Posts by hdcoadmin
Power of money
John Cheves of the Lexington Herald-Leader examined Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell’s career, based on thousands of documents and scores of interviews, to show the nexus between his actions and his donors’ agendas. “He pushes the government to help cigarette makers, Las Vegas casinos, the pharmaceutical industry, credit card lenders, coal mine owners and others.”…
Read More“Caltrans: Road to Nowhere”
A watchdog report by Kimberly Kindy and Natalya Shulyakovskaya of The Orange County Register looks at how the California Department of Transportation “has repeatedly displaced property owners for highway projects that went nowhere — from the abandoned widening of Pacific Coast Highway through Orange County to Hayward
Read MoreLein sales a quick fix with dire consequences
Over several months, Tom Meagher of the Herald News examined the records of a bulk sale of property tax liens that the city of Paterson, N.J., conducted to raise the revenue needed to balance its budget. While this resulted in a quick influx of cash for the city, the short-sighted plan cost the city millions…
Read MoreD.C.’s trendy neighborhoods riddled by robberies
Allison Klein and Dan Keating of The Washington Post looked at police data and found that some of the liveliest neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. are also the ones riddled by the greatest number of robberies. “The Washington Post analyzed years of police statistics, focusing sharply on crimes this year, and found the biggest share of…
Read MoreNonprofits helped Abramoff clients for cash
James Grimaldi and Susan Schmidt of The Washington Post present details from a new Senate committee report that says former power lobbyist Jack Abramoff paid conservative nonprofit groups to use their influence to benefit his clients. “The report includes previously unreleased e-mails between the now-disgraced lobbyist and officers of the nonprofit groups, showing that Abramoff…
Read More“Murdering the Messengers”
U.S. News and World Report’s David Kaplan writes about the killing of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya and the Russian government’s shocking and atrocious lack of response to the execution-style slaying of journalists there. “For those of us in international journalism training, Anna was something of a legend–a relentless investigative reporter who refused to back…
Read MoreHomeowners stay put in New Orleans
Jean Guccione and Doug Smith of the Los Angeles Times analyzed data from the Small Business Administration, the federal agency primarily responsible for disaster reconstruction loans, and found that of more than 150,000 homeowners and business owners approved for the loans, 2% were transferring the money to a new property in New Orleans. “Most New…
Read MoreSpecial benefits for religious groups
Diana B. Henriques of The New York Times, with computer analysis by Andy Lehren and research by Donna Anderson, examined the quiet expansion of special benefits for religious groups. “In recent years, many politicians and commentators have cited what they consider a nationwide ‘war on religion’ that exposes religious organizations to hostility and discrimination. But…
Read MoreFaith and foreign aid
Farah Stockman, Michael Kranish, and Peter S. Canellos of The Boston Globe, with Globe correspondent Kevin Baron, examined the complete database of USAID prime awards from 2001 to 2005, containing more than 52,000 funding actions, to reveal that USAID gave more than $1.7 billion to 159 “faith-based” organizations. The percentage of USAID funds to NGOs…
Read MoreSecurity lax in Philly schools
In response to the latest spate of school violence, reporters at The Philadelphia Inquirer decided to investigate the safey of local schools only to find that it lax. “In spite of rules aimed at limiting public access, reporters who fanned out on a single day walked into more than a dozen schools unannounced and without…
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