|
www.ire.org |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
 |
Send comments and suggestions to .
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Government (federal/state/local) May 12, 2008 Taxpayers foot bill for game warden convention A North American game wardens conference in St. Paul last year cost taxpayers nearly $400,000, even though it turned a profit for the convention organizers, reported David Shaffer of the Star Tribune. "Some of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' 204 conservation officers also solicited private donations for the conference — a practice one official says was improper — and all were required to attend. Officers were paid, and those from outside the metro area stayed in downtown hotels at state expense." The story has already prompted three state investigations. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Race track deal emerged at great cost to taxpayers A Charlotte Observer investigation by Adam Bell revealed what happened behind the scenes after a race track owner threatened to move his speedway following a dispute with a community over plans to add a drag strip there. The billionaire owner landed $80 million in taxpayer incentives in exchange for staying in town. A review of more than 1,100 pages of previously confidential documents obtained under the NC Open Records Act, and interviews with more than two dozen people, detailed the lengths to which bickering local officials went to keep the track, including a last-minute decision that cost taxpayers an extra $20 million. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 05, 2008 City repair fund provides scant relief to tenants In a fourth installment of The Washington Post's Forced Out series, about abusive landlords who drive tenants from rent-controlled apartments, Debbie Cenziper and Sarah Cohen report that D.C. government has widely misused a multi-million dollar fund to repair buildings when landlords refuse to do the work. "In the past three years, the (city) spent $617,000 on repairs at neglected apartment buildings — just four percent of the $16.5 million in the fund — even while its inspectors chronicled rampant code violations at complexes across the city." The city spent three times more repairing privately owned, single-family houses, some valued at $500,000 or more, including one that received a new front porch, 25 windows, fresh paint, roof repairs and a new garage door. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 29, 2008 "Business of the Bomb: The Modern Nuclear Marketplace" Michael Montgomery, of American RadioWorks, and Mark Schapiro, of the Center for Investigative Reporting, teamed up to explore the growing nuclear black market which is making it difficult to contain the proliferation of atomic weapons throughout the world. "Experts cite two ominous trends: an increase in the number of nations seeking to enrich uranium, and the emergence of international nuclear smuggling networks." The hour-long radio documentary can be heard here. (The program will be re-broadcast on KQED in the Bay Area April 30 at 8 p.m. PST. Check your local public radio schedules for broadcast dates in your area.) Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 28, 2008 The global food crisis A series by The Washington Post explores the causes and implications of the current global food crisis, the likes of which have not been seen since the 1970s. "A complex combination of poor harvests, competition with biofuels, higher energy prices, surging demand in China and India, and a blockage in global trade is driving food prices up worldwide." The impact is not limited to impoverished countries; consumers in the U.S. and other countries are feeling the impact of rising food costs. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 24, 2008 High price of diplomacy with China The first of two investigative reports from the Center for Investigative Reporting's James Sandler examines the Bush administration's efforts to squelch legal proceedings against two high ranking Chinese officials accused of torturing members of religious groups, including Fulan Gong. The two accused officials are former trade minister Bo Xilai and Beijing’s Olympic Organizing Committee President Liu Qi. Despite the extent of the abuse allegations — including deaths and organ harvesting, the Bush administration claims the suit would have "immediate adverse foreign policy consequences." Supporting documents for the investigation can be found here. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 21, 2008 Pentagon emerges as puppeteer of favorable wartime coverage A report by David Barstow of The New York Times reveals how the Pentagon has used a cadre of retired military officers to "generate favorable news coverage of the [Bush] administration’s wartime performance...Records and interviews show how the Bush administration has used its control over access and information in an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media Trojan horse — an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks." The Times successfully sued the Defense Department for over 8,000 pages of material that outlines the Pentagon's use of these analysts to "deliver administration 'themes and messages' to millions of Americans 'in the form of their own opinions.'" Many of the analysts have close ties to contractors operating in the war zone that are rarely disclosed in the context of their commentary. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 16, 2008 Safety issues ignored despite marked increase in nail gun injuries A Sacramento Bee investigation into the dangers associated with nail guns reveals a dramatic increase in injuries over the last decade. Andrew McIntosh reports that despite an increase in injuries — some resulting in death — the Consumer Product Safety Commission has done little to address safety issues. While many accidents go unreported, an April 2007 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested that injuries have "increased more than threefold in a decade, from about 12,000 in 1995 to about 42,000 in 2005." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 15, 2008 Industry controls state hospital regulation Clark Kauffman of The Des Moines Register explores the influence that the Iowa hospital industry exerts over state regulators and lawmakers. In Iowa today, a state license to run a hospital costs $10, just as it did in 1947. That's less than the cost of a state license to open a bait shop. And the state's Hospital Licensing Board is made up exclusively of industry CEOs. Those CEOs belong to a PAC that opposes issues such as mandatory criminal background checks on hospital workers, increases in licensing fees, and updated standards on new hospital construction. