D.C. security breaches
An investigation by WTTG's Rick Yarborough and Tisha Thompson revealed serious security problems in the nation's capital. From the metal detectors that protect city government buildings to the firearms training of the D.C. Protective Service Police, WTTG's undercover and hidden camera investigations found serious security breaches. (Parts one, two, and three.)
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Careless Detention: Medical Treatment in Immigrant Prisons
A series by Dana Priest and Amy Goldstein of The Washington Post uncovers an alarming level of neglect in immigration centers across the United States. "As tighter immigration policies strain federal agencies, the detainees in their care often pay a heavy cost." In the last 5 years, 83 detainees have died while being held in these facilities. Psychiatric patients "undergo months and sometimes years of undermedication or overmedication, misdiagnosis or no diagnosis." Correspondent Scott Pelley, of 60 Minutes, reported on the issue in conjunction with The Post's investigation.
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Schools promote students despite widespread failure
After a 10-month investigtion, The Arizona Daily Star reports that many students in Tucson-area school districts are being socially promoted and not earning the grades they deserve. "In the 2006-07 school year alone, nine in 10 students were moved to the next grade level, but data show that nearly a third of them failed basic courses in English, math, science or social studies."
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McCain losing business donors to Democratic nominees
Bloomberg's Jonathan D. Salant reports that John McCain is struggling to connect with the business donors who helped bankroll George W. Bush's candidacy. "Employees from the securities, construction, pharmaceutical and energy industries, who accounted for about a tenth of Bush's money in 2004, are turned off by his record and giving more to his Democratic rivals, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama."
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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.
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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.
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Litigation finance companies skirt usury laws for great profit
Billy Shields of the Daily Business Review exposed the growing business of litigation finance. These companies offer plaintiffs an advance on pending legal settlements, but at great cost. "The debate over litigation finance company begins over whether they are making a loan or investing in cases. Because courts have ruled their advances are not loans, the companies can charge virtually any percentage of a settlement or verdict in exchange for a cash advance without violating usury laws." Usury laws limit the amount of interest that can be charged on a loan, but to not apply to the litigation finance advances. Currently, these finance companies are almost entirely unregulated, leaving litigants vulnerable to excessive fees and charges.
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Aging sewer systems continue to pollute rivers, streams
A Gannett News Service analysis by Larry Wheeler and Grant Smith shows that "America's aging sewer systems continue to dump human waste into rivers and streams, despite years of fines and penalties targeting publicly owned agencies responsible for sewage overflows." Wheeler and Smith analyzed enforcement and compliance records gathered by the EPA and state regulators from January 2003 to February 2008 for the report. Enforcement actions taken by federal or state authorities against municipal sewer authorities across the country are available in an online database.
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Fatal RV flaws
An investigation into RV safety by Chris Halsne, of KIRO (Seattle, Wash.), found that the government only requires "front-end crash and brake tests for the empty chassis." Data analysis revealed that many fatalities in RV accidents are the result of poorly secured interior elements, braking problems, and the weak structural integrity of the fiberglass and wood frames. In response to the investigation, the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association said, "NHTSA (The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) hasn't crash tested finished motor homes because they are fundamentally safe — there simply haven't been enough deaths to warrant the cost of purchasing and testing these types of vehicles."
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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.
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Network of flipping founders in Southwest Florida
An investigation by Michael Braga, Aaron Kessler and Charlie Szymanski of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune used social network analysis and hundreds of land and corporation documents to uncover a web of questionable real estate deals involving a Southwest Florida investor and developer. The subject, Mark Brivik, moved properties back and forth between himself, companies he controlled, and his friends — in the process driving up sales prices and harvesting millions of dollars in questionable mortgages that allegedly funded his lavish lifestyle on the Florida coast. The project includes an interactive network graphic that ties together the major players and their transactions.
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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."
