The early bird deadline for 
The 2025 Freelance Fellowship Recipients
Tony Capaccio of Bloomberg reveals that the “U.S. Navy, after nearly six years of warnings from Pentagon testers, still lacks a plan for defending aircraft carriers against a supersonic Russian-built missile, according to current and former officials and Defense Department documents.” Concern exists that the missile, known as the “Sizzler” may be purchased by Iran.…
Read MoreAn investigation by the Associated Press uncovered that the California Transportation Department classified nearly 300 contracts worth over $13 million – and many of them not competitively bid – as confidential without proper authority. The General Services Department grants the authority to classify contracts. “The agency was unaware Caltrans listed confidential contracts in its records…
Read MoreMeghan Hoyer and Matthew Jones of The Virginian-Pilot investigated the purchase of over 250 houses and lots in depressed areas of cities such as Portsmouth, Norfolk and Newport News by a Virginia Beach-based company and its investors. Five years later, half the properties still sit in disarray with thousands owed in back taxes. “Since forming…
Read MoreBill Dedman of MSNBC.com reports that more than three years after President Bush signed the Hometown Heroes Act of 2003, no benefits have been paid to families. The act promises federal benefits to the families of firefighters and EMTs who die of heart attacks or strokes on the job. “The U.S. Justice Department has denied…
Read MoreMichelle Breidenbach and Mike McAndrew of the The Syracuse Post-Standard found some of the state’s biggest and most politically connected law firms cashed in for millions of dollars through a state economic development program that was supposed to encourage new businesses. “At least 70 law firms cost state taxpayers more than $6 million in 2005,…
Read MoreA four-part series by Binyamin Appelbaum, Lisa Hammersly Munn and Ted Mellnik of The Charlotte (N.C) Observer profiles Beazer Homes USA and the failure of starter-home neighborhoods in the Charlotte area. As it sold homes and arranged mortgages, the company crossed the line between selling to people who could barely afford homes and selling to…
Read MoreA special report by Andrew McIntosh of The Sacramento Bee reveals problems with paramedics and EMTs in the state of California. Substance abuse is on the rise among paramedics, including theft of morphine on hand to treat patients in the field. Additionally, lax oversight of the paramedic and EMT licensing systems have led to fired…
Read MoreIn a two-part series, Clark Kauffman of The Des Moines Register examined the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care, the largest of 53 federally funded Quality Improvement Organizations. The newspaper found that the tax-exempt Iowa foundation, which investigates complaints of poor patient care received by Iowa’s 500,000 Medicare beneficiaries, reviewed only 12 complaints in 2005. That…
Read MoreIn an investigative series by the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune staffers Matt Doig, Tiffany Lankes and editor Chris Davis expose an epidemic of misconduct in Florida schools. In the past ten years, more than 750 Florida teachers have been punished for misconduct toward students, and at least 150 are still teaching today. It’s possible that the…
Read MoreAaron Lee of the Lynchburg (Va.) News & Advance used FOIA to obtain complaints to the state department of motor vehicles about vanity license plates that had been issued to Virginia drivers, as well as subsequent correspondence between the DMV and the plate holders. The story reveals a host of complaints against many of the…
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