Posts by hdcoadmin
Water tainted with mercury ignored by government
Abandoned mercury mines in California are contaminating many of the state’s waterways, reports Jason Dearen. An investigation by the Associated Press found that “the federal government has tried to clean up fewer than a dozen of the hundreds of mines – and most cleanups have failed to stem the contamination.”
Read MorePrivate security firm bought weapons on Iraqi black market
An investigation by T. Christian Miller and Aram Roston for ProPublica shows that Triple Canopy, the top private security contractor in Iraq, “swapped booze for weapons and supplies from the U.S. military” and purchased arms on the Iraqi black market. Previously undisclosed documents reviewed by ProPublica point to continued difficulties for the by the U.S…
Read MoreCampus Coverage Project launches; Apply by Oct. 12
IRE, in partnership with Education Writers Association and the Student Press Law Center, is launching a program to share investigative reporting skills with college and university students that they can apply to covering campus issues. Seventy-five students from around the country will be selected to receive full scholarships to participate in the Campus Coverage Project.…
Read MoreAccuracy of Florida school safety reports called into question
WFOR-TV (Doral, Fla.) conducted a six-month investigation into school violence in Florida and discovered “wide discrepancies” between the numbers of violent incidents reported on the state’s Department of Education website and actual police reports filed about violent incidents at schools in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The state claims that the discrepancies can be linked to…
Read MoreBehind Glock’s profits
Paul Barrett, Brian Grow and Jack Ewing of BusinessWeek investigated several rumors and allegations surrounding Glock, one of the leading arms manufacturers in the U.S. The accusations include a complicated network of shell companies, illegal campaign contributions and a close look at the attempted murder of the company’s founder, Gaston Glock.
Read More“The Informant!” opens tonight
The movie “The Informant!,” which opens at theaters tonight, is based upon the IRE-honored book by Kurt Eichenwald. The book was a finalist in the book category in the 2000 IRE Awards.
Read MoreOvercoming obstacles to investigate public officials
By Andy Curliss, The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) Our running investigation has focused on former Gov. Mike Easley of North Carolina. We have revealed numerous instances of unreported gifts, favors or other perks provided to the governor while he was in office and shown how many of those people who made the gifts benefited…
Read MoreFormer governor scored deal on coastal property
Reporters Jay Price, J. Andrew Curliss and Joseph Neff of The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) broke the story of how former Gov. Mike Easley and his wife Mary accepted a $137,000 discount on a coastal lot from a developer who had gotten key permits from the Easley administration. The story continued a string of…
Read MoreMassachusetts slow to discipline problem lenders
An investigation by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting at Boston University (NECIR-BU) shows that regulators in Massachusetts have been slow to discipline problem mortgage brokers and lenders compared to other New England states. “Between January 1, 2007 and June 1, 2009, The Massachusetts Division of Banks took its most stringent actions against less…
Read MoreClean Water Act violations leave many suffering
Charles Duhigg of The New York Times reports on states’ negligence in enforcing clean water laws. In West Virginia, tests found tap water containing “arsenic, barium, lead, manganese and other chemicals at concentrations federal regulators say could contribute to cancer and damage the kidneys and nervous system.” When companies disclosed that they were pumping illegal…
Read More