The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Blog
Glenn Howatt and Pam Louwagie of the Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minn.) revealed that the state paid a home health care worker who billed for three 32 hour work days. The Star Tribune investigation found that in at least 21 cases last summer, “the state Department of Human Services paid agencies where care attendants supposedly worked…
Read MoreA News-Press (Fort Meyers, Fla.) investigation found hundreds of senior citizens who invested more than $7 million with a Florida RV park and campground owner. The securities were unregistered and when investors complained to authorities, they were bounced from one agency to the next without any agency taking responsibility to investigate. The owner has declared…
Read MoreA Chicago Tribune investigation discovered high levels of mercury in skin lightening creams sold throughout Chicago. The newspaper sent 50 skin-lightening creams to a certified lab for testing, most of them bought in Chicago stores and a few ordered online. Six were found to contain amounts of mercury banned by federal law. Of those, five…
Read MoreFelons may be prohibited from buying, owning or carrying guns, but a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation by reporter John Diedrich revealed a loophole in the law allows them to rent guns at gun stores and use them for target practice on indoor ranges. Indeed, gun stores are prohibited from running background checks on those wanting…
Read MoreAn NPR News investigation has found strong evidence of collusion between elements of the Mexican army and the Sinaloa cartel in the violent border city of Juarez. In an effort to find out whether federal forces are favoring the Sinaloa cartel, NPR analyzed thousands of news releases on the federal attorney general’s website announcing arrests…
Read MoreA report by the Huffington Post Investigative fund examines “tax sale” foreclosures. Amid the economic downturn, they are happening in Baltimore and other cities, where big banks, brokerage houses, and other investors are gaining the right from governments to collect on paltry debts of citizens. Fees and other costs swell, and homeowners who can’t make…
Read More“The water supply of more than two million Californians has been exposed to harmful levels of nitrates over the past 15 years,” according to a report by California Watch. Nitrates are the most common groundwater contaminant, and are a problem in both rural and city water systems. In 1980, nine wells in California exceeded accepted…
Read MoreEarly-bird registration has been extended until Tuesday, May 25 at 5p.m. (CT). Don’t delay, register today! To register visit the conference registration page. To find out the scoop on panels, speakers and special events, visit our conference page. Dozens of panels offering tips and techniques from reporters, producers, editors and news directors will be presented…
Read MoreIan Urbina, of The New York Times, reports that the “federal Minerals Management Service gave permission to BP and dozens of other oil companies to drill in the Gulf of Mexico without first getting required permits from another agency that assesses threats to endangered species — and despite strong warnings from that agency about the…
Read MoreThis WXYZ-Detroit report exposed the tactics employed by officials in Wayne County, Michigan’s largest county to avoid releasing public information. The story featured a 20-year Wayne County official whose own requests for routine salary information were stonewalled, as well as unions whose requests were simply ignored, causing them to file suit. Legal fees for these requests are…
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