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In The Washington Post’s continuing investigative series on lapses in subway safety, the paper reported that independent safety inspectors — banned from Metro tracks until a Post exposé in November — returned to the rails in December to assess whether the transit agency was following rules meant to protect its own workers. During the inspection,…
Read MoreA two-part report by The Denver Post examines how the federal and state bank regulatory system collapsed in the last decade, failing to catch fraud at New Frontier Bank, one of the costliest bank failures in the country in 2009. A graphic depicts the red flags at New Frontier Bank, comparing performance data with other…
Read MoreA five day series by Martha Mendoza and Margie Mason of The Associated Press explores the global issue of drug resistance, looking at where and how it has emerged and what can be done. The series examines the overuse and misuse of drugs, leading to drug-resistant strains of diseases, highlighted by the first case in…
Read MoreFor two years, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter John Diedrich has been seeking documents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on a local gun store that has been the subject of controversy. Despite heavy redactions by the agency, and differing responses to various FOIA requests, Diedrich was able to confirm the ATF…
Read MoreThe Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY) used payroll records to show that two trainers at a police academy run by the sheriff have far more than doubled their pay through staggering amounts of overtime. The father of one of the trainers runs the academy. The marathon shifts have inflated the state pension the trainers will receive for…
Read MoreA Tacoma, WA affordable housing nonprofit misspent nearly $2 million in state funds meant to build a lavish business center in central Tacoma, an accountant’s review for the state’s commerce department has found. Lewis Kamb of The News Tribune reports about the review’s findings, prompted by his ongoing coverage of mismanagement allegations and financial turmoil…
Read MorePoliticians and their supporters in California have routinely funneled money through county-level political party committees around the state, avoiding strict limits on campaign giving and hiding the source of millions in donations, a California Watch analysis shows. By using county parties as middlemen, both Democrat and Republican donors can contribute far more money than the…
Read MoreThe Fresno Bee published a two-part series on accountability problems with Fresno County First 5, an early childhood initiative approved by voters in 1998. The first story found that, despite promises made to voters and millions of dollars spent on evaluations, First 5 hasn’t produced a complete evaluation of its results, raising questions about the…
Read MoreNurses with troubled records can cross state lines and work without restriction, an investigation by the nonprofit news organization ProPublica and The Los Angeles Times found. Using public databases and state disciplinary reports, reporters found hundreds of cases in which registered nurses held clear licenses in some states after they’d been sanctioned in others, often…
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