How was your NICAR26?
Christine Willmsen and Justin Mayo of The Seattle Times analyzed court records, sex offender registries and check-in logs to show that hundreds of sex offenders register as homeless — making their whereabouts unknown. This results in law-enforcement officials not having any way of tracking them, and residents often being unaware of potential threats. The investigation…
Read MoreMike Casey of The Kansas City Star examined OSHA’s inspection database for the metropolitan area of Kansas City, Mo., to show that low fines for workplace deaths or injuries are common even when OSHA cites employers for a serious violation. The investigation found that in 80 such fatal and injury accidents, half of the fines…
Read MoreEric Stevick and Scott North of the The (Everett, Wash.) Herald used state education testing data to show that at 95 percent of Washington
Read MoreRuss Buettner, Heidi Evans, Robert Gearty, Brian Kates, Greg B. Smith and Richard T. Pienciak of the Daily News in New York used FEMA data to show that the federal government’s $21.4 billion program to help New York recover from the 9/11 terrorist attacks was dreadfully flawed. "New Yorkers by the tens of thousands received…
Read MoreJohn Estus of The Daily O’Collegian at Oklahoma State University found that “Nearly $110,000 in federal funds intended to help poor Stillwater residents buy homes of their own was given to middle-class buyers who did not qualify” in an eight-week investigation that has prompted a state audit of the program. Estus also revealed the program…
Read MorePhil Pitchford, Ben Goad, David Danelski, Mark Kawar and projects editor Cathy Armstrong of The (Riverside, Calif.) Press-Enterprise examine the safety issues surrounding trains carrying hazardous cargo as they travel through populated areas. “Every day, trains hauling tons of hazardous chemicals roll past Inland homes, schools, hospitals and businesses.” The newspaper says residents are “largely…
Read MoreTresa Baldas of The National Law Journal reports that corporations are increasingly requesting that judges seal “the divorce records of top executives to protect trade secrets or crucial financial information from leaking out, or simply to avoid embarrassment.” The article cites examples from across the country, including California, New Hampshire and Connecticut.
Read MoreDavid Burnham and Susan B. Long, co-directors of the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, are suing the federal Office of Personnel Management for “unlawfully withholding information it normally provides the public about some 900,000 of its civilian employees, including those working for such agencies as the EPA, OSHA and FEMA.” The suit was filed under the…
Read MoreJonathan Marino of The Washington Examiner looked into crime in public schools in Montgomery County, Md., a suburb of Washington, D.C. He found “internal reports, dozens of court records, and interviews with educators, parents and law enforcement officials tell troubling stories of abuse & mdash; and reveal hundreds of cases where some principals failed to…
Read MoreJason Hoppin and MaryJo Sylwester of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press analyzed Minnesota Department of Revenue data on taxable sales at establishments that sell alcohol to see if there was any evidence of widespread economic hardship due to smoking bans that were enacted in some areas of the Twin Cities on March 31. Because tax…
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