Posts by hdcoadmin
Mistaken identity questions raised in 1989 Texas execution
Maurice Possley and Steve Mills of the Chicago Tribune reviewed thousands of pages of court records and found that Texas may have executed an innocent man in 1989. “<a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/broadband/chi-tx-htmlstory,1,781241.htmlstory?coll=chi-news-hed 16 years after Carlos De Luna died by lethal injection, "the Tribune has uncovered evidence strongly suggesting that the acquaintance he named, Carlos Hernandez, was…
Read MoreCity Hall list reveals ‘All-Stars’ of insider clout
Steve Warmbir, Art Golab, Natasha Korecki and Mark J. Konkol of the Chicago Sun-Times did a computer-assisted analysis of 5,743 requests for city jobs, promotions or transfers made to the mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs from 1989 to 1997 and found that “Tim Degnan, the mayor’s friend and political adviser, is the biggest slugger, batting…
Read MoreCompanies find new way to win contracts
Michael Forsythe and Jonathan D. Salant of Bloomberg analyzed Federal Election Commission records and found that a growing number of companies had found “a new business model: locate facilities in lawmakers’ districts and shower them with campaign cash. ” The companies were taking advantage of lawmakers’ increasing penchant for “earmarking,” which was at the center…
Read MoreJudicial conflicts of interest in Nev.
Michael J. Goodman and William C. Rempel of the Los Angeles Times analyzed court and campaign records and found that in Las Vegas, “some judges routinely rule in cases involving friends, former clients and business associates — and in favor of lawyers who fill their campaign coffers.” Federal and Nevada judicial canons say judges should…
Read MoreSex offenders live close to children
Tony Rizzo and Laura Bauer of The Kansas City Star studied court records and found that “roughly three in 10 sex offenders did not live where they were supposed to.” Additionally, “Many of the missing were the kinds of sex offenders parents most fear. Rapists. Child molesters. Repeat offenders. ” There are offenders who readily…
Read MoreFirefighters earned millions in fire-watch duty
Jack Dolan and Scott Hiaasen of The Miami Herald reviewed the fire department records and found that Miami-Dade County had a special program — “‘fire watch,’ an ostensible public safety program that has never saved a life that anyone can remember, but has put at least $4.3 million into county firefighters’ pockets since 2000. ”…
Read MoreCharities lose out in bingo game benefits
Darren Barbee of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram analyzed state records and found the proceeds of bingo games were going to the people running the games instead of benefiting the charities they were supposed to help. “No bingo proceeds were reported being spent by more than 40 Texas groups conducting bingo last year, though they raised…
Read MoreMinorities denied for loans more often
Mc Nelly Torres and Jeremy Milarsky of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel analyzed the federal Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data for 2000-04 and found that “blacks and Hispanics who have applied for conventional mortgage loans in South Florida were denied more often than white applicants, even when income levels were about the same.” The analysis also…
Read MoreMayor’s brother paid for promoting social service center
Gregory Korte of The Cincinnati Enquirer analyzed weekly billing statements and found that the brother of Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory billed a federal anti-poverty program for working to bring a controversial social services center to the West End. “Dale Mallory, the West End Community Council
Read MoreAbuse and neglect at Mo. mental health facilities
Carolyn Tuft and Joe Mahr of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reviewed thousands of paper and electronic records from the Department of Mental Health and found that “mentally retarded and mentally ill people in Missouri have been sexually assaulted, beaten, injured and left to die by abusive and neglectful caregivers in a system that for years…
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