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A con-artist's trail of deception
An investigative narrative by Justin Fenton of The Baltimore Sun explores the life and crimes of Cindy McKay who "was convicted in April 2008 of secretly stealing thousands of dollars from her boyfriend and stabbing him to death before his body was found burning along an Anne Arundel County road." A career criminal, McKay stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from employers and family over the course of more than 20 years. Two of McKay's sons were also implicated in the 2006 murder of her boyfriend. Included in the series is a map detailing her exploits throughout the mid-Atlantic region. [Parts one, two, and three of the series.]
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Investigation uncovers flammable wiring on airplanes
A nine-month investigation by Phil Williams of NewsChannel 5 (Nashville, Tenn.) shows that the wiring used on many planes "should not be used for airborne application." Both Kapton and PVC/Nylon wiring have been proven highly flammable, yet both are currently found on airliners. Test videos revealing issues with these types of wire came from the Federal Aviation Administration's own files. A scientific report from the FAA's own experts deemed it unfit for use on aircraft. All of the recently grounded MD-80 planes contain Kapton wiring. A complete listing of which aircraft have Kapton and PVC/Nylon wiring can be found on the station's website.
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"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.)
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Revisiting Willow Island
The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette published a two-day package marking the 30th anniversary of the Willow Island Disaster, the largest construction accident in U.S. history. Fifty-one construction workers died on April 27, 1978, when a scaffold collapsed during construction of a coal-fired power plant along the Ohio River. The Gazette examines the disaster's causes, interviews survivors and discusses continuing workplace safety problems nationwide.
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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.
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Contaminated drinking water found in some LA public schools
A three-month investigation by Joel Grover of KNBC-Los Angeles found lead levels in drinking water that exceeded EPA safety limits at several area public schools. Contaminated fountains were found at nine of the 30 schools tested. An internal report obtained by the network showed that the district had known about the problem for 18 years. In some cases, it was found that employees falsified records to indicate that drinking water was safe.
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Exploits of rural prostitution ring exposed
A two-week series by The Gazette of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, explores a human trafficking and prostitution ring that flourished in the small towns of eastern Iowa. "By poring over hundreds of court records and reports, and through more than two dozen interviews, The Gazette has pieced together over the last year and a half the story of how Robert Sallis and Betty Thompson were able in late 2004 and 2005 to operate a prostitution business right under the noses of police."
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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.
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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.
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Suicides in D.C. jail point to problems within Department of Corrections
Brendan Smith of the Washington City Paper reports on two suicides in the Washington D.C. jail that revealed widespread misconduct and inadequate mental-health monitoring by corrections personnel. For ten months, the Director of the Department of Corrections fought a FOIA request for the reports from the internal-affairs investigations into the suicides. The reports showed that numerous personnel made false statements in an effort to cover-up wrongdoings by the DOC and Unity Health Care, the company contracted to provide psychiatric assessment and care within the jail.
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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."
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Obama's fundraising linked to law lobbyists
Despite claims that he hasn't taken money from lobbyists, Senator Barack Obama's fundraising efforts have been linked to Washington lobbyists according to USA TODAY's analysis of campaign finance data. Ken Dilanian reports that his fundraising team include "38 members of law firms that were paid $138 million last year to lobby the federal government, records show." Of those 38 lawyers, 31 are partners at their respective firms and "typically receive a share of their firm's lobbying fees. At least six of them have some managerial authority over lobbyists."
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Accuracy questioned in military's hand-held lie detectors
U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan will be issued hand-held lie detectors this month, but Bill Dedman of MSNBC.com uncovered conflicting evidence about their effectiveness. "The Defense Department says the portable device isn't perfect, but is accurate enough to save American lives by screening local police officers, interpreters and allied forces for access to U.S. military bases, and by helping narrow the list of suspects after a roadside bombing." The Pentagon, in a PowerPoint presentation released to msnbc.com through a Freedom of Information Act request, says the PCASS is 82 to 90 percent accurate. But other studies obtained by msnbc.com show that testers discarded inconclusive readings when calculating its accuracy.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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