Susan Carroll Fellowship
Mark Schapiro of the Center for Investigative Reporting has released “EXPOSED: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What’s at Stake for American Power,” a book that examines Europe’s higher environmental standards for everyday products, such as cosmetics or plastic toys, and the significance for U.S. consumers and manufacturers. In an interview, Shapiro says the…
Read MoreMatt Birkbeck and Christina Gostomski of The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa) report that the Gaming Control Board is giving out casino licenses to owners and suppliers of Pennsylvania’s casino industry without checking each person’s complete criminal background. Though the original plan was to have the Pennsylvania State Police control the investigations because only law enforcement…
Read MoreCiting arbitrary and unfair practices in Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court disbanded the death penalty nationwide thirty-five years ago. The death penalty was ultimately reinstated with promises of reform but The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says application the application of the death penalty remains “as predictable as a lightning strike.” Reporters spent two years investigating the reasons…
Read MoreSouthern Nevada’s foreclosure rates are the nations highest, due primarily to investors walking away from their property. “Roughly 85 percent of actual auctions or repossessions of homes from March 1 through Aug. 31 involved properties not occupied by their owners,” according to a report by Jeff German, Steve Kanigher and Alex Richards of the Las…
Read MoreAn investigation by the Chicago Tribune prompted the Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall popular cribs sold under the Simplicity and Graco brand names from 1997 to 2008. Maurice Possley of the Tribune found numerous complaints about a drop rail that “can detach from the crib’s frame, creating a dangerous gap that has led to…
Read MoreClark Kauffman of the Des Moines Register reported in a two-part series that Iowa’s two largest public universities are aggressively marketing credit cards to their students as part of an arrangement that generates millions of dollars for the schools’ privately run alumni organizations. Records obtained by the Register showed that while the schools and their…
Read MoreAn investigation by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele in the October issue of Vanity Fair traces $12 billion in U.S. currency which was sent from the Federal Reserve to Baghdad between April 2003 and June 2004. While some of the money was spent on special projects and ministries, Barlett and Steele report that…
Read MoreTennessee has let more escaped fugitives slip through its judicial cracks than almost any other state. In fact, convicts on the run have murdered at least nine people during the past 30 years, all due to a system not equipped to handle fugitives who get out of state custody. In a series, bolstered by in-depth…
Read MoreMost high-school football players aren’t concerned about concussions, nor would they tell their coach if they got one. However, Alan Schwarz of The New York Times, gives some compelling arguments for why they should be a lot more concerned. According Schwarz’s investigative report, teenagers who receive a second blow to the head following a first,…
Read MoreThe Poughkeepsie Journal used an analysis of federal data to find that “United States government agencies paid $39.4 million through federal contracts to more than 150 local businesses, nonprofits and individuals in the two most recent fiscal years.” While there has been a trend nationally of larger corporations receiving more grants at the expense of…
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