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“A Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) analysis of city payroll records obtained through the state Right to Know Law found that 46 percent of the total sick days taken by firefighters through mid-October have been combined with holidays, personal days or vacation days for extended time away from work.” Such a pattern suggests possible misuse of…
Read MoreYang Wang, of the Houston Chronicle, found a number of massage parlors remain open despite repeated police raids for vice crime and licensing violations. In Houston, “292 establishments have been cited by police for compliance violations, including operating without a state license, hiring unlicensed workers, operating during prohibited hours or engaging in vice crimes.” Vice…
Read MoreClare Baldwin, Soyoung Kim and Kevin Krolicki, of Reuters, report that “a review of key events leading up to GM’s IPO and interviews with people involved inside and outside the company show that the U.S. government has been running key aspects of the landmark stock deal and exerting tight oversight on management decisions seen as…
Read MoreJohn Diedrich and Ryan H of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report that a pair of criminals who robbed a 17-year-old at gunpoint avoided incarceration because “neither the judge nor the prosecutor appears to have considered the crime or their past records to be serious, according to transcripts of the sentencing. Rather than a brazen holdup…
Read MoreJoe Yerardi, of the Columbia (Mo.) Missourian, found that retired St. Louis businessman Rex Sinquefield has spent millions to bankroll numerous campaigns in Missouri in the past two years. “The donations, which total more than $13.3 million, are the result of Sinquefield’s personal wealth, his ideological passions and Missouri’s lax campaign finance laws, experts and…
Read MoreAs newsrooms continue work on their 2011 budgets, it’s the perfect time to consider bringing IRE training to your staff. See a full list of IRE presentations and software hands-on training. Custom IRE training for your newsroom or university remains one of the best bargains in the industry, with immediate results: new tools, skills, websites and…
Read MoreAn investigation by Mike Soraghan, of Greenwire, found that the Li-Ion Motors Corp., winners of the coveted X prize for super-fuel-efficient cars, is struggling financially. “Court documents, interviews and the company’s regulatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission paint a picture of an erratic enterprise that has vacuumed up $50 million from stock holders…
Read MoreBy Mark Horvit, IRE Executive Director Nigel Jaquiss has a strong but simple message for those who cover local government: “Do not be a stenographer.” Jaquiss, a Pultizer Prize and IRE Award winning reporter for the Willamette Week in Portland, offered a series of recommendations to help those who cover local government do more than…
Read MoreIn a report by Ben Botkin of the Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho), found that the state’s system for completing background checks on teachers fails to give school districts a full picture of the applicant’s background. The problem came to light after a Times-News investigation found that a teacher charged with sex crimes had a prior…
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