Posts by hdcoadmin
Voucher system shows benefits, failures after 15 years
Alan J. Borsuk, Sarah Carr and Leonard Sykes Jr. of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigate 15 years of vouchers in Milwaukee in a seven-part series. They found that “…56% of the students enrolled at Catholic elementary schools in the city of Milwaukee participate in choice.” They also discovered that it’s tougher to assess the quality…
Read MoreAlternative education fails some students
The Associated Press reviewed alternative education programs in West Virginia, finding that “some children removed from class for discipline problems receive as little as two hours of instruction a week because West Virginia has no time standards for alternative education.” More than 6,000 students throughout the state were enrolled in alternative programs during the last…
Read MoreSexual harassment claims inconsistent
Brad Schrade of the Tennessean asked state officials to provide documentation on their response to claims of sexual harassment, identified by Gov. Phil Bredesen as a problem. “When Bredesen’s office becomes involved in a complaint, as it did when the governor’s top lobbyist was demoted last month, notes are purposely not taken or are shredded,…
Read MoreHispanic organization evolves into a political powerhouse
Mark J. Konkol, Scott Fornek, Fran Spielman and Art Golab of the Chicago Sun-Times used local payroll and voter registration data to show the clout of Chicago’s Hispanic Democratic Organization: “1,173 men and women are certified to register people to vote on HDO’s behalf. And 482 of those HDO deputy registrars — or 41 percent…
Read MoreBridge safety ratings drop despite high funding
Bruce Golding, Jorge Fitz-Gibbon and Dwight R. Worley of The Journal-News used state and federal data to show that “safety ratings for the Tappan Zee Bridge have dropped back to some of the lowest levels in a decade despite an infusion of at least $316 million.” The span is New York’s most profitable, generating about…
Read MoreEx-con funds retirement with leftover campaign money
Ted Sherman of The (Newark) Star-Ledger reports on how former Essex County Executive Tom D’Alessio, after serving time on political corruption charges, converted leftover campaign funds into a non-profit foundation that helps support his retirement. “Last year, the foundation reported it gave out $37,750 in contributions of $500 or so to dozens of organizations like…
Read MoreLobbyists banking billions on no-bid contracts
Greg B. Smith of the New York Daily News used state data to show that “in the state Department of Transportation alone, lobbyists schmoozed the agency on nearly $1.3 billion in contracts in the past two years … only a handful of these contracts were awarded competitively with sealed bids, a process that significantly restricts…
Read MorePrivate money funds legislators’ trips
James R. Carroll of The (Louisville) Courier-Journal examined congressional travel records for Kentucky and Southern Indiana to show that “in a little more than nine years, the cost of privately paid trips for lawmakers in the area and their aides totaled nearly $1.5 million.” Two Kentucky lawmakers have suspended such travel after the recent spate…
Read MoreOverpayments, conflict of interest plague juvenile system
The Detroit News investigates a juvenile system plagued with overpayments and conflicts of interest. Using court filings and campaign records, Joel Kurth reports on findings, which include allegations of payments for fictitious youths, relatives of some county officials benefited from contracts, more than $300,000 in overpayments to contractors and hackers accessed a computer system used…
Read MoreOfficials free gas card raises questions
Hal Marcovitz of The (Allentown) Morning Call used county records to show that Bucks County “Chief Operating Officer David M. Sanko obtains free gas at the county pumps for a county-owned 1997 Ford Explorer, which he is permitted to tank up before making 100-mile trips from the courthouse in Doylestown to his home in Harrisburg.”…
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