Posts by hdcoadmin
Washington state’s price of public office
The Skagit Valley Herald reports that even though “Skagit County has just two full-time mayors, both earn more than the mayors of Tacoma, Vancouver, Yakima and Olympia.” An interactive map was created to compares the salaries with other mayors across the state.
Read MoreCompany at San Francisco International Airport Neglects Baggage Screening
“Baggage screeners at San Francisco International Airport allege that dozens if not hundreds of bags identified by X-ray machines as high-risk bomb threats are loaded onto planes each day without any human inspection in a clear violation of federal rules.” “In interviews conducted over the past year, six company screeners told The San Francisco Examiner…
Read MoreImmunization rates fall in Bay Area kindergartners
“In recent years, the number of Bay Area kindergartners who have been immunized against diseases like whooping cough and measles has declined. With the 2011-12 school year beginning, The Bay Citizen collected the latest data covering last year from the California Department of Health, so you can see which schools are most susceptible to an…
Read MoreMental health patients falling through the safety net
KUOW’s John Ryan reports that “in the past decade, a dozen patients of Washington’s Western State Hospital have killed themselves and more than a hundred others have tried.” “Suicide is the second leading cause of death for teenagers and young adults in Washington state. But inside a psychiatric hospital like Western, patients are supposed to…
Read MoreDCFS failing to protect Illinois children
In a report by The Chicago Reporter it has been found that “despite the Illinios Department of Child and Family Services involvement, many children die at the hands of their caregivers. Advocates say their deaths could be prevented.”
Read MoreUtah’s Transit Authority officials travel the world
Documents obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune have revealed that Utah’s Transit Authority CEO has spent more than $600,000 on international travel. Trips range from China to the United Arab Emirates and also include 17 U.S. cities. “But UTA officials say they receive great value from travel, learning from mistakes and successes of other transit agencies.…
Read MoreThe Throwaways
Police enlist young offenders as confidential informants, the New Yorker reports. They are the foot soldiers in the government’s war on drugs. By some estimates, up to 80 percent of all drug cases in America involve them. For police departments facing budget woes, untrained C.I.s provide an inexpensive way to outsource the work of undercover…
Read MoreIt’s all about location for disabled vets in limbo
A Bay Citizen investigation has found that “veterans waiting for decisions on their disability claims wait longer than the Department of Veterans Affairs has acknowledged, especially if they come from larger urban areas. Solutions tried in four locations have not helped so far, as the backlog continues to grow.”
Read MoreCool tools to cover the election
By Doug HaddixKiplinger Program directorKiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism, Ohio State University A new mobile app called Ad Hawk created a buzz this weekend during an IRE Election Watchdog Workshop at The Ohio State University. It’s an amazing new public service offered by the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation in Washington, D.C. Here’s how it works:…
Read MorePhilip Meyer Journalism Awards Call For Entry
Enter the 2012 Philip Meyer Journalism contest for your chance to win $500. Are you proud of a computer-assisted reporting story you’ve done this past year? Do you have a keen eye for great watchdog stories and the ability to combine that with social science research methods? If so, enter into the Philip Meyer Journalism…
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