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The 2025 Freelance Fellowship Recipients
Sarah Okeson and John McCarthy of Florida Today (Brevard County, Fla.) report on Manor House, an apartment complex in Florida that did not have an adequate fire alarm system for two years. The county slapped it with the largest fine ever for a code enforcement violation. However, the complex was able to stay open because…
Read MoreReporter John Diedrich of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel revealed the Milwaukee police department is inadequate in its tracking of the use of force. The article documented the record of an officer who was with the department for just three years but racked up a record of using force and attracted complaints far in excess of…
Read MoreIn their continued coverage of conditions at Walter Reed, Dana Priest and Anne Hull of The Washington Post report that while Michael J. Wagner directed the Medical Family Assistance Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he also was seeking funders and soliciting donations for his own new charity, based in Dallas, according to documents…
Read MoreBen Jones of The (Appleton, Wis.) Post Crescent reports that area schools are failing to comply with a state law that requires they do monthly fire drills. A change in state law resulted in school no longer having to file annual fire drill reports with the Department of Commerce. Oversight now rests with the local…
Read MoreIn a follow-up to earlier reports, Dan Kane and J. Andrew Curliss of The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer report that former North Carolina House Speaker Jim Black pled guilty in federal court to “taking money for legislative favors.” Black received $25,000 in cash, as well as a $4,000 check, from three chiropractors in exchange…
Read MoreA computer-assisted investigation by Steve Daniels of WTVD-Raleigh, Durham and Fayetteville (N.C.) compared data from the state court system with data from the state prison system to find that “only 30 percent of people facing child pornography charges in North Carolina between 2003 and mid-December have been sentenced to prison time. Twenty-six percent have been…
Read MoreIn a two part series, Washington Post reporters Dana Priest and Anne Hull uncover dismal conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. “The common perception of Walter Reed is of a surgical hospital that shines as the crown jewel of military medicine. But 5 ½ years of sustained combat have transformed the venerable 113-acre institution…
Read MoreKevin Begos of The Tampa Tribune reports that executioners in Florida “aren’t required to have training, certification or any qualifications other than being at least 18 years old, according to Florida’s interpretation of lethal injection guidelines.” The Tampa Tribune received a copy of the state’s execution guidelines through a public records request. The protocol is…
Read MoreInvestigative correspondent Drew Griffin, of CNN
Read MoreDave Fehling of KHOU_Houston reports on the city’s burglary trends. “Analyzing raw numbers from the last two years, a special mapping program found five hot spots.” Further analysis of the data showed that the hot spots covered a higher concentration of apartment complexes, where it is easier for unfamiliar faces to move around unnoticed. The…
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