Archive for July 2008
U.S. trade with Iran flourished under Bush
“U.S. exports to Iran grew more than tenfold during President Bush’s years in office,” reports Sharon Theimer of the Associated Press. The AP’s analysis of U.S. trade data revealed a wide variety of items being shipped to Iran – from bull semen to military rifles. Efforts by the U.S. government to limit trade with Iran…
Read MoreConstruction deaths on rise in Vegas development boom
A package by the Las Vegas Sun looks at the steep increase in construction fatalities during the most recent development boom in the area. In less than 19 months, twelve construction workers have died, eclipsing the total number of fatalities during the growth and development of the 1990s. Experts blame the rise on poor oversight…
Read MoreCandidate cancels campaign after background questioned
Reporter John Frank and researchers at the St. Petersburg Times exposed the murky past of Congressional candidate Jim King. King, a Republican running against the incumbent in the GOP primary, fudged his professional medical credentials and biographical information for years. The investigation “found he made inaccurate claims about his professional background and his time with…
Read More“Decade of Doubt”
The Daily News-Miner (Fairbanks, Alaska) published a six-year independent investigation into the 1997 murder of 15-year-old John Hartman. The investigation was a project of University of Alaska-Fairbanks journalism professor Brian O’Donoghue and his students. The project points to problems within the legal system and raises questions about the convictions of the four men charged with…
Read MorePrescription narcotic abuse rampant in Nevada
Marshall Allen and Alex Richards of the Las Vegas Sun investigated the prevalence of use and abuse of prescription narcotics in Nevada. The Sun’s analysis showed that “Nevadans consume about twice the national average of several prescription painkillers,” including hydrocodone, methadone, morphine and oxycodone. Data from the Clark County coroner’s office shows that deaths from…
Read MoreAlcohol abuse on rise among soldiers returning from war
As part of “War Torn,” The New York Times series about veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Lizette Alvarez reports that alcohol abuse is on the rise as soldiers return home. Experts say abuse is most prevalent in individuals suffering from post traumatic stress. “For active-duty service members, the military faces a shortage…
Read MoreData for summer stories
U.S. roads and waterways get more dangerous over the summer months as vacationers hit the highway or fire up their boat motors. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), fatal vehicle accident rates typically inch up during the summer months and then decline during the fall. It’s much the…
Read MoreThe Evidence Gap
In a series by The New York Times, “The Evidence Gap” looks at medical treatments used despite a lack of evidence of effectiveness, while considering steps towards implementing medical care based on proven results and positive benefits.
Read MoreSweetheart land deals benefit those linked to county executive
Government records and interviews revealed that a number of lucrative land deals in Prince George’s County have gone to individuals with ties to County Executive Jack B. Johnson. An investigation by The Washington Post‘s Cheryl W. Thompson and Mary Pat Flaherty found county-owned land had been sold to people linked to Johnson on at least…
Read MoreChicago’s grand public housing project struggles
An investigation by Jason Grotto, Laurie Cohen and Sara Olkon of the Chicago Tribune reveals the realities of a 10-year plan to rehabilitate Chicago’s public housing. The investigation found “that almost nine years into what was billed as a 10-year program, the city has completed only 30 percent of the plan’s most ambitious element —…
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