Posts by hdcoadmin
Durham, N.C. fails to report lead detected in tap water
Michael Biesecker of The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., reports that the city of Durham failed to inform state regulators that there was tainted drinking water in the area. A report submitted in October claimed that the city’s drinking water met federal standards despite the fact that several tests detected lead in the tap…
Read MoreTaxpayers foot bill to insure contractors in Iraq
Joseph Neff of The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., that the U.S. government is responsible for paying insurance premiums and benefits for all private contractors working in Iraq. “These insurance policies differ from conventional workers’ comp in one major way: Domestic workers’ comp is heavily regulated and analyzed, but the contractors’ insurance is not.…
Read MoreCampaign Consultants: The Price of Democracy
The Center for Public Integrity investigated campaign spending for the 2003-2004 federal elections and found that the majority of the money being spent on campaigns is going to campaign consultants. In the 2003-2004 election cycle, approximately 600 consultants were paid $1.85 billion, with 65% of that money going to media consultants.
Read MoreForeclosing the American Dream
An ongoing series by Jeff Roberts, David Olinger, Greg Griffin and Aldo Svaldi of The Denver Post “examines why the state’s foreclosure rate leads the nation and how it is affecting Coloradans, their communities and the economy.” A computer-assisted analysis revealed a problems in neighborhoods where builders acted as lenders.
Read MoreSago Anniversary
On the anniversary of the Sago Mine explosion, The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette continues to probe safety issues behind the blast that killed 12 miners. Ken Ward Jr. reports that “the Sago disaster might not have happened if regulators and the coal industry had heeded the warnings… from a series of other lightning-induced explosions in the…
Read MorePublic money for Port of Seattle funds private profits
In a 3-part series, Ruth Teichroeb and Kristen Bolt of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer report on how the Port of Seattle officials have brokered “generous no-bid deals with a company hired to run publicly owned facilities on the central waterfront, have failed to closely monitor those contracts, and have shouldered all of the financial risk for…
Read MoreCampaign finances flow to those in power
Jonathan D. Salant of Bloomberg News reports on the shift in corporate campaign contributions following Democratic wins in the November elections. “During the campaign, the world’s second-largest maker of commercial airplanes [Boeing] backed Republican Senator Jim Talent of Missouri with a maximum $10,000 campaign contribution from its political-action committee. Just 17 days after his defeat,…
Read MoreContributions might violate city ordinance
In a computer-assisted analysis of campaign contributions, Matt Stiles and Chase Davis of The Houston Chronicle found that elected officials might have accepted contributions in violation of a city ordinance. The ordinance prohibits “donations from contractors with business before the City Council.” Their analysis shows that more than $30,000 was contributed by prohibited donors. ,After…
Read MoreMine safety
The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette and reporter Ken Ward Jr. continued an ongoing series on coal mine safety with a story about coal dust violations and an article that explains that investigators do not always pinpoint the cause of coal-mining disasters.
Read MoreMillions squandered by Miami-Dade Housing Agency
In another installment to The Miami Herald’s “House of Lies” investigative series, reporter Debbie Cenziper exposes the actions of the former director of the Miami-Dade Housing Agency, which squandered millions of dollars over the past five years in insider deals, mismanagement and corruption. In a follow-up story, Cenziper and reporter Scott Hiaasen report on a…
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