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post San Francisco emergency response times lagging Jim Doyle of The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the city's emergency response system is failing to meet response goals. In February 2004, the city adopted a 6-1/2 minute standard for emergency response. Since then, at least 439 people have died while waiting for delayed emergency assistance. "The The Chronicle found that delayed emergency medical responses are the result of numerous causes, from chronic understaffing, language barriers and botched dispatches at the city's 911 call center to traffic congestion and unavailable nearby ambulances." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 10, 2008 Retired city workers profit from unpaid sick time St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporters Kevin Crowe and Jake Wagman did a quick-hit CAR story about how much money retirees from the city have been getting for unused sick pay. "Of 281 employees who received payment for unused sick days, 149 workers walked away with at least $10,000; 15 of those workers received more than $50,000." The story includes a searchable database of the cashed-in sick pay. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 08, 2008 Big retailer profited from state office supply contract California's state office supply contract was meant to benefit the small businesses while saving the state money, but an investigation by Kimberly Kindy of The San Jose Mercury News shows that the contract actually lined the pockets the big box retailer Office Depot. In 2007, the state's bill for office supplies ran over $32 million. "As for the savings, a Mercury News analysis shows the annual cost for office supplies rose 20 percent under the contract and included tens of thousands of dollars in overcharges." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 07, 2008 Profits balloon for business improperly certified as disadvantaged Elizabeth Newell and Robert Brodsky of Govermnent Executive report that a Miami-based defense contractor saw a significant increase in his business after being improperly labeled as a small disadvantaged business. AEY, Inc. is currently under investigation for providing faulty munitions as part of a $289 million contract to provide the Afgahanistan Army and police force with ammunition. Since being incorrectly labeled as a SDB, AEY has earned over $204 million from federal contracts. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 03, 2008 Declassified memo reveals claims to president's unfettered wartime power Dan Eggen and Josh White of The Washington Post report on the recently declassified 2003 Justice Department memo that was responsible for creating the "legal foundation for the Defense Department's use of aggressive interrogation practices" in the run up to the war in Iraq. The memo suggested that presidential power was nearly unlimited during a time of war and should override laws forbidding torture. The Post provides links to pdfs of the 81-page memo (part 1 & 2). Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 01, 2008 Thousands of underground fuel tanks must be upgraded in South Florida An investigation by Mc Nelly Torres of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel revealed that forty-three percent of underground fuel tanks in South Florida must still be upgraded to be in compliance with state environmental laws. A state law requires all underground tanks use a "double-walled system" by 2009 to prevent soil and groundwater contamination. The Sun-Sentinel's analysis of Florida Department of Environmental Protection data revealed that "11,168 underground fuel tanks in Florida — out of 26,529 — have not been replaced with the proper systems". Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 07, 2008 Worst nursing homes collecting bonuses Clark Kauffman of The Des Moines Register reports that some of the worst nursing homes in Iowa are collecting tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded bonuses that are supposed to reward quality care. The bonuses are paid through a little-known program that boosts the amount of Medicaid money received by homes that score well on certain "accountability measures." The Register's analysis of the program shows that 16 of the 23 homes that faced large fines last year for causing deaths or injuries are this year collecting quality-of-care bonuses from the Medicaid program. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Boys academy continues to operate despite abuse reports Investigative Reporter Paul Aker of WBNS-Columbus, found that the Central Ohio Boys Residential Academy, a camp for troubled youth, has a history of abuse but continues to operate. According to the report, "A former staff worker also claims to have seen children seriously hurt by COBRA workers, and often slammed into walls." The investigation revealed that allegations of abuse have resulted in several criminal cases against staff, and the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services that licenses the academy was not aware of the criminal convictions. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 13, 2008 Complaints against contractors on rise in Florida, response slow Mc Nelly Torres of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that consumer complaints registered against state-licensed contractors have significantly increased since the hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005. As a result, consumers are having to wait twice as long for resolutions to their complaints. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation cites insufficient resources and staff to handle the influx in a timely manner. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 05, 2008 State falls behind in routine fire safety inspection of schools Despite laws requiring regular fire safety inspection of the state's schools, an investigation by KNXV-TV (Phoenix) revealed that the Office of the Arizona State Fire Marshal have failed to complete the routine inspections. "A review of records for 200 schools in Maricopa County revealed more than 70 schools that have not been inspected for two or more years. We also found more than 30 schools with inspection reports indicating the facilities were not recommended for licensing at the time." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Fundraisers wield influence over North Carolina Board of Transportation Dan Kane and Benjamin Noilet of the News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) report that reforms introduced a decade ago and meant to repair the "scandal-plagued" Board of Transportation in North Carolina have done little to end the corruption. Despite laws introduced to curb their influence, fundraisers are still landing prime spots on the Board. "The 19-member DOT board remains a plum spot for big political fundraisers who continue to ignore conflicts of interest and the wider needs of the state beyond their own districts." