Extra! Extra!

Mohamed Atta and 9/11: The Secret FAA Files

Eric Longabardi, reporting for "The Enterprise Report" at ERSNews.com, reports on the "secret FAA airmen files" of Mohamed Atta, the lead pilot in the terrorist attacks of 9/11. The files, posted on the site, and additional exclusive materials provide details about the extensive flight training that helped Atta earn a commercial pilot's license in the U.S. Longabardi writes that the records show that Atta and his co-conspirators had far more sophisticated skills than previous media accounts acknowledged.

Sunshine Laws disregarded by council members

Beth Kormanik of The (Jacksonville, Fla.) Times-Union evaluated the daily calendars of city council members from June 1, 2005, to Dec. 1, 2006 and found dozens of meetings that violated Florida's open meetings laws. "The computer-assisted analysis documented 307 scheduled meetings, excluding committee and full council meetings. Forty-seven calendar listings dealt with specific items of city business such as the Cecil Field referendum, city contracts and downtown traffic but were held without prior public notice and without a written account of the proceedings." As a result of the investigation, State Attorney Harry Shorstein has recommended a grand jury investigation of the city council's open meeting practices, siting "a culture of blatant disregard."

Biotech developer scams Florida cities

A seven-month investigation by Jason Grotto of The Miami Herald reveals how a Boston developer, Dennis Stackhouse, collected millions of dollars for a biotech park. He promised to create thousands of jobs in one of Miami-Dade's neediest neighborhood, but nothing was ever built. Part two of the series shows how Stackhouse received support for the project from community leaders despite the fact that his plan was riddled with problems. The Herald also found that Liberty City was not the first community to be scammed by Stackhouse.

Inspections at the pumps thwart consumer fraud

In a time of rising gas prices, Eric Morath of The Detroit News brings some good news: increased inspections have reduced likelihood of consumers being cheated at the pump. In 2006, there were more inspections of Michigan pumps than the previous three years combined, leading to detection of 1,358 faulty meters and $250,000 in fines.

Danger in Tow: An investigation into U-Haul International

A year-long investigation by Myron Levin and Alan C. Miller of the Los Angeles Times reveals that practices of U-Haul International, the nation's largest provider of rental trailers, are compromising safety on the road. The three-part series explores how U-Haul policies increase likelihood of accidents; spotty maintenance practices; and how, when sued, U-Haul has a history of losing or spoiling evidence.

Juvenile sex offenders pose problems to schools

A report by Anna Song of KATU-Portland, Ore. reveals that juvenile sex offenders often go right back to school after being charged.. Due to their status as minors, school administrators cannot disseminate this information beyond the staff. The story exposes the inconsistency of local school policies when it comes to such offenders: Some schools tell all staff members, some tell just a few. Ultimately, it's up to the principal and can vary by school, not just by district.

Lead hazards still taint cheap toys

Mary Shedden of The Tampa Tribune reports on the continuing problem of lead turning up in children's toys produced outside the U.S. Using independent testing, her investigation turned up toxic levels of lead in one out of three pieces of costume jewelry or trinkets purchased from area stores. In some cases, items subject to recalls were still on the shelves. "About 9 million pieces of children's jewelry have been recalled since 2006, but an understaffed and underfunded U.S. consumer regulatory agency has failed to fine a U.S. retailer or distributor for selling jewelry containing toxic levels."

Mothball fleet polluting Suisun Bay

An aged maritime fleet located in Suisun Bay off the coast of California is an environmental threat according to an investigation by Thomas Peele of the Contra Costa Times. Over 21 tons of toxic metals have shed off the decaying ships into the water creating a significant environmental risk, significantly greater than Maritime Administration office have previously acknowledged.

Secret Shelters

Fred Kelly reports on a two-week investigation by The Charlotte Observer which uncovered an "underground network" of shelters and safe houses, many run by religious ministries, which have sprung up as official shelters face issues of overcrowding. Exact numbers on how many of these make-shift shelters exist are unknown, but The Observer located 17 in the course of their investigation. Officials in the area worry about lack of oversight and regulation which could put residents at risk.

Broken hydrants pepper Chicago suburbs

Over the last three months the CBS2 Investigators exposed numerous broken fire hydrants throughout Chicago’s unincorporated/suburban communities. Starting from a tip about one individual hydrant, WBBM-TV reporter Dave Savini requested the private water utility’s hydrant repair records for the last three years and found hydrants listed in need of repair were documented internally but left broken for years, Savini and producer Michele Youngerman then identified potential problem areas and convinced fire department officials to do some random checks of hydrants. CBS 2’s investigation led to the proposal of a state law requiring private utilities immediately repair broken fire hydrants and that fire departments would be notified where the out of order hydrants are located.

