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Politics May 01, 2008 Congressional campaign committees peddling access to conventions Ken Dilanian, of USA TODAY, reports members of the Congressional campaign committees are selling access to this summer's political conventions in return for campaign contributions. This exploits a loophole in the ethics law meant to reduce special interests' influence on members of Congress. "House Democrats are offering a 'premier package' at the Aug. 25-28 Denver convention that includes a ticket to a party honoring Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The ethics law forbids lobbyist-sponsored convention parties honoring one lawmaker — but it doesn't apply to convention events that are fundraisers." 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 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 December 07, 2007 Lobbyists see 'confidential' list of worst nursing homes The Des Moines Register reports that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which has refused to publicly release its full list of the nation's worst-performing nursing homes, has shared that same information with lobbyists for the nursing home industry. Reporter Clark Kauffman writes that the federal agency has publicly identified only 54 of the 128 homes on its list of "special-focus facilities." The other 74 poor-performing homes have not been disclosed to seniors, their family members and advocates. Yet the American Health Care Association, which lobbies Congress on behalf of 10,000 care facilities nationwide, recently received the full list from CMS on the condition that it not be shared with the public. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 26, 2007 New York's political "odd couple" A Newsday investigation delves into the long history between former New York City Mayor and current GOP presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani, and New York State democratic senator Chuck Schumer. The connections, which benefited both men politically, span everything from Giuliani's appointment of Schumer's wife to his mayoral cabinet, to the two politicians' collaboration on the 1994 crime bill. Reporter Tom Brune also looked at campaign finance data and found that Schumer was receiving donations from some powerful New York Republicans. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 13, 2007 More mayhem in the Meadowlands In an ongoing investigation, Jeff Pillets of The Record in Bergen County, N.J., uncovered how a taxpayer-supported plan to reclaim the North Jersey Meadowlands instead reopened the infamous garbage dumps to millions of cubic yards of contaminated waste. A review of some 10,000 pages of state documents revealed that the site's developers won a string of state government concessions that stripped down or eliminated key environmental safeguards. At the same time, those developers were makings millions in tipping fees for the contaminated waste being brought to the site as a "cap" for the old landfills. Recent stories in the series also trace the political ties behind the deal and the fallout for politicians who initially supported the development. 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 19, 2007 The Bundling Boom The Wall Street Journal's Brody Mullins surveys the widespread influence of "bundling," collecting individual donations and rolling them together into high-dollar, high-impact political fundraising. Although the term gained notoriety after the arrest of Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu, bundling is a longstanding and legal campaign tactic. Brody writes that "bundling has become the chief source of abuse in the American campaign-finance system." The story includes data analysis by Public Citizen and the Center for Responsive Politics. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 31, 2007 Fugative fundraiser has been hiding in plain sight Chuck Neubauer and Robin Fields of the Los Angeles Times report that Norman Hsu, a fugitive for over a decade, has been hiding in plain sight as a prominent Democratic fundraiser. Fifteen years ago, Hsu pleaded no contest to charges of grand theft agreeing to serve up to three years in prison. His identity was confirmed this week by his lawyer, who claimed Hsu had no recollection a plea that included prison time. As a top-tier fundraiser, Hsu "is credited with donating nearly $500,000 to national and local party candidates and their political committees in the last three years" and has been a significant contributor to Hillary Clinton's campaign. 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 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 April 26, 2007 Administration aids GOP through election fraud claims Greg Gordon of McClatchy's Washington, D.C., bureau, reports that the Bush administration tried to curb voter turnout in critical battleground states over the last six years, based on information from written documents and former department lawyers. As Democratic groups amped up voter registration, the administration increased claims of election fraud and created more stringent voter identification laws. Joseph Rich, former chief of the Justice Department's Civil Rights section, claimed an unmistakable patterns emerged from the admistration's actions. He stated, "'As more information becomes available about the administration's priority on combating alleged, but not well substantiated, voter fraud, the more apparent it is that its actions concerning voter ID laws are part of a partisan strategy to suppress the votes of poor and minority citizens.'" 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 18, 2007 Unethical deals in N.J. school district John Froonjian of The Press in Atlantic City, N.J., dug into insurance contracts in the Pleasantville school district to uncover a web of insider deals and millions wasted in a struggling district that gets two-thirds of its funding from the state. The Press found that in Pleasantville, school board contracts, political fundraising and private jobs are intertwined. The process has produced apparent conflicts of interest, possible violations of the state's pay-to-play law, defiance of election-finance laws and potential violations of the federal law designed to protect personal medical information. The Press investigation followed a successful lawsuit to gain access to minutes of the school board's executive sessions, many of which were missing or had never been recorded. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 03, 2007 NC representitive's election disclosures inaccurate Mark Schreiner of the Star-News in Wilmington, N.C., analyzed disclosure reports and found that state Rep. Thomas Wright failed to account for over $119,000 in campaign contributions since 1992. "Election officials said an unintentional omission would not draw a penalty if corrected, but there is the possibility of criminal charges if contributions were not disclosed intentionally." Wright's re-election campaign is currently under criminal investigation by the state elections board. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 15, 2007 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." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 08, 2007 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. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post 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. 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 December 13, 2006 Harvesting Cash: Working a Farm Subsidy A on-going special report by The Washington Post looks at federal agriculture subsidies, which topped $25 billion in the last year. In the latest story, Dan Morgan, Sarah Cohen and Gilbert M. Gaul report on the influence of the dairy lobby and its ability to crush the efforts of a California dairyman who was operating successfully outside the industry's price-control system. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 07, 2006 Deceased citizens still voting in Ohio Duane Pohlman of WEWS-TV in Cleveland, with assistance from NICAR, compared Cuyahoga County voting records with death records provided by the Social Security Administration. Dozens of dead people have had votes cast in their names. U.S. Representitive Dennis Kucinich called this an " an assault on the integrity on the electoral process."