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 25, 2008 Text messages sink Detroit mayor's sworn testimony Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is under investigation after M.L. Elrick and Jim Schaefer of The Detroit Free Press obtained text messages that contradict the mayor's testimony in a court case filed by a former deputy police chief, who claimed he was the victim of retaliatory firing. (See the chain of events in the case that cost the city $9 million.) The text messages, which the paper first sought in 2004, revealed details of an affair between Beatty and Kirkpatrick, which they denied in court, and damaging comments about the plaintiff's termination. Free Press tech columnist Mike Wendland explains the special message archiving service used by the City of Detroit and other government entities. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Drought threatens nuclear power in Southeast AP's Charlotte correspondent Mitch Weiss identified 24 nuclear reactors located in areas of severe drought that could potentially force reactors in the Southeast to reduce power or shut down later this year. The drought threatens the rivers and streams that supply massive amounts of cooling water. Weiss reports that, while utility officials issue public assurances about the plants' operability, documents reveal warnings about potential shutdowns and the expense of buying power from alternate sources. His analysis and mapping covered 104 nuclear reactors nationwide. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 24, 2008 Georgia purchasing cards abused to the tune of $370 million Andrea Jones and Megan Clarke of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution report that abuse of government purchasing cards cost the state approximately $370 million in 2007. An analysis of over four million transactions showed that the credit cards have been used to pay for such things as pornography, tattoos, concerts, and dating services. In addition to the problem charges, around 2,100 cards have been lost or stolen since 2005. Included in the report is a online database of all the credit card transactions. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 16, 2008 Racist jokes, porn found on DA's office computer Community leaders are calling for Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal to resign after Jeremy Rogalski of KHOU-Houston uncovered racist emails and sex videos on the D.A.'s county computer, along with evidence suggesting that Rosenthal used county time and resources in his political campaigns. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 10, 2008 Separation of church and state blurred by former Utah governor Robert Gehrke of The Salt Lake Tribune reported that U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt discussed incorporating Mormon doctrines and beliefs into state government when he was governor of Utah. When The Tribune started inquiring, Leavitt requested the state remove transcripts of his discussions from public display. PDFs of the minutes from the "seminary" meetings he held with other government officials are posted on The Tribune's website. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 17, 2007 Cheating rampant on Army exams Bryan Bender and Kevin Baron of The Boston Globe spent five-months investigating the Army's testing program "which verifies that soldiers have learned certain military skills and helps them amass promotion points." Cheating had been suspected since 1999, but the Army did not acknowledge the problem until June 2007. The Globe's investigation learned that the Army dismissed recommendations for increasing test security in 2001 while increasing the number of exams they offered online. Bender and Baron found that hundreds of thousands of completed exam packages had been downloaded over the years. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 14, 2007 Rural business loans lead to huge losses for USDA Gilbert Gaul continued with The Washington Post's investigation of the USDA's farm subsidy loan program and found many shortcomings. Small companies that go out of business often default on their loans; since the 1970s, the loan program has seen nearly $1.5 billion in losses. Gaul used individual examples of USDA loans to illustrate broader problems within the program, such as financing jobs that have gone to illegal immigrants, "saving" jobs that would not be lost anyway, and lending money to businesses and people with bad credit who are likely to default on the loan. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 10, 2007 Insiders profit from FDA's Fast Track A seven-month investigation by The Plain Dealer's Joel Rutchick and Brie Zeltner into the FDA's Fast Track drug review program has proven benefits to investors while doing little or nothing to speed up the availability of new medical treatments, compared to expedited review options that already existed before the drug industry lobbied to create Fast Track."Fast The news of Fast Track designation creates a boon for day traders, hedge funds and others looking to make quick money off biotech stocks." Securities information shows that stocks surge at the announcement of Fast Track designations, resulting in hefty profits for company insiders. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 04, 2007 Third-world workers exploited by U.S. security contractors Matthew D. La Plante of The Salt Lake Tribune reports on workers from developing nations who are are employed by private security contractors working for the U.S. in Iraq. Federal reports suggest that four-fifths of the armed contractors come from other countries, and some earn as little as $31 per day. Human rights advocates say it's exploitation. United Nations officials say it's a violation of international law. But the U.S. government says that, at a time when its military is stretched so thin, third-world security contractors will be standing guard over U.S. facilities for a long time to come." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 30, 2007 Property tax deliquency costs county The Dallas Morning News investigated the widespread property tax delinquency that plagues Texas. Reporters Kevin Krause and Molly Motley-Blythe attacked the problem from all angles, including which types of organizations are likely not to pay taxes, what sorts of excuses they use, and how the delinquency affects tax-run programs and other tax payers. Furthermore, the investigation reveals that some organizations still receive government funds, even though they've fallen behind on their property taxes. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 28, 2007 Dallas property values derived from small sampling of sales Paul Adrian of KDFW-Dallas/Ft. Worth investigated disparities in property taxes set by the Dallas Central Appraisal District. Fox 4 learned that values for neighborhoods are set by home sale data reflecting an average of 3 percent of the properties, while assessors said that 10 percent or more would be ideal. A database of appraisals includes information on the property that was used to set the valuation.
The National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, a joint program of IRE and the Missouri School of Journalism, helped with the data analysis and mapping for this story.
