The early bird deadline for 
The 2025 Freelance Fellowship Recipients
In the first article of a series examining government contracting, Scott Shane and Ron Nixon of The New York Times describe how independent contractors have become “a virtual fourth branch of government. On the rise for decades, spending on federal contracts has soared during the Bush administration, to about $400 billion last year from $207…
Read MoreRichard Rubin of The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer investigated how politics determine how money is allocated from a North Carolina road fund. “The $15 million contingency fund is controlled largely by legislative leaders who distribute it to their colleagues’ districts, and their own, without a comprehensive analysis of traffic, safety or population, according to an Observer…
Read MoreA three-day series by Andy Hall of the Wisconsin State Journal looks at budget cuts in Wisconsin schools which threaten funding aimed to aid vulnerable students. Citing a lack of money, increasing numbers of Wisconsin schools are pulling out of a state program credited with boosting the scores of vulnerable poor and minority students. In…
Read MoreThomas Hargrove of Scripps Howard News Service found that the average weight of NFL athletes dropped more than a pound last year, reversing a 20-year trend in which pro football’s behemoths steadily gained bulk at the rate of more than a pound per man per year. According to the Scripps Howard News Service study of…
Read MoreMichael R. Blood of the Associated Press found that the California Department of Justice improperly concealed tens of millions of dollars worth of contracts with lobbyists, consultants, legal firms – even couriers and parking garages – in violation of its own confidentiality rules. “An internal agency review, conducted at AP’s request, found information on scores…
Read MoreThe (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer analyzed North Carolina lottery data and found that fewer outlets and lower prizes accounted for the slow sales in the new state lottery. J. Andrew Curliss and news researcher Paulette Stiles found “the number of outlets for every resident in North Carolina is significantly behind the saturation levels of…
Read MoreMike Fish of ESPN.com reports that Mack Henry “Hank” Sloan, who runs an Atlanta clinic with a clientele of sports stars, is under investigation for allegedly practicing medicine without a license. “The 36-year-old Sloan calls himself a naturopath, a practitioner of a medical discipline that emphasizes holistic approaches to enhance the body’s innate ability to…
Read MoreRon Knox of The Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World reported that probation officers in Douglas County were among the most overworked in the state – and by far the most overworked in similar judicial districts, based on his analysis of a state probation caseload database. Knox compared the number of adult and juvenile cases with the number…
Read MoreGeoff Davidian of Milwaukee Magazine identified Wisconsin judges who frequently try cases involving companies in which they hold investments. Davidian analyzed all civil cases in Milwaukee from the beginning of 2004 through the first eight months of 2006 and checked them against the financial interest statements filed by the judges with the Wisconsin Ethics Board.…
Read MoreIn a four-part series, Megan O’Matz and John Maines of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel examined Florida’s concealed weapons law and found that licenses have been issued to hundreds of people who, due to their criminal histories, wouldn’t stand a chance of getting them in most other states. Courts have found them responsible for assaults, burglaries,…
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