The Social Security Administration Death Master File can be obtained from the IRE and NICAR Database Library.
October 30, 2006 Potential exists for deceased to still vote in NY In the lead-up to November's elections, John Ferro of the Poughkeepsie Journal exposes the potential for voting fraud in New York state. The statewide database of registered voters contains the names of nearly 77,000 deceased - including many who cast votes posthumously. "The Journal's analysis is the first to examine the potential for errors and fraud in New York's three-month-old database. It matched names, dates of birth and ZIP codes in the state's database of 11.7 million voter registration records against the same information in the Social Security Administration's "Death Master File," a database of 77 million records of deaths dating to 1937."
The Social Security Administration Death Master File can be obtained from the IRE and NICAR Database Library.
October 13, 2006 Nonprofits helped Abramoff clients for cash James Grimaldi and Susan Schmidt of The Washington Post present details from a new Senate committee report that says former power lobbyist Jack Abramoff paid conservative nonprofit groups to use their influence to benefit his clients. "The report includes previously unreleased e-mails between the now-disgraced lobbyist and officers of the nonprofit groups, showing that Abramoff funneled money from his clients to the groups. In exchange, the groups, among other things, produced ostensibly independent newspaper op-ed columns or news releases that favored the clients' positions." Grimaldi, Schmidt and R. Jeffrey Smith of The Post won a 2006 Pulitzer Prize for exposing the scandal that led to a prison sentence for Abramoff, who has agreed to cooperate with ongoing federal investigations. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 22, 2006 Records reveal extensive White House access to some of Abramoff's cronies Sharon Theimer of the Associated Press reports that recently released Secret Service visitor logs reveal extensive "inside access" to presidential aides by Grover Norquist and Ralph Reed, both of whom are linked to Jack Abramoff. The records indicate at least 115 appointments since 2001, some lasting upwards of 12 hours. The release of the records came about in a settlement of an open records lawsuit brought by the Democratic National Committee. "Questions about Norquist's and Reed's access to the Bush White House surfaced after congressional and criminal investigations of Abramoff found evidence suggesting the lobbyist and his team gained White House access through the conservative activists." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 20, 2006 "Capitol Crime" Chitra Ragavan, Chief Legal Correspondent for U.S.News & World Report, has written "Capitol Crime," a detailed piece about MZM, a defense contractor implicated in the Rep. "Duke" Cunningham briberies. "Based on a review of hundreds of pages of court documents, private internal MZM records, and detailed interviews with a dozen key officials, shows how [Mitchell] Wade used his connections on Capitol Hill and inside the Pentagon to gather inside information and turn his company into a moneymaking juggernaut." The article focuses on the corporate side of Congressional corruption; the anatomy of bribery; and the rise and fall of a company built on hand shakes and favors. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 10, 2006 Campaign finance reform plan lacks scope Kevin Begos and Doug Stanley of The Tampa Tribune analyzed records to show that the campaign finance reform legislation backed by Senate President Tom Lee would have a serious effect on only about 5 percent of soft money groups in the state, leaving vast loopholes in other places. "Of the 816 soft money committees listed with the Division of Elections, 41 are controlled by legislators — the focus of Lee's bill. " The main reforms of Lee's bill are restrictions on links between politicians and soft money committees and increased reporting requirements. Also, politicians wouldn't be able to solicit or accept campaign contributions of more than $500 for the committees they control. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 02, 2006 Politicians use leadership PACs for campaign contributions Deirdre Shesgreenand and Jaimi Dowdell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch used campaign records to show that leadership PACs, set up separately from regular re-election accounts, are an increasingly popular tool politicians use to rake in extra campaign dollars that they then dole out to their colleagues — usually the party's most vulnerable incumbents or top challengers. "The accounts are a way for elected officials to get around campaign finance limits and wring yet more money out of special interests." In the process, critics contend, the PACs give lawmakers an extra political fund to dip into for travel, consultants and other items that fuel their own ambitions. Lawmakers can use leadership accounts to pay for a wide range of political expenses, including some that have little to do with a PAC's stated purpose of contributing to federal candidates. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 05, 2006 Voters duped into GOP registration Tony Saavedra, Kimberly Kindy and Brian Joseph of The Orange County Register used voter records to show that more than 100 Orange County residents who thought they were simply signing petitions to cure breast cancer, punish child molesters or build schools were duped into registering as Republicans. The petition circulators were paid as much as $7 for each GOP registration. "Orange County election officials have received complaints from 167 people who were flipped to the Republican Party without their permission. " The investigation found the problem was far wider, interviewing 112 others who were not only switched, they were tricked and deceived. Among the victims is a lifelong Democrat who was pressured to fill out forms even though she didn't have her glasses and couldn't see what she was signing. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 27, 2006 Highway patrol policy changed during recall John Hill of The Sacramento Bee found that the California Highway Patrol repeatedly shut down signature gathering at Department of Motor Vehicle offices across the state in response to the petition drive to recall Gov. Gray Davis in the spring of 2003. The move reversed a long-standing CHP practice of allowing local offices to routinely grant permits for activities such as gathering signatures. "It ran counter to court precedent that government restrictions on free speech in public places must be narrow and serve a legitimate government interest like crowd control." The California Association of Highway Patrolmen contributed $150,000 to committees fighting the recall, and an additional $24,500 directly to Davis in the months leading up to the election. For two years during and after the recall, the CHP denied more than 100 applications to gather signatures or register voters at DMV offices. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 02, 2006 States progress in reform of lobbying laws Leah Rush and David Jimenez of The Center for Public Integrity report that 24 states have worked to strengthen or improve electronic disclosure systems since the Center's 2003 report, "Hired Guns." Meanwhile, federal lobbying disclosure laws have not changed in the past eight years. Political scandals, in many cases, were the catalyst for changes in state lobbying laws. The Center "evaluated the strength of lobbying disclosure laws nationwide found the federal law to be weaker than those of 47 of the 50 states." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 20, 2006 Aide might have violated ethics rules Thomas Peele of the Contra Costa Times used congressional financial disclosure statements, state and federal campaign finance reports, IRS records, congressional committee and staff disbursement records and other documents to show that Rep. Richard Pombo's top aide, Steven Ding, might have violated congressional ethics rules by not correctly reporting all of his outside political work and making too much money from California campaigns and consultants. "Steven Ding regularly worked for candidates and organizations with close ties to Pombo, a Tracy Republican who is chairman of the House Resources Committee." Despite being chief of staff to the Washington-based Resources Committee, and being paid more than $150,000 a year from the committee's budget, Ding worked primarily from California and commuted to Capitol Hill at taxpayers' expense when the committee was in session. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post January 10, 2006 Congressmen tried to stop investigation Richard A. Serrano and Stephen Braun of the Los Angeles Times used documents to report that “Reps. John T. Doolittle and Richard W. Pombo joined forces with former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas to oppose an investigation by federal banking regulators into the affairs of Houston millionaire Charles Hurwitz.” The lawmakers inserted regulatory agency investigation files into the Congressional Record, giving Hurwitz’s attorneys access to them. “Soon afterward, in 2002, the FDIC dropped its case against Hurwitz, who had owned a controlling interest in the United Savings Assn. of Texas. United Savings’ failure was one of the worst of the S&L debacles in the 1980s.” Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Alito takes hard line on crime, immigration Amy Goldstein and Sarah Cohen of The Washington Post, with a team of reporters and researchers, categorized Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito’s rulings and compared them to other federal appeals court judges, finding that “Alito has taken a harder line on criminal and immigration cases than most federal appellate judges nationwide, including those who, like him, were selected by Republican presidents.” The analysis used data from the Appeals Court Database Project; a methodology is available. The full list of Alito’s cases used in the analysis is published on the Post’s Web site. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Ga. voter registration system unreliable Alan Judd, with data help from David A. Milliron, of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution compared a statewide voter registration database with a list of more than 100 commercial mailbox outlets in metro Atlanta, as well as voter registrations in the downtown business district and at government facilities, to identify flaws in the state's voter registration system. "Georgia relies on an honor system that assumes voters live at the addresses they submit when they register. These addresses determine voters' precinct assignments and, consequently, the elections in which they may cast ballots." The paper's analysis found many people whose listed addresses correspond to rented mailboxes, a high school's tennis court , homeless shelters and even the newspaper's headquarters. Such inaccuracies would be more than enough to make a differerence in November's city council election where five votes separated the two candidates. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post December 05, 2005 Frist's votes benefit HCA Todd Pack of The Tennessean examined the voting record of Sen. Bill Frist (R) over the past 11 years, finding the senator has a pattern of supporting bills friendly to HCA Inc., the Nashville-based hospital company that is the foundation of the Frist family's wealth, and to hospitals in general. Frist has faced criticism in recent months for the sale of his HCA stock just before the stock dipped 9 percent. The paper points out, "His votes typically have followed the Republican Party line." Among the measures Frist has supported that could benefit HCA: limiting jury awards, giving hospitals more money for treating seniors and curbing development of physician-owned specialty hospitals that compete with HCA. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post November 01, 2005 Bush's re-election campaign contributers reap benefits in Ohio James Drew and Steve Eder with contributions from Mike Wilkinson, Christopher D. Kirkpatrick, Jim Tankersley, and Joshua Boak of The Blade report that the Ohio business leaders and lobbyists who contributed at least $4.1 million to President Bush's re-election campaign last year collected more than $1.2 billion in taxpayer dollars for their companies and clients. The payback also featured choice appointments from state and federal officials, including an ambassadorship to Germany and a seat on the Ohio State University board of trustees. "The fund-raisers included Tom Noe, a former Toledo-area rare-coin dealer who is facing multiple investigations into the state's failed $50 million investment in rare-coin funds. " An analysis of a state expenditure database shows that the state of Ohio paid about $800 million to the companies and lobbying clients of Ohio's 30 Pioneers and Rangers during the last six years. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 27, 2005 Suburbs pay for St. Paul's mayoral race in Minn. Tim Nelson and MaryJo Sylwester of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press analyzed nearly 12,000 campaign contributions to show that St. Paul, Minn., suburbs are paying for most of the mayoral race. According to the analysis, suburban residents have made 52 percent of the campaign contributions to the two general election candidates so far whereas donations from St. Paul residents now account for only 31 percent of the contributions. "All told, nearly 60 percent of the money for the mayoral candidate's re-election comes from the suburbs and just 26 percent of it is from St. Paul. " Experts contend that the suburbs' influence may be as much political as economic and that the voters that are most affected by the mayor's policies may not be seeing the payoff the way people from the suburbs do. See how the data was analyzed. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 20, 2005 Private foundation sponsored international travel of congressman Bob Williams of The Center for Public Integrity and Steve Henn of Marketplace examine the organizational structure and business activities of the International Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources, or the IFCNR in their "Power Trips" series. IFCNR has alienated mainstream environmental groups and its tax documents show its major financiers include the Japan Whaling Association, the International Fur Traders Association, Monsanto and a company whose president was convicted of smuggling and violating endangered species protections. The report shows that "Congressman [Richard] Pombo is chairman of one of the most important environmental committees in the House of Representatives. He, his wife and a staffer have accepted $23,000 in international travel from the IFCN in the last 5 years." Experts on tax issues said the law requires Pombo to return the costs of the foreign trips to the foundation. "If not, both the foundation and the member of Congress could face stiff penalties from the IRS. " Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 19, 2005 Lobbyist Abramoff used aide, attacks to influence Congress Susan Schmidt and James V. Grimaldi, with contributions from Alice Crites and Julie Tate, of The Washington Post report that lobbyist Jack Abramoff used an aide to Tom DeLay and attacks on allies to defeat the anti-gambling bill. Details of that campaign, reconstructed from dozens of interviews as well as from e-mails and financial records obtained by The Washington Post, provide an account of how one of Washington's most powerful lobbyists leveraged his client's money to influence Congress. A senior aide to Tom DeLay, Tony C. Rudy helped scuttle the bill in the House and, according to documents and the lobbyist's former associates, e-mailed Abramoff internal congressional communications and advice. Rudy received favors from Abramoff. "The work Abramoff did for eLottery is one focus of a wide-ranging federal corruption investigation into his dealings with members of Congress and government agencies." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post October 06, 2005 Candidate helped defeat ban on gambling Jim Galloway and Alan Judd of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution report that Ralph Reed, who has vocally condemned gambling as a "cancer on the American body politic," quietly worked five years ago to kill a proposed ban on Internet wagering on behalf of eLottery Inc., a Connecticut-based company in the online gambling industry. The defeated legislation sought to control a segment of the gambling industry that went on to experience prodigious growth. A spokesman for Reed said that though the political consultant fought the ban as a subcontractor to Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff's law firm, he did not know "the specific client" that had hired Abramoff. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 30, 2005 Mayoral candidates raise money far and wide Gregory Korte of The Cincinnati Enquirer analyzed campaign finance reports and found that more than half the contributions in a mayoral race comes from outside Cincinnati. There have been fund-raising evemts for the race held in San Francisco, New York City, Denver and Washington, D.C. The analysis also reveals that one candidate relies on larger contributions from more individuals while the other receives donations from industry groups. Maps show where the candidates' contributions come from. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 20, 2005 S.C. port authority operates like a business Michael R. Shea of The Beaufort (S.C.) Gazette delved into the South Carolina State Ports Authority, the state agency that manages "the fourth-largest waterborne shipping network in the country through marine terminals in Charleston, Georgetown and Port Royal, South Carolina." The stories show that political contributions, political appointments and no-bid contracts blur the line between state agency and a private business. It also discusses its battle for records from the agency. The 18-story project includes more than a dozen of the public records, received through FOIAs, that were used in the reporting. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 19, 2005 Contributors get the contracts in Ohio James Drew and Mike Wilkinson of The (Toledo) Blade examine the relationships between Ohio politicians and the businesses that do work for the state's Department of Transportation. "Over the last decade, a Blade investigation shows, those firms have contributed more than $1 million to politicians, political parties, and political action committees. In the last five years, those same firms have received more than $400 million in ODOT contracts." The second part of the three-part series finds that Democratic Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman, a critic of the state's so-called "pay-to-play system," has gotten about 13 percent of his campaign cash from "the same engineers and consultants that have pumped money for years predominately into GOP campaigns in the state." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post September 14, 2005 Potential conflicts identified for Supreme Court nominee Center for Investigative Reporting's Dan Noyes finds that "After a long career spent representing blue chip corporations and resource industries, Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, Jr. brings more potential conflicts of interest to the bench than any justice of his generation." The investigation looks at "rules governing conflicts of interest and reveals cases already on the docket for the Supreme Court that may cause conflicts for Roberts." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 31, 2005 Legislators leasing vehicles Chris Casteel of The Oklahoman used rarely-scrutinized records detailing congressional office expenses, finding that “Rep. John Sullivan is leasing a sport utility vehicle in his congressional district for $1,242 a month at taxpayer expense. Rep. Frank Lucas rented a car in December in Oklahoma City and paid more than $1,500 for it out of his congressional office account.” Both lawmakers opted to rent or lease rather than seek reimbursement for using their personal vehicles. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 19, 2005 E-mails reveal early hiring concerns Mark Pitsch of The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal used Kentucky's Open Records Act to obtain emails showing that "less than three months before the state hiring investigation began, Gov. Ernie Fletcher's deputy chief of staff and the transportation personnel director confided to each other in e-mails that laws may have been broken." The state's Attorney General, who is investigating hiring practices under Fletcher, was unaware of the emails until the paper published them. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 16, 2005 Politics plague state's safety aid program Rick Hepp of The (Newark) Star-Ledger analyzed state and federal spending on homeland security in New Jersey, finding that politics can make a big difference: Somerset County towns in the past three years "have received more than $2.7 million in federal Homeland Security grants designed for 'first responders,' but only $235,000 from New Jersey." The state money was controlled by the governor's office, often as a way to "reward Democratic Party loyalists. That was not a good equation for Republican-dominated Somerset County, which got 1 percent of the state grants between 2002 and 2005." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 15, 2005 Very few hold power in Richmond Staff at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, along with Aaron Kessler used the social network analysis program UCINET and more than 50 interviews to investigate who really wielded power in Richmond, Va. The series includes a story about the four men central to Richmond's power, a story about minorities and how political influence does not equal power, as well as a sidebar on how the series was done. The series includes an interactive network map detailing the Web of power. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 11, 2005 State lobbyists spending nears $1 billion An analysis by The Center for Public Integrity found that lobbyists and their employers in 42 states reported spending nearly $953 million in 2004 attempting to influence state legislators and executive branch officials. That figure is up from the $904 million reported in 2003. "It seems likely that state lobby expenditures will exceed the $1 billion mark this year." The investigation includes a sidebar on methodology and general breakdowns of their findings. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 09, 2005 African-American voter turnout high Nancy Cook Lauer of the Tallahassee Democrat used local voter data to show that federal oversight of elections in five Florida counties meant to ensure African-American participation seems to have worked: "voting behavior in the five counties under federal scrutiny - Collier, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough and Monroe - pretty much reflects voting behavior in the state as a whole." Nearly two-thirds of black voters in those counties went to the polls last November, slightly higher than the turnout for the entire state. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 08, 2005 Honorary program gives political insiders cop-like badges Trent Seibert and Brad Schrade of The Tennessean use state department records to investigate an "honorary captains" program that gives campaign donors, political insiders and friends troop-like badges. "Officials say the program is an atta-boy, a way to recognize people's contributions to the state. But critics say it's an invitation for the well-connected to brandish their influence and avoid getting tickets." The report also found the grandson of a powerful Bredesen supporter was under the impression that the badge was supposed to get him out of a drunken-driving arrest in January in Lauderdale County. Although he waved it at a trooper, he was ticketed. The story includes a sidebar listing recent honorary captain recipients. The governor ended the program in response to The Tennessean story. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post County grant program riddled with problems Daniel Chacón of the San Diego Union-Tribune analyzed county grant receipts finding a multimillion-dollar system riddled with shoddy bookkeeping and lax oversight. The investigation "found that records for 54 grants totaling nearly $1 million are missing. Receipts that have been collected show that money has been spent on everything from Cheetos to seared ahi crostini." Many of the organizations receiving grants are considered grassroots organizations and don't have paid staffers to handle financial reports. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 05, 2005 Some furniture purchases seem unneeded Rebecca Walsh of The Salt Lake Tribune used Utah's open records laws to review furniture purchases for state employees moving into two new office buildings. "Many of the dozens of chairs and desks and filing cabinets and bookcases replace stapled-together fixtures from years ago. But other bills might make taxpayers shift in their own seats - a $1,487 flat-screen TV monitor in the administrative services conference room, $20,000 to frame Senate president and member portraits and the $6,000 tab for each legislative staffer's mahogany-colored cubicle." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post August 03, 2005 Disgraced deputy beats system Eric Nalder and Lewis Kamb of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer report in a three-part series on how a disgraced sheriff's deputy beat the system. The report details the allegations made against the deputy, including drug use, theft, attempted stalking, conspiracy to promote prostitution and official misconduct. "For 14 years, the detective worked on his own, rarely checking in, partying with prostitutes, making deals with escort-service operators, driving the county executive's car and traveling to Mexico, Thailand and Canada." In a short period of time the deputy went from "from facing a felony trial and a firing recommendation to a prosperous retirement." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 11, 2005 Ex-aides use connections to make money James Drew and Steve Eder of The (Toledo) Blade traced the path of former Ohio state aides-turned-lobbyists who "have traded their official titles for personal riches and the influence that comes with helping select a U.S. president." Some of Gov. Bob Taft's closest aides have gone onto lucrative lobbying and consulting businesses; one "has raked in more than $700,000 in state and federal lobbying deals and political consulting fees since the business opened two years ago." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 08, 2005 Possible conflicts abound in South Carolina legislature Jeff Stensland of The State reviewed financial disclosure forms from South Carolina state legislators to find that "about 20 lawmakers raked in more than $2.4 million in attorney fees by representing clients in front of state boards and commissions last year." Many of the cases involved worker's compensation claims but others were before the state's insurance or revenue departments. The paper listed each of the lawmakers and their fees. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 07, 2005 Drug lobby spends millions to influence legislation A team from The Center for Public Integrity reports on spending by the pharmaceutical and health products industry on lobbyists. "The drug industry's huge investments in Washington — though meager compared to the profits they make — have paid off handsomely, resulting in a series of favorable laws on Capitol Hill and tens of billions of dollars in additional profits." Pharmaceutical companies spent nearly $116 million lobbying the government, a figure not uncommon for the industry. "In 2004, drug makers upped their reported expenditures on lobbyists to $123 million, a record amount for the industry." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 05, 2005 Analysis finds atypical campaign finance expenditures Michael Cass of The Tennessean reports on an analysis of 2004 disclosure forms for all Tennessee legislators, which found political expenses in places not typically incurred. One expense was for "$1,414 to Interstate Liquors by Sen. Jerry Cooper, D-McMinnville." The story includes detailed sidebars outlining what the law says, how to follow the money and personal spending of campaign finances. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post July 01, 2005 Companies tied to bureau donate heavily to Republicans Mark Naymik and Joseph L. Wagner of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer analyzed state campaign contributions to show that "top Ohio Republican officials and political committees have received millions of dollars in campaign contributions from companies managing money for the Bureau of Workers' Compensation. Almost two-thirds of the 212 companies hired by the bureau to invest its money gave a total of nearly $5 million to Republicans and their causes while virtually ignoring Democrats from Jan. 1, 1997, through 2004." Gov. Bob Taft, who had two campaigns during that period, was the leading recipient of money from those companies. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 29, 2005 Contribution through multiple companies help corporate donors elude limit Ben Smith of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution analyzed campaign contributions to Gwinnett County commission races in the past two years, finding that "thousands of dollars in donations from companies sharing common addresses and company executives that appear to violate campaign contribution limits. Among them: nine companies headed by two developers whose firms gave to former Commission Chairman Wayne Hill. The contributions, in one case, amounted to twice the donations Hill could legally collect from a single source, and in the other, nearly three times the limit." The donors involved said they were unaware that state law prohibits the practice. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 23, 2005 Lobbyists use nonprofits to finance congressional travel Bob Williams and Stephen Henn of the Center for Public Integrity investigate lobbyists who sit on the governing boards of nonprofits. Lobbyists are not supposed to pay for congressional travel, but the investigation found "that a favored way to evade the prohibition on picking up the tab is to do so through charitable non-profits..." The investigation includes a map detailing the most popular congressional junket locations, a list of the top companies and lobbying firms, and a summary of their findings. