During an era when freelance investigative journalism is more vital than ever, IRE has awarded its second year of grants to freelancers. This year, IRE distributed $3,000 from the endowed fellowship fund. A panel of three judges, all experienced investigative reporters who freelance, reviewed applications and selected the fellows. The 2009 IRE Freelance Investigative Journalism…
Read MoreHolly Hacker of The Dallas Morning News looked at new data compiled by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board that showed how Texas public school students from the Class of 2007 fared in their first year at Texas public universities. Analysis showed that “at some North Texas high schools, half or more of graduates who…
Read MoreThe accused killer of Los Angeles teenager Lily Burk “was set free in June 2009, despite failing to report to his parole agent for weeks, being a wanted fugitive on two different arrest warrants, and being arrested three times on drug charges and testing positive for cocaine — all in a matter of six months,…
Read MoreJeremy Finley of WSMV-Nashville, Tenn. tracked the former staff of the governor’s office and found many of them active in “indirect lobbying” for special interests. A state law says no members of the governor’s staff can lobby for a year after they leave office.
Read MoreAn article by Erica Goode of The New York Times reports on the mounting number of soldiers committing suicide, detailing the stories of four soldiers from the 1451st Transportation Company. “The four suicides, in a unit of roughly 175 soldiers, make the company an extreme example of what experts see as an alarming trend in…
Read MoreBy Ron Campbell, Orange County Register Orange County restaurant king John Gantes was a very wealthy man with 110 restaurants. And then, quite suddenly, he was bankrupt. His declared net worth sank from $215 million at the end of 2007 to a negative $374 million in mid-January 2009 – a $600 million reversal of fortune…
Read MoreA three-part investigation by the East Valley Tribune (Mesa, Ariz.) looked at Arizona’s Private School Tuition Tax Credits program. “The tuition tax credits law was supposed to revolutionize school choice for disadvantaged children. Instead it fostered a rigged system that keeps private education a privilege for the already privileged.“
Read MoreA report co-published by ProPublica and the Huffington Post Investigative Fund found that “15 years after Congress passed a law to ensure that rape victims would never see a bill, loopholes and bureaucratic tangles still leave some victims paying for hospital expenses and exams, which can cost up to $1,200.“
Read More“Tens of thousands of unsafe or decaying bridges carrying 100 million drivers a day must wait for repairs because states are spending stimulus money on spans that are already in good shape or on easier projects like repaving roads, an Associated Press analysis shows.” An interactive map gives details state-by-state on bridge projects funded by…
Read MoreHal Bernton and Cheryl Phillips of The Seattle Times reported on an unreleased study that concluded Army missteps directly contributed to one of the bloodiest battles in the Afghanistan war. Army historian Douglas Cubbison “noted suspect decisions by commanders, who allowed an understaffed platoon to plant itself in hostile territory without adequate support.” Nine soldiers…
Read More