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A database analysis found that while the city of Dallas is once again ranked among “the worst large cities for violent crime,” the numbers change when the sample is more closely examined. Jennifer LaFleur and Tanya Eiserer of The Dallas Morning News used “statistical tools that correct for the effect of factors such as poverty,…
Read MoreReese Dunklin of The Dallas Morning News tells the story of developer Bill Fisher, who became an FBI informant after his low-income apartment complex projects were rejected by the Dallas City Council. Before the vote, Fisher was told that in order to get millions of dollars in economic incentives, he would have to do favors…
Read MoreThe results of an in-depth investigation into infant deaths by Thomas Hargrove and Lee Bowman was launched online this week. They looked at over 40,000 infant deaths since 1992 to find that “the quality of infant death investigations, the level of training for coroners, and the amount of oversight and review vary enormously across the…
Read MoreThe San Francisco Chronicle published a two-part series beginning with a profile of murdered Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey. His suspected killers are linked to Your Black Muslim Bakery, the subject of his last, still unpublished, investigation.“Bailey, 57, became the first journalist assassinated in this country since 1993 — according to the Committee to Protect…
Read MoreGina Barton and Ben Poston of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analyzed city of Milwaukee salary and overtime data and found that the police department spent $17.8 million on overtime last year — a 23 percent increase over the previous year. Officers worked enough overtime to hire 380 more officers and pay their benefits. One officer…
Read MoreForeign doctors are being exploited by the Nevada physicians who sponsor their visas for U.S. medical residencies, reports Marshall Allen of the Las Vegas Sun. Under the Conrad State 30 program, foreign physicians are eligible for U.S. medical residencies located in underserved urban or rural areas. Instead, Allen writes, “Those sponsoring physicians pull the foreign…
Read MoreMark Schapiro of the Center for Investigative Reporting has released “EXPOSED: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What’s at Stake for American Power,” a book that examines Europe’s higher environmental standards for everyday products, such as cosmetics or plastic toys, and the significance for U.S. consumers and manufacturers. In an interview, Shapiro says the…
Read MoreMatt Birkbeck and Christina Gostomski of The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa) report that the Gaming Control Board is giving out casino licenses to owners and suppliers of Pennsylvania’s casino industry without checking each person’s complete criminal background. Though the original plan was to have the Pennsylvania State Police control the investigations because only law enforcement…
Read MoreCiting arbitrary and unfair practices in Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court disbanded the death penalty nationwide thirty-five years ago. The death penalty was ultimately reinstated with promises of reform but The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says application the application of the death penalty remains “as predictable as a lightning strike.” Reporters spent two years investigating the reasons…
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