Florida migration patterns show boom has slowed

Through analysis of IRS data from 1999-2000 and 2004-05, St. Petersburg Times reporters James Thorner and Dana Oppenheim looked at the huge migration of people and income to Florida from other states in the first half of the decade, mapping the myriad locations from which people arrived. The analysis found that surprisingly, hot spots for Tampa Bay were other major cities in Florida and places in the Northeast. However, this trend might be changing.

Investigation leads to arrest of tow truck operators

An investigation by the Gilroy (Calif.) Dispatch led to the arrest of a father and son who operated a tow truck company. The two had filed more than 2,000 small claims lawsuits against people from all over California and were arrested last week for allegedly abusing the small claims court system. Previous Dispatch investigations revealed questionable legal and business practices which ultimately led to the charges leveled against them.

Mental health care less than adequate at Walter Reed

In their continuing coverage of the issues surrounding Walter Reed, The Washington Post's most recent installment deals with soldiers who are returning home with mental health issues - namely Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - only to be met with an inadequate mental health system.

Common names can increase odds of identity theft

Lauren Stillwell Bernaldo, Executive Producer of Special Projects, and her team at WBBH TV - NBC Channel 2 in Fort Myers, Fla., examine how the commonality of your first and last name can make you prone to identity theft. The station also provides an online database that allows you to see how common your own name is.

Cheating on standardized tests rampant in some Texas schools

The Dallas Morning News worked with a Canadian professor and found that test scores of more than 50,000 students over two years show evidence of cheating. Joshua Benton and Holly K. Hacker report that their in-depth data analysis contradicts claims by the Texas Education Agency which said cheating was "extraordinarily rare and that the agency has done a good job of policing it." They found cheating concentrated in the two largest districts in Texas - Houston and Dallas - as well as in charter schools. The entire series can be viewed here.

Paris Hilton: The true Hollywood CAR story

The Los Angeles Times found that, if hotel heiress Paris Hilton serves 23 days out of a 45 day sentence for her DUI-related charges, she'll do more time than 80 percent of people convicted of similar offenses. In L.A. County, such offenders are routinely released early due to overcrowded jails. "Because of the high media interest, Hilton was one of only a few inmates whose premature release received publicity — and the judge who originally sentenced her noticed. She is believed to be the first inmate in years who actually was sent back to jail to serve more of her term," the Times reports.

An analysis by Doug Smith and Sandra Poindexter looked at similar cases in county booking and release records from 1999-2005. "The Times analyzed 2 million jail releases and found 1,500 cases since July 2002 that — like Hilton's — involved defendants who had been arrested for drunk driving and later sentenced to jail after a probation violation or driving without a license."

Mismanagement plaques Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District

An investigation by Keith Matheny of The (Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun found questionable management practices by the local mosquito and vector control district. Following dozens of interviews and reviewing thousands of pages of documents, Matheny discovered that the agency, despite having nearly $13 million in reserves, planned to hike a tax on homeowners and property owners. On top of that, the agency's general manager paid $2.3 million more than budgeted for a new lab facility, and increased spending fivefold since 2000, while having fewer employees spraying for bugs such as ants and mosquitoes.

Fresno fire stations fail in timely response to fires

An investigation by Brad Branan of the Fresno Bee shows that the Fresno County fire district is failing to meet the national standard for response time when called, leaving residents and property in peril. An analysis of about 1,500 fires over a 21-month period revealed frequent failure to respond in the 5-minute window. One district only met that national standard on 16 percent of their calls. The county cites too few stations as their main problem. A graphic maps the stations with the percentage of fires they respond to within five minutes.

Miami's city housing program riddled with problems

After a year of exposing corruption and breakdowns in the Miami-Dade County housing agency, The Miami Herald's Debbie Cenziper, Larry Lebowitz and Oscar Corral reveal similar problems in the city of Miami's housing programs, including millions of dollars loaned to developers who never produced the projects they promised -- and never returned the money.

Backgrounding South Florida businessman reveals criminal past

While looking into complaints about a local business, Florida Today reporter Sarah Okeson unearthed the criminal record of a top executive, exposing the questionable endeavors in his past and present. His current firm was booted from the Better Business Bureau. Along with the story, a video interview with the subject of the story was posted on the paper's Web site.

St. Louis-area school district faculty travel bills found to be exorbitant

A St. Louis Post-Dispatch review of Riverview Gardens School District documents revealed a pattern of travel spending normally seen in districts twice its size. "Since 2003, Riverview has sent almost 600 teachers, staff members, principals, administrators and board members on more than 100 trips, to at least 60 cities, from Lake of the Ozarks to New York to San Francisco to Ottawa to Cape Town, South Africa."

Unexploded munitions pose danger to area residents

Land that was once an isolated bombing range has since become prime real estate, the Newport News, Va.Daily Press reports. The land is still marked with dangerous remianders of its former purpose. "As the military has shut bases, bombing ranges and ordnance depots - and as it prepares to depart Fort Monroe in Hampton - it has left behind a landscape peppered with unexploded munitions that can still claim lives."