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Can a 50-story Las Vegas hotel be environmentally-friendly? This is the question USA Today reporter Tom Frank sought to answer when he began reporting on the increase in construction of so-called environmentally friendly buildings. Through his investigation, Frank found that green commercial construction has increased. Non-profits are behind the movement, but few have assessed the…
Read MoreIn the wake of a disaster, individuals and business owners are often left with severely damaged property. Many turn for help to the Small Business Administration, which approves low-interest loans to help rebuild. For declared disasters in 2011 alone, the Small Business Administration approved over $1 billion in loans. NICAR has updated the SBA database of these loans,…
Read MoreAccording to an investigation by the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, “Florida’s K-12 public education system has graduated hundreds of thousands of students in the past decade who couldn’t read, write or solve math problems well enough to take some college-level courses.”
Read MoreThe Argus Leader reviewed Medicare billing data for three hospital helicopter services in South Dakota and found that just 3 percent of flights were for accidents. The overwhelming majority of the flights were for hospital transfers. Critics say helicopters, which costs thousands per flight, are being used when cheaper ground ambulance services would work.
Read MoreCNN Senior Investigative Producer Scott Zamost and Investigative Correspondent Drew Griffin reveal that money spent on a $54.5 million anti-violence program in Chicago paid for teens to hand out fliers, go to museums, yoga class and march in a parade with the governor. The program was announced the month before Quinn was elected.
Read MoreAccording to an investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “For years, officials at the agency that administers Medicare have known that fraudsters sign up as health care providers using UPS Store mailboxes and other post office box like addresses as their location. But the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says it lacks the technology to…
Read MoreShell Oil and federal regulators have been tight-lipped about a failed test of the energy giant’s Arctic oil-spill equipment in Washington state. But a freedom-of-information request by KUOW reveals what happened beneath the surface of Puget Sound.
Read MoreAn investigation by the FERN found that, “In Pennsylvania, the oil and gas industry is already on a tear—drilling thousands of feet into ancient seabeds, then repeatedly fracturing (or “fracking”) these wells with millions of gallons of highly pressurized, chemically laced water, which shatters the surrounding shale and releases fossil fuels. New York, meanwhile, is…
Read MoreAccording to a Miami Herald investigation, “As judgment day nears for UM, Nevin Shapiro’s dual roles — illicit benefactor and pseudo sports agent — are coming into focus.”
Read MoreAccording to an investigation by The Orange County Register, “For-profit colleges have been on the hot seat lately for collecting billions in revenue from federal student loans while too often leaving students saddled with debt and ill-equipped to get jobs. Half the students enrolled at the largest for-profit schools leave without a diploma within four…
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