promised after the story reveals that man under Milwaukee County's care was dead for days before his body was discovered. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Meg Kissinger continues her year-long coverage of housing conditions for Milwakee's impoverished mentally ill. The latest story details how a man had been dead for up to four days before anyone noticed. Records and interviews show he was supposed to receive daily supervision. Kissinger's earlier stories have prompted state reforms and launched a criminal investigation into the starvation death of a woman at the Milwakee County Mental Health Complex. More than $12 million has been pledged to improve housing conditions in the wake of the stories. Read the latest story and the series.

"Shame of the State" uncovers assisted-living horrors in Pennsylvania

Ken Dilanian of The Philadelphia Inquirer found a long list of health and safety violations, a history of substandard care, and a system of state oversight that, until recently, often allowed deficient operators to violate safety rules with virtual impunity in the assisted-living homes of Philadelphia. Since 2000, at least 55 assisted-living residents have died across the state under horrible circumstances. Uncounted others were beaten or neglected at the state-regulated facilities. At least five were raped. With Nancy Phillips, Dilanian questioned the dysfunctional system that let a chain of horrors grow.