How was your NICAR26?
Keith Rogers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal used federal data to show that compared to nuclear workers at other sites around the country, Nevada Test Site employees have not received compensation for illnesses at the same rate. “Only 6 percent of test site workers have been approved for claims that typically pay $150,000 in tax-free…
Read MoreDaniel Chacón of the San Diego Union-Tribune analyzed county grant receipts finding a multimillion-dollar system riddled with shoddy bookkeeping and lax oversight. The investigation “found that records for 54 grants totaling nearly $1 million are missing. Receipts that have been collected show that money has been spent on everything from Cheetos to seared ahi crostini.”…
Read MoreTrent Seibert and Brad Schrade of The Tennessean use state department records to investigate an “honorary captains” program that gives campaign donors, political insiders and friends troop-like badges. “Officials say the program is an atta-boy, a way to recognize people’s contributions to the state. But critics say it’s an invitation for the well-connected to brandish…
Read MoreSteve Myers, Bill Finch and Brendan Kirby of the Mobile Register surveyed local governments to find that “numerous jurisdictions in Mobile and Baldwin counties have not been enforcing significant portions of their building codes, those designed to protect residential homes from hurricane damage.” Only two communities enforce the highest level of wind-resistance protection, and they…
Read MoreMichael Beebe and Robert J. McCarthy of The Buffalo News report that New York’s lax regulation of alcohol sales has resulted in a system in which producers and wholesalers provide “retailers illegal payoffs of money, trips, even gold Krugerrands to push certain brands of wine, vodka or whiskey. Some of the biggest liquor wholesalers in…
Read MoreLee Davidson of The Deseret Morning News used the federal Freedom of Information Act to obtain data on weapon seizures at airports, finding that “daily for the past three years, passengers at U.S. airports surrendered an average of 14,000 potential weapons. That is enough to arm every passenger on 33 filled-to-capacity Boeing 747 jumbo jets…
Read MoreAmy L. Kovac and Jaci Smith of New Jersey’s Herald-News used state education data to show that in Passaic County, having a “highly qualified” teacher doesn’t always mean that students will do better on standardized tests. “The largest disparity was in Passaic’s Lincoln Middle School. About 71 percent of eighth-graders there failed to achieve proficiency…
Read MoreRebecca Walsh of The Salt Lake Tribune used Utah’s open records laws to review furniture purchases for state employees moving into two new office buildings. “Many of the dozens of chairs and desks and filing cabinets and bookcases replace stapled-together fixtures from years ago. But other bills might make taxpayers shift in their own seats…
Read MoreJohn Dickerson of The Scottsdale Times investigates a nearly-legalized theft common across Arizona. “Several tow companies are literally keeping towed vehicles against the will of the owners and later selling them.” Tow companies are filing paperwork saying the vehicle has been abandoned and if that vehicle is not reported stolen within 30 days, the tow…
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