Police cruisers involved in hundreds of accidents in Massachusetts An investigation by Maggie Mulvihill and Joe Bergantino of WBZ-Boston shows that Massachusetts state troopers are causing numerous accidents on those same roads they're monitoring. Internal police data revealed that troopers have caused "nearly 500 crashes in their own cruisers in the past seven years." Many troopers investigate their own accidents excusing themselves of fault 55 percent of the time. The accidents have cost taxpayers $2 million in settlements and repairs. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 27, 2007 Broken water meters costly in Atlanta Jeremy Redmond of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that a large number of Atlanta-area residents and businesses have received outrageous water bills because of broken meters that the city has not fixed, even after multiple complaints. Atlanta entered into a new contract with a private company to repair and update all meters, but the company is not required to fix broken meters first. To verify the city's claims that meters are being fixed, the newspaper requested copies of monthly reports on the contractor's performance and meters that cannot be read or located, but the city has not yet provided the records. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 20, 2007 Death rates rise at Kabul maternity hospital supported by U.S. training Maternal and infant death rates spiked at a major Kabul maternity hospital that was promoted as a model of U.S. medical training in Afghanistan. Alison Young of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reveals that "the rate of normal-sized babies dying in labor and delivery at Rabia Balkhi jumped 67 percent last year." The statistics, including death rates from C-sections, raised concern at U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The same U.S.-funded healthcare program also spent $1.3 million on a no-bid contract for LeapFrog talking books "The idea was to teach illiterate Afghan women about hygiene, prenatal care, immunizations and nutrition from talking picture books popular with U.S. children." Documents from the CDC, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson are posted online. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 19, 2007 D.C. property tax refund fraud In a Washington Post analysis of Washington D.C. city records, Dan Keating and Carol D. Loennig report that seven years' worth of fraudulent property tax funds have cost the District $31.7 million. On Nov. 7, the former manager of property tax refunds was arrested and charged for the refund fraud, along with five others. Federal authorities reported $20 million in fraudulent payments, but The Post analysis found more fraudulent refunds than had been publicly reported. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 08, 2007 Chicago transit pension fund in trouble Stacy Warden of the Chi-town Daily News investigated questionable policies in the Chicago Transportation Authority's pension fund, raising questions about CTA's claim that state funding policies had caused its current financial crisis. "Taking the first steps toward repairing the agency's pension fund, along with paying rapidly increasing employee wages and health care costs, will cost the CTA $101.4 million this year, accounting for 92 percent of the CTA budget gap. In 1994 the CTA pension fund was found to be robust enough to allow for reduced contributions, but a combination of reduced revenues, early retirement benefits and some of the highest wages in country have strained the system. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 02, 2007 Whistle-blowers punished by system meant to protect them A collaborative six-month investigation by the Center for Investigative Reporting and Salon.com details the failings of whistleblower courts, which are intended to protect employees who speak out against corruption and abuses in government agencies. Instead, this forum is used to punish those who speak out for the public good. The investigation "found that federal whistle-blowers almost never receive legal protection after they take action. Instead, they often face agency managers and White House appointees intent upon silencing them rather than addressing the problems they raise...At whistleblower court, employees lose nearly 97 percent of the time." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 31, 2007 Twin Cities residents pocket farm subsidy payments Matt McKinney and Glenn Howatt of The Star Tribune report that millions in farm subsidies are being paid to people who live in urban areas, including some of the toniest neighborhoods of Minneapolis-St. Paul. "The flow of federal largesse comes thanks to rules that allow landowners — including some 2,000 in the metro area — to collect subsidies without farming the land themselves, a legal and increasingly common practice as farm ownership has consolidated over the past few decades." A current $280 billion farm bill before Congress aims for reform, but few expect real change. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 30, 2007 Earmarks added $11.8 billion to defense bill The Seattle Times kicked off an occasional series on Congressional earmarks, the companies that benefit and the political fundraising connected to the pork projects. David Heath and Hal Bernton report that, after months of collecting and checking data from press releases and campaign finance reports, they were able to "tie about half of the 2,700 earmarks in the 2007 defense spending bill to members of Congress." The estimated cost of the defense bill's add-ons: $11.8 billion. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 29, 2007 Abuses found in Detroit's tax-relief program David Josar of The Detroit News investigated possibly abuses by the the city's Hardship Committee, which grants millions in property tax exemptions intended for the poor but keeps no notes at its meetings, does not verify applicants' claims and has never been audited. The News' three-month investigation found that some exemptions were granted to property owners who owned multiple homes and luxury cars. The coverage led the Detroit City Council to call a closed-door session with city attorneys to discuss the committee's actions. As a result, one committee member was removed for granting a tax break of over $6,000 to her lawyer. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 24, 2007 Blackwater leaves dirty trail PBS' Bill Moyers Journal features Jeremy Scahill, author of a book about Blackwater, a private U.S.-based company that is one of the largest private security contractors in Iraq, where its assignments have included protecting individuals and guarding the U.S. embassy. Scahill's interview comes in the wake of Congressional hearings after the company's employees were implicated in the killing of 17 Iraqis. Scahill speaks on these topics, rebutting much of Blackwater founder Erik Prince's media blitz following the various investigations of that September incident. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 16, 2007 FEMA aid distribution uneven to victims of NY storms Patrick Lakamp, Mary Pasciak and Susan Schulman of the Buffalo News report on FEMA's uneven aid to areas hit by a surprise storm last October. "Almost one-half the nearly 18,000 residents in Western New York who applied for FEMA money got some help. But in Buffalo, one-third of the applicants received aid." In North Buffalo, only 20 percent of applicants received aid, even though some areas looked like "a war zone." An East Side neighborhood where FEMA workers went door-to-door encouraging residents to apply received the largest sum. "A News computer analysis was able to determine what items FEMA approved, and at what cost, for 98 percent of the claims." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 10, 2007 Developer blows whistle on City Hall shakedowns Reese Dunklin of The Dallas Morning News tells the story of developer Bill Fisher, who became an FBI informant after his low-income apartment complex projects were rejected by the Dallas City Council. Before the vote, Fisher was told that in order to get millions of dollars in economic incentives, he would have to do favors for friends of Dallas Mayor Pro-Tem Don Hill. The FBI's case led to an indictment alleging that "Mr. Hill and his associates demanded and received about $225,000 in contracts and fees from the developer." The News story further reveals that Mr. Fisher has his own checkered past. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 05, 2007 Anti-poverty agency funded private jet trips to MTV awards In another installment of The Miami Herald's Poverty Peddlers series, reporters Scott Hiaasen and Jason Grotto reveal that the Miami-Dade Empowerment Trust, the county's largest anti-poverty agency, squandered millions of dollars on lavish parties, bad loans and insider deals. The reporters showed that public money for the poor went to pay for celebrities like Sean "Diddy" Combs and Shakira to fly to Miami for MTV award shows; the flights used a charter company run by a board member. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 03, 2007 Nearly $18 million in overtime paid to Milwaukee police officers Gina Barton and Ben Poston of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analyzed city of Milwaukee salary and overtime data and found that the police department spent $17.8 million on overtime last year — a 23 percent increase over the previous year. Officers worked enough overtime to hire 380 more officers and pay their benefits. One officer alone earned more than $64,000 in overtime last year, more than doubling his salary. He was one of 42 officers who got paid more than $100,000 a year in 2006. The story includes a searchable database of city of Milwaukee salaries. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 19, 2007 US exports unsafe products While much hoopla was made of the recall of certain Chinese-made products by the Consumer Product Safety Division, United States companies have been allowed to export unsafe products overseas, according to a report by Russell Carrollo of The Sacramento Bee. These items included very flammable children’s clothing, toys and wax crayons with toxic chemicals in them and other goods banned in the U.S., but deemed fit to ship. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 18, 2007 Animal shelter practices questioned Sarah Okeson of Florida Today investigated the Brevard County animal services department after questions have been raised about how the Animal Services & Enforcement Department is being run. Allegations include one employee who has been illegally selling animals from the shelters. An audit found that the ownership records of 43 animals were changed in the department's database with no other documentation other than a sticky note, and that whereabouts of at least 29 animals are unknown. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post BusinessWeek tallies payoff from lobbying BusinessWeek notes that, while scrutiny of federal earmarks and corporate lobbying has intensified recently,"no one outside the lobbying firms and corporate boardrooms has ever known just how much all those lobbyists bring in." Based on an analysis of nearly 2,000 earmarks that went to companies in fiscal 2005, the story by Eamon Javers estimates that, on average, companies generated roughly $28 in earmark revenue for every dollar they spent lobbying. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 12, 2007 Perks grew while budgets shrank in three Florida counties With tax cuts and the real estate bust forcing local governments to slash their budgets, Doug Sword, Anthony Cormier and Patrick Whittle of the Herald-Tribune (Sarasota, Fla.) looked at spending in three local sheriff's agencies. They found a number of questionable expenses, such as a luxury SUV for Sarasota's sheriff with upgrades like climate controlled leather seats and a $2,000 navigation system. Here are the stories for the counties of Sarasota, Charlotte and Manatee. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 10, 2007 Flex-Fuel fleet remains shrouded in secrecy Kimberly Kindy, reporting for the San Jose Mercury News and the Sacramento bureau of MediaNews, adds more on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's attempts to create a fleet of environmentally friendly vehicles, which earned him international recognition but also handed a single-source contract to General Motors, a longtime political supporter. The latest story describes how the governor's administration has repeatedly refused to release documents that reveal the level of its involvement in crafting this fleet. In July, Kindy reported that the "green" cars still burn normal gasoline because they have no access to the cleaner ethanol blend, E85. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 31, 2007 One in five taxis cited in state inspection The Arizona Republic's M.B. Pell reports that one out of every five taxis in Arizona failed state inspections in the past year. Inspectors from the Department of Weights and Measures "conducted nearly 1,570 field inspections of cabs, citing 120 taxis and limousines for having improperly sealed, calibrated or installed meters. Among other citations, 126 vehicles had no insurance or too little insurance, and 95 drivers did not have valid driver's licenses, according to field inspection data." Of $196,400 in fines levied since 2004, $97,975 has been collected. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 27, 2007 Travel regulations don't touch executive branch officials Ken Dilanian of USA Today reports that many executive branch officials regularly still accept trips from companies and associations which stand to benefit from the agencies' decisions. Although members of Congress cannot accept these sorts of gifts according to the newly passed ethics bill, the restrictions do no apply to other branches of government. "More than 200 trips during the 12-month period [April 2006 to March 2007], however, were paid for by corporations or trade groups that are regulated by, or do business with, the department or agency." While these trips are permissible as long as there is no conflict of interest, records show that the interpretation varies widely. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 13, 2007 Wis. dam inspections fall behind schedule Ben Poston and Patrick Marley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analyzed a database of state dam inspections and found that Wisconsin inspectors have failed to inspect dozens of dams that could pose a danger in the event of a break. In all, the state Department of Natural Resources has not inspected at least 230 state-regulated dams — including 67 that are considered a "high or significant hazard" — since August 1997, despite a state law that requires inspections at least once every 10 years. The reporters also posted a searchable database of the state-regulated dams on the newspaper's Data on Demand site. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Ohio bridges at risk The Columbus Dispatch examined each of the 35 bridges over the Ohio River connecting Ohio to neighboring Kentucky and West Virginia. Reporter Randy Ludlow discovered that seven are rated as structurally deficient. That group includes three of the four bridges owned by the Ohio Department of Transportation. The investigation revealed that highway officials have plans to close one bridge when the temperature drops to 5 below zero. The steel of the old bridge becomes so brittle in bitter cold that engineers fear it could fracture, raising the possibility of the span toppling. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 06, 2007 City liability databases offer up wide range of stories After a quick-hit investigation in to liability payouts for sewer damages, Marc Davis of The Virginian-Pilot continues to find stories within city liability databases. For instance, accidents involving city vehicles cost taxpayers millions. "The cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach paid about $7.5 million to more than 1,700 victims of vehicular accidents in 2004, 2005 and 2006, according to a Virginian-Pilot analysis." Yet sovereign immunity protects these cities in other cases. Often, it is nearly impossible to get reimbursed for accidents caused by a city employee's negligence, especially if they happen at school. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 02, 2007 Insider deals boost Milwaukee County pensions A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation found that hundreds of Milwaukee County workers, including some high profile officials, boosted their pensions by $50 million by sidestepping county pension rules and IRS tax codes. Reporter Dave Umhoefer traced the self-dealing and cronyism that launched the breaks, which allow workers to pay to convert ineligible work service from summer seasonal jobs into lucrative retirement credits. Many can expect five- and six-figure pension gains over their lifetimes for comparatively modest payments for the credits. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 26, 2007 Fresno suffers more power outages than neighboring communities California and other states require investor-owned utilities to publish reliability statistics, including the number of minutes the average customer goes without power each year. Brad Branan of the Fresno Bee looked at those numbers to find that "customers in the Fresno division of Pacific Gas & Electric Co. go without power longer than those in most areas served by the utility in Central and Northern California, according to a report the utility filed with state regulators." Statistics from the past year show that Fresno experience 34% more outages than average for communities served by PG&E. California's reliability reports can be found here. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Overtime tops $500 million in California state prisons Inmate overcrowding and the increasing number of staff vacancies in California's prisons are spiking overtime costs for the state's corrections department, which spent more than half a billion dollars last year on overtime pay, according to analysis of payroll records by the San Francisco Chronicle. Tom Chorneau and Todd Wallack report that the surge -- a 35 percent increase from the agency's overtime bill in 2005 -- comes as the department prepares for a major expansion of the prison system. The Chronicle analysis found that almost 15 percent of the department's 56,000-member workforce earned at least $25,000 in overtime in the last calendar year -- more than eight times the amount paid to the average state worker over the same period. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 24, 2007 Cities liability records expose wide disparities A quick-hit investigation by Marc Davis of The Virginian-Pilot looked at city liablitiy records and found "Virginia Beach paid 84 homeowners and businesses a total of $457,000 to fix damages or repay plumbing fees for sewer backups in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Among the other four cities - Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Suffolk - none has paid for more than 13 claims of sewer backup repairs over the same three years. And none has paid more than $48,000 total - roughly one-tenth of Virginia Beach's total." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 23, 2007 Pentagon dismissed requests for mine-resistant vehicles The Pentagon failed in its efforts to protect troops in Iraq, according to an investigation by Peter Eisler, Blake Morrison and Tom Vanden Brook of USA TODAY. The Pentagon has known for years that Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles could save lives for soldiers on patrol and in combat, but ignored appeals for such vehicles. USA TODAY found that the first requests for MRAPs came from Marines in December 2003. It was not until two months ago that the Pentagon finally backed supplying MRAPs for U.S. troops with thousands on order at a cost of nearly $2.4 billion. Some officials blame delays on adopting the MRAP for troop use on the belief that the war would not last this long. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post WARN Act riddled with loopholes In a four-part series, James Drew and Steve Eder of The (Toledo, Ohio) Blade report that a 19-year-old federal law that requires companies to give notice to workers losing their jobs is so full of loopholes and flaws that employers repeatedly skirt it with little or no penalty. A Blade analysis of 226 lawsuits filed in federal courts since 1989 revealed that judges threw out more than half of the cases alleging violations of the Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification Act, or WARN Act. In the majority of those decisions, judges cited loopholes in the law, ranging from companies that said they tried their best to give notice to employees to firms that claimed they couldn't predict bad financial times. A day after The Blade's series began, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown introduced a bill to overhaul the law. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 19, 2007 Political speed zones Sarah Okeson of Florida Today looked into a new law that sets up enhanced penalty zones in which drivers who speed get higher fines. Reviewing more than 1 million crashes in Florida from 2002 to 2005, she found that the speed zones aren't located in areas with the highest rates of speed-related crashes. The state officials in charge of the program didn't calculate the rates for speed-related crashes using numbers for how much traffic was on the roads. The law set up the zones in counties where the bill's top supporters lived. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 17, 2007 State pensions profit from nuclear waste, rogue states Nevada's pension fund for state workers, legislators and judges holds investments in companies that have pushed to dump nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain— even though the state has fought to keep the shipments out. Steve Kanigher and Alex Richards of Las Vegas Sun discovered that the $23 billion portfolio, run by independent fund managers, holds hundreds of millions in controversial investments, such as companies that do business in Iran, which the United States accuses of sponsoring terrorists. The fund invests in firms accused by critics of war profiteering (Halliburton), using child labor (Nestle) and furthering toxic pollution (Newmont Mining Corp.)." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 13, 2007 Lawmakers try to save earmarks despite new spending bill Earlier this year, Congress passed a major spending bill that it promoted as being stripped of all earmarks and a strike against pork-barrel spending. But even as the bill passed, a joint investigation by the Center for Investigative Reporting and the Los Angeles Times reveals top Democrats and members of both parties deluged government agencies with special requests to fund pet projects. CIR obtained congressional correspondence under the Freedom of Information Act showing 122 spending requests from 52 senators and 205 representatives in the wake of that "earmark-free" bill, including multiple letters from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. You can see the story from the Los Angeles Times here. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 12, 2007 Contractors' murders blamed on Blackwater manager The gruesome 2004 massacre of four Blackwater USA security guards is being blamed on their Baghdad site manager, Tom Powell, accoring to documents obtained by The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer. Joseph Neff reports that memos reveal the Bravo 2 and November 1 squads were commanded by Powell to go on a mission despite being undermanned and underprepared. Bravo 2 disregarded directions to drive through Fallujah, instead skirting the city, and returned safely to Baghdad. November 1 drove through Fallujah as directed and was ambushed. All four guards were killed in the attack. The News & Observer's extensive coverage of the Blackwater killings can be found here. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 05, 2007 Nonprofit subsidizes Schwartenegger's lavish travel Paul Pringle of the Los Angeles Time reports that much of Gov. Arnold Schwartzenegger's travel is billed to "an obscure nonprofit group that can qualify its secret donors for full tax deductions." Not only do watchdogs claim these write-offs are "abuse of tax codes," but they also create a loophole to limits on campaign finance contributions since charities are not governed by disclosure rules and donors can contribute an unlimited amount. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 02, 2007 Job-creation subsidies go unchecked Steven Schultze and Joel Dresang of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel found that, while the state doles out hundreds of millions in subsidies to Wisconsin businesses for job creation, it fails to track if the money actually makes a difference. The Journal Sentinel investigation shows that thousands of promised jobs are not getting filled. Schultze and Dresang focused on 25 companies that got $80 million in subsidies. About 40 percent of the jobs they promised never materialized. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 26, 2007 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. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 13, 2007 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. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post 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. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 30, 2007 Collateral Damage - Human Rights and Military Aid after 9/11 The Center for Public Integrity has published "one of the most comprehensive resources on U.S. military aid and assistance in the post-9/11 era. 'Collateral Damage' couples the reporting of 10 of the world's leading investigative journalists on four continents with a powerful database combining U.S. military assistance, foreign lobbying expenditures, and human rights abuses into a single, easily accessible toolkit." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 29, 2007 Delays impeded implementation of air defense system prior to 9/11 Michael Fabey of Aerospace Daily and Defense Report writes that the inability of the Pentagon and Canadian defense officials to keep a lid on costs and schedules may have cost them the opportunity to modernize their radar-based air defense system in time to possibly thwart the terrorist from completing their 9/11 attacks. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Police chief misrepresents crime report to city council Will Carless of voiceofsandiego.org reports that San Diego's Chief of Police delivered misinformation in his report to the City Council. "The chief's statements were made at the height of contract negotiations between the police department and the city. While the chief was painting a rosy picture of crime rates before four city councilmen, the police union was busy trying to convince the city that it was in dire straits." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 21, 2007 Fire chief retires while under investigation The fire chief of Aurora, Colo. is retiring following a KCNC-Denver reported that "he had apparently played golf during normal work hours on as many as 23 weekdays during an 8 month period." The city had suspended the chief pending its own investigation into the allegations, but the chief has said that he is retiring of his own volition. CBS4 also found allegations, posted on a former assistant city attorney's blog, accusing the chief of carrying on an affair with the attorney's wife. Brian Maass details the CBS4 investigation here. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 15, 2007 ATVs: Deceptively Dangerous An in-depth special report by The Oregonian explores the dangers of ATVs. "Over the past decade, the machines have soared in popularity, with 7.6 million in use. The result: Record numbers of riders end up in emergency rooms and morgues as accidents kill about 800 people a year and injure an estimated 136,700." The multimedia report includes myriad documents and video footage detailing the reality of ATV safety issues and concerns. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Will parking violators pay in Peoria? Nishi Gupta of WHOI-Peoria, Ill., found the city was owed nearly $1.2M in parking fines. She reviewed thousands of cases and found many people owed hundreds, even thousands of dollars. The city would take them to court to collect, but it wasn't successful, despite numerous hearings and bench warrants. At times, the courts would close the cases with no consequences for those who decided not to pay up. After the story aired, Peoria's city hall adopted a policy to collect the fines from parking ticket deadbeats. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 11, 2007 Former meth labs declared "safe" still unfit for residence A report by Debbie Dujanovic of KSL 5 (Salt Lake City) details how seized homes in Salt Lake County that had once functioned as meth labs are being reopened and declared safe without proper clean up. Unsuspecting buyers are moving into contaminated homes because lax disclosure laws negate the need to report homes ever served as meth labs. Upon learning that their house had been a meth lab, one family discovered a child's bedroom had "levels 14 times above what the state considers 'safe.'" listing properities that were considered contaminated at one time. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 02, 2007 Medical research group's conflicts of interest revealed Reporters Susanne Rust and Cary Spivak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel detailed conflicts of interest involving the Constella Group, a private health research company that performs hundreds of millions of dollars worth of work for the federal government while also representing major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies such as Merck and GlaxoSmithKline. The reporters analyzed federal contracts data to help tell the story. Among their findings: Constella got a federal contract four years ago to oversee a list of carcinogens. Three months later, the company added a virus to the list while two of its private sector clients were developing vaccines to treat that virus. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 27, 2007 Wasting Away: Superfund's Toxic Legacy The Center for Public Integrity has taken a look at the state of Superfund sites throughout the US. Twenty-seven years after the government developed a program to identify and clean up the worst of these sites, toxic waste remains a problem across the country. "A one-year investigation by the Center for Public Integrity reveals the beleaguered state of the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund effort, uncovers the companies and government agencies linked to the most sites and tracks progress of the clean up." Included in the content are searchable databases on EPA contractors, sponsored travel and congressional correspondence with EPA officials. You can also search for detailed information about Superfund sites across the country. Federal procurement data for this series was provided by NICAR. Data on federal contracts and other federal awards, such as grants or loans, is available from the IRE and NICAR Database Library. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 25, 2007 OSHA decreases regulatory role under Bush The New York Times's Stephen Labaton (with contributions by Ron Nixon) reports that, under the Bush Administration, OSHA has moved away from its regulatory role in workplace safety. Since George W. Bush became president, OSHA has issued the fewest significant standards in its history, public health experts say. It has imposed only one major safety rule. The only significant health standard it issued was ordered by a federal court. The agency has killed dozens of existing and proposed regulations and delayed adopting others.. Instead of regulations, companies are to use a "voluntary compliance strategy" that lacks any sort of enforcement power, according to critics. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Sex and the CIA David E. Kaplan of U.S. News & World Report reveals how female spy veterans of the CIA are taking legal action for being disciplined over “close and continuing relationships” with foreigners. Kaplan reports on the CIA's secret disciplinary hearings and internal investigations, detailing how top female spies lost their jobs after falling in love overseas — while men with foreign relationships, they say, escaped scot-free. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 20, 2007 Arizona developer's checkered past Mark Flatten of the East Valley Tribune in Phoenix completed a series on Jim Rhodes who has become in the most influential developer in Arizona's East Valley. In December of 2006, he purchased over 1,000 acres of state trust land. The $58.6 million purchase gave him the right to "master-plan 7,700 acres in the area and set the tone for development of 275 square miles of state land extending from the eastern edge of Maricopa County to Florence." State officials claim they did not know of Rhodes' checkered past, which includes charges of fraud and theft, prior to the land purchase. The entire series can be viewed here. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 13, 2007 FBI's terrorism mission leaves white-collar crime unpunished A story by Paul Shukovsky, Tracy Johnson and Daniel Lathrop of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports on a profound shift in the FBI's mission. Due to a shift in focus to national security following 9/11, the FBI has failed to pursue thousands of white-collar crimes. "Five-and-a-half years later, the White House and the Justice Department have failed to replace at least 2,400 agents transferred to counterterrorism squads, leaving far fewer agents on the trial of identity thieves, con artists, hatemongers and other criminals." Lathrop built a database from the records the P-I collected for their investigation and "the newspaper was able for the first time to fully measure the dramatic decline in the number of cases and convictions resulting from the FBI moving resources to terrorism and walking away from areas of criminal enforcement. Copies of the analysis were given to federal officials in Seattle and in Washington, D.C., who did not dispute the newspaper's findings but wouldn't make database experts available to discuss the analysis." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 09, 2007 NC state property commission dissolved In March of 2007, J. Andrew Curliss of The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., reported on the failings of the North Carolina Commission on State Property. The commission was created to sell off surplus land owned by the government in an effort to generate quick revenue. But in the three years since its inception, there had not been a single sale and the commission was rife with problems. On April 5th, the legistlature agreed to shut down the commission, which will free up over $160,000 of taxpayer money. The governor has said he plans to quickly sign the action into law. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 06, 2007 Rural Development grants finding way to urban areas Gilbert M. Gaul and Sarah Cohen of The Washington Post report that a majority of money from the USDA's Rural Development program is ending up in urban areas. "More than three times as much money went to metropolitan areas with populations of 50,000 or more ($30.3 billion) as to poor or shrinking rural counties ($8.6 billion)." The aid, originally intended for "farmland and backwoods areas that were isolated and poor," has been spent on everything from a popular tavern on Martha's Vineyard to wiring an affluent Houston suburb for internet service. The discrepancies exist because the regulations which determine which communities are eligible for the development funds differ for each of the 40 programs and are vulnerable to Congressional influence. Information about the data analysis done for this story can be found here. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 22, 2007 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." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 20, 2007 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. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post 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." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 14, 2007 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. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post 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. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post 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. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 08, 2007 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. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 01, 2007 "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. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 19, 2007 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. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 12, 2007 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. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 07, 2007 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." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 05, 2007 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. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post |
RSS 1.0
Searchable indexes of