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 22, 2005 Private interests pay for state officials' trips David White of The Birmingham News used state records to show that since November 2002, more than 20 state lawmakers and executive officials have taken trips paid for by private interests. "Lawmakers took trips to places such as Australia, the Bahamas and California and got tickets for the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans and the Talladega Superspeedway." Reports of the trips are filed with Alabama's Ethics Commission if the cost exceeds $250 a day per person. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 15, 2005 Hispanic organization evolves into a political powerhouse Mark J. Konkol, Scott Fornek, Fran Spielman and Art Golab of the Chicago Sun-Times used local payroll and voter registration data to show the clout of Chicago's Hispanic Democratic Organization: "1,173 men and women are certified to register people to vote on HDO's behalf. And 482 of those HDO deputy registrars — or 41 percent — also have city jobs." More than 50 of them earn more than $74,000 a year from the city. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 14, 2005 Lobbyists banking billions on no-bid contracts Greg B. Smith of the New York Daily News used state data to show that "in the state Department of Transportation alone, lobbyists schmoozed the agency on nearly $1.3 billion in contracts in the past two years ... only a handful of these contracts were awarded competitively with sealed bids, a process that significantly restricts influence-peddling." Lobbyists are not required to detail efforts made to win government contracts for their clients. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 13, 2005 Private money funds legislators' trips James R. Carroll of The (Louisville) Courier-Journal examined congressional travel records for Kentucky and Southern Indiana to show that "in a little more than nine years, the cost of privately paid trips for lawmakers in the area and their aides totaled nearly $1.5 million." Two Kentucky lawmakers have suspended such travel after the recent spate of stories disclosing details about the trips. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 09, 2005 Lack of oversight fuels fraud suspicions Miles Moffeit of The Denver Post used purchasing and accounting records to find that "since 2001, Jefferson County employees have handled millions of dollars in transactions without competitive bidding, close supervision or contracts - and sometimes in conflict with policies." In one example, the county's technology manager made $3.7 million in equipment purchases on his credit card as part of a program to build computers from parts. "The large credit-card charges are not illegal, though in some cases they appear to have violated county policy. But the lack of review over those purchases is part of a pervasive breakdown in financial oversight involving portions of the county's $500 million budget." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Officials free gas card raises questions Hal Marcovitz of The (Allentown) Morning Call used county records to show that Bucks County "Chief Operating Officer David M. Sanko obtains free gas at the county pumps for a county-owned 1997 Ford Explorer, which he is permitted to tank up before making 100-mile trips from the courthouse in Doylestown to his home in Harrisburg." The perk, which came as a surprise to two county commissioners, could cost taxpayers an additional $3,600 a year on top of Sanko's $139,000 annual salary. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post June 02, 2005 Amnesty execs contribute maximum to Kerry Rowan Scarborough of The Washington Times used Federal Election Commission records finding that the top leadership of Amnesty International contributed the maximum of $2,000 to Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign. Amnesty International describes itself as nonpartisan. William F. Schulz, executive director of Amnesty USA and Joe W. "Chip" Pitts III, board chairman of Amnesty International USA, "gave the maximum $2,000 allowed by federal law to John Kerry for President." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 27, 2005 Governor ignores clemency board recommendations Amanda J. Crawford and Ryan Konig of The Arizona Republic analyzed state records on clemency, finding that "the number of inmates recommended to the governor for shortened prison terms by the Board of Executive Clemency has skyrocketed" during the past 10 years. "But in the vast majority of cases, even in those where the trial judge agrees with the board that a sentence is too long, the governor has rejected the board's recommendations." Arizona "has more people per capita in prison than any other Western state, tougher sentencing laws than most states and no parole." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 26, 2005 Sheriff deputized friends, family, supporters Christine Hanley of the Los Angeles Times reports on an Orange County Sheriff who deputized friends, family and political supporters. "Of the original 86 reserve deputies, 29 had contributed to Carona's inaugural election campaign in 1998 and his re-election campaign in 2002." The Times used hundreds of documents received through public records requests and provided by other sources, along with interviews to uncover the appointments, which were rushed to avoid tougher training requirements. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Felons registering, voting in Oklahoma Nolan Clay and John Perry of The Oklahoman used state voter data to show that "about 2,500 felons may be registered to vote. About 1,100 may have voted in last year's general election. An exact count is difficult — in part because voters sometimes sign the wrong lines in poll books." The paper found that Oklahoma election officials have ignored records on felons provided by prosecutors in and outside the state. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 25, 2005 State lobbyists on course towards record earnings Arthur Kane and Mark P. Couch of The Denver Post used state records to show that "Colorado lobbyists have earned more than $7.5 million so far this year, sending some of the most influential people at the statehouse well on their way to another year of record earnings." A worker's compensation measure received the most attention from lobbyists, with more than 250 lined up either for or against it. "Over the past decade, the amount special interests paid lobbyists has increased every year, nearly tripling from $7.56 million in 1995 to $20.95 million last year. During that time, lobbyists were paid $147 million to influence legislation and spent more than $14 million lobbying." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 24, 2005 Governor still wins, analysis shows Emily Heffter and Mike Carter of The Seattle Times, with help from Cheryl Phillips, Justin Mayo, Jonathan Martin and Nick Perry, analyzed lists of voters claimed by both Washington political parties to contain the names of felons who voted improperly in the state's gubernatorial election last year. Using a method proposed by Republicans, the paper found that Democrat Christine Gregoire "would still prevail over GOP challenger Dino Rossi." The paper also went beyond the parties, finding that "both parties made mistakes in compiling their lists: Some people on the lists were not felons - nor had they voted." An explanation on how the story was done is also availabe. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 20, 2005 N.C. judges influenced by local lawyers Ames Alexander of The Charlotte Observer, working with database editor Ted Mellnik, investigated the relationship between lawyers and judges in the North Carolina's judicial district that is most lenient on drinking and driving. "District judges there acquitted suspects in more than 87 percent of the DWI trials in which they rendered a verdict. Statewide, the acquittal rate is 39 percent, state courts data show." One lawyer, John Nobles won 203 straight DWI trials from 2000 to mid-2004. The story also links to in-depth information on the judges, the lawyers and information on how and why the data was analyzed. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 19, 2005 Detroit mayor spends on city's dime M.L. Elrick and Jim Shaefer of The Detroit Free Press continues their investigation into personal expenditures made by Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick on the city's credit card. Numerous Freedom of Information Act requests uncovered expenditures including an $850 steakhouse dinner and $11,644 he spent on Super Bowl hotel rooms. On the mayor's first day on the job "the mayor charged $52.55 for Pearl Moon swimwear and $265 at the Four Seasons Spa for him and bodyguard Mike Martin". The story also includes information on how the story was orchestrated and what the law says about open records. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 17, 2005 Delay gives more to colleagues than any other legislator Jonathan Salant of Bloomberg Markets analyzed Federal Election Commission records finding that House Majority Leader Tom Delay "gave more money to U.S. congressional candidates than any lawmaker in the last decade ... the Texas representative has contributed $3.5 million to 432 congressional candidates ..." After Delay, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is next in helping out colleagues. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Front-runner grabs majority of contributions Andrew Conte and Mark Houser of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review analyzed and mapped campaign contributions for the Pittsburgh mayoral race. They found that "nearly two-thirds of the $1.2 million raised by front-runner Bob O'Connor ... has come from outside the city." A lot of O'Conner's contributions were found to have come in large chunks. The story also features a graphic detailing the analysis. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 13, 2005 Special interest groups paying for congressional travel Jeff Zeleny, Mike Dorning and Michael Tackett of the Chicago Tribune reviewed travel records for Illinois' congressional delegation, finding that "at least 835 trips taken by either Illinois Congress members or their staff highlight the uneasy intersection between private dollars and public policy that raises questions about whether a special interest group is trying to influence legislation. And there is little enforcement considering lawmakers file reports within Congress." The paper found that two Chicago Democrats had not filed any reports since 2000, despite taking at least 30 trips between them. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 09, 2005 State legislators spend lavishly due to leeway in laws Jennifer Dixon and Victoria Turk of The Detroit Free Press used state campaign finance records to show that "Michigan legislators have dipped into campaign cash to buy cars, jewelry, expensive gifts and entertainment in possible violation of federal tax codes." The IRS is investigating whether the spending, which lawmakers defend as necessary, constitutes a personal benefit. One state senator "has spent roughly $64,000 in campaign contributions to buy a sedan and a sport utility vehicle, new tires, insurance and license plate tags, and to pay for repairs." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 06, 2005 U.S. legislative leaders take frequent trips on corporate jets R. Jeffrey Smith and Derek Willis from The Washington Post analyzed federal campaign expenditure records to find that top congressional leaders "flew on corporate-owned jets at least 360 times from January 2001 to December 2004." Members of both parties took part in the practice, although leading Republicans flew more often than Democrats. "The records show that flights were provided by some of Washington's largest corporate interests, including tobacco, telecommunications, business consulting, securities, air transport, insurance, pharmaceutical, railroad and food companies." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 04, 2005 Fewer women in top Kentucky posts Elisabeth J. Beardsley of The (Louisville) Courier-Journal studied demographic patterns among top Kentucky officials, finding that "the share of top government posts held by women shrank when Gov. Ernie Fletcher took over from Gov. Paul Patton." Women held 36 percent of top government jobs at the end of Fletcher's first year in office, down from 42 percent in the final year of Patton's term. The Courier-Journal also studied demographics of the state legislature and state judgeships to find that women are underrepresented in both instances. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post May 02, 2005 Governor took gifts from lobbyists James Salzer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution used state records to show that "Gov. Sonny Perdue has championed limiting the gifts that lobbyists can give legislators and other state officials, but he has accepted airplane rides, NASCAR tickets and dinners from lobbyists." Among the gifts was a 30-mile flight to Atlanta Motor Speedway and dinner and drinks from a tobacco lobbyist. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 26, 2005 City officials spending with little oversight Jim Davis of The Fresno Bee used city expense reports to show that "Fresno Mayor Alan Autry and the City Council spent tens of thousands of dollars in the past four years on meals, hotel bills and other expenses with little oversight and less public debate." Autry had the city pay for 422 business meals in the first 11 months of 2004, records show. "The mayor and council members rarely turn in receipts when asking to be reimbursed for meals. The city doesn't require receipts for meals that cost less than $9 for breakfast, $14 for lunch and $19 for dinner. Almost no rules are in place to regulate how elected officials spend their expense allowances. The reimbursement form they sign each month asks only that the money be spent on 'official business.'" Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 18, 2005 U.S. implements secret policy to win over Islam David E. Kaplan of U.S. News & World Reports details how the White House is implementing a secret policy to intervene not just in the Muslim world, but within Islam itself, and how Washington has set up a program of political warfare unmatched since the height of the Cold War forty years ago. The project details how the U.S. government is quietly funding Islamic schools, mosques, think tanks, and media around the world. The piece also includes a graphic detailing the United States' projects to influence Islam globally, and two sidebars, the first describing the role of rocket scientists in the strategy, and the second examining Sufi, a moderate sect of Islam and an enemy to al-Qaeda and other extremists organizations. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 14, 2005 House members hire family, pay with campaign funds Larry Margasak and Sharon Theimer of the Associated Press reviewed federal campaign filings to find that "dozens of lawmakers have hired their spouses and children to work for their campaigns and political groups, paying them with contributions they've collected from special interests and other donors." The AP identified about 50 House members who pay their spouses or children to work on campaigns and raise money for them. Similarly, Richard Simon, Chuck Neubauer and Rone Tempest of the Los Angeles Times found that "at least 39 members of Congress have engaged in the controversial practice of paying their spouses, children or other relatives out of campaign funds." Both stories were possible because House members file electronic reports; senators do not. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 07, 2005 Lobbyist fail to follow rules A team from the Center for Public Integrity released LobbyWatch, an analysis of nearly $13 billion spent on federal lobbying since 1998. One story reveals that more than 19 percent of all filings to the Senate Office of Public Records were late and "49 of the top 50 lobbying firms (in terms of revenue) failed to file one or more required forms during the last six years. Similarly, 1,200 of the 6,400 companies registered to lobby - 20 percent in all - failed to file one or more forms that the federal disclosure law requires." With several charts and online lookups. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post April 05, 2005 Legislators took gifts, trips from lobbyists Nolan Clay of The Oklahoman used state disclosure reports to find that "Oklahoma politicians, their aides and relatives accepted at least $125,000 worth of meals, drinks, football tickets and other gifts last year." Many of the freebies were associated with the state's college athletic programs, including season tickets to football games at Oklahoma University and Oklahoma State University. Golf outings and tickets to the NCAA Final Four basketball games were among the other gifts given by lobbyists and colleges. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 30, 2005 Emergency fund used by legislators Eric Eyre and Scott Finn of the Charleston Gazette examined records of a contingency fund controlled by West Virginia's governor, finding that "Hardy County received $6.7 million from the contingency fund since 1997 - more than any county in the state - even though the county ranks 42nd out of 55 counties in population." The link? Delegate Harold K. Michael, D-Hardy, chairman of the House of Delegates Finance Committee, which helps steer the contingency money. "The governor's contingency fund was set up to help out West Virginians during disasters — floods, fires and ice storms. But during the past eight years, more than $72 million has been spent on items that were hardly emergencies." A PDF chart shows how much went to recipients in each county. Another story details $8 million in state education funds that state officials didn't request. "Legislative leaders won't say exactly what they earmarked the money for. And state schools Superintendent David Stewart doesn't have a clue about the purpose of the funds. Stewart said the $8 million came with just one caveat: that it can be released only on orders from Harold K. Michael, D-Hardy, chairman of the House of Delegates Finance Committee." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 29, 2005 Governor's office political dealings in question Alan Judd of The Atlanta-Jounal Constitution investigated claims that the Georgia governor's office put heat on the state's consumer regulatory office over dealings with a major car dealership and donor to the governor's campaign. "In the Bill Heard Chevrolet case, Hills' inquiry became a key point in a series of events that, Smith says, undermined the agency's already limited authority." The story uncovers numerous accounts of collaboration between the governor's office and the dealership, that eventually led to the firing of the consumer agency's chief, just months away from reaching retirement. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 18, 2005 Legislators double salaries with expense checks Bonna de la Cruz of The (Nashville) Tennessean analyzed state data to find that "twenty-seven Midstate lawmakers double their salaries or better by collecting state expense checks whether they incur the expenses or not. The expense checks - which are taxed by the IRS as income because they are not linked to any documented cost - add as much as $28,000 to the $16,500 official salary paid to legislators." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 16, 2005 PACs make up large chunk of campaign contributions Jennifer Talhelm of The (Columbia) State reviewed campaign contributions to South Carolina state lawmakers during the final six months of 2004, finding that "36 cents of every dollar ... given to House and Senate lawmakers in the last two reporting periods of 2004 was tied to businesses, PACs or other special interest groups. During that time, a third of lawmakers raised all or almost all their campaign money from such groups. PACs and businesses legally can give up to $1,000 per election." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 04, 2005 New York City employees still use cars, despite mayor's boast David Seifman of the New York Post obtained city records to show that "more city workers are commuting in their government-owned cars, despite Mayor Bloomberg's boast that his administration is slashing spending while maintaining services." The number of civilian NYC employees who commuted in their city-provided cars increased 11 percent from 2003, even as the overall workforce increased only slightly. Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 02, 2005 Land deals raise nepotism concerns J.M. Kalil of the Las Vegas Review-Journal used local property records to find that the grandson of a former Las Vegas mayor has been able to quickly profit from land deals that may have involved inaccurate appraisals. Scott Gragson "has obtained a total of 104 parcels in 20 land exchanges with the county. In each case, he gave the county privately held land that had been appraised at an equal value. Raising the question of whether inaccurate appraisals have shortchanged the public, Gragson has been able to flip at least 10 of the 104 parcels for profit less than a week after acquisition." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post Problems with judiciary system plague city Jerry Mitchell of The (Jackson) Clarion-Ledger reports that the Hinds County judicial system "at times resembles an elephant balancing on toothpicks. A yearlong investigation by The Clarion-Ledger has uncovered many long-term problems that have not been addressed." The county had fewer prosecutors and fewer indictments in 2004 than similar-sized cities. "Between 1998 and 2003, the percentage of dismissed cases increased from one in five to one in three. That includes dismissals, inactive and remanded to files. That means if a suspect is indicted today in Hinds County, he has a one in three chance of seeing his charges go away." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post March 01, 2005 Politicians benefit from cheaper tickets Dave McKinney of the Chicago Sun-Times obtained a list of state politicians who have the opportunity to purchase tickets to the top-ranked University of Illinois basketball team's games at face value. "As demand for Illini tickets has rocketed off the charts, the university has dispersed more than 2,000 tickets to its trustees, dozens of state lawmakers, congressmen, lobbyists and even the son of indicted former Gov. George Ryan, who has booked most of the team's schedule." Direct LINK to This Extra! Extra! Post February 22, 2005 Net worths rise for some legislators while in office Lucy Morgan of the St. Petersburg Times reviewed the annual financial disclosure forms filed by Florida state legislators, finding that "while 22 of the 160 legislators report their legislative salary as their principal income, a review of annual financial disclosure forms shows that 37 House members and 16 senators reported net w |
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