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In the on-going series “Your Court, Their Secrets” investigating closed court records, Cheryl Phillips, Maureen O’Hagan and Justin Mayo of The Seattle Times uncovered conflicts of interest in sealed guardianship cases. “Only a small circle of lawyers practice in the guardianship field. Some say that to make a good living they cannot limit their practice…
Read MoreJeremy Rogalski and 11 News Investigates of KHOU-Houston exposed an open secret of the Texas justice system: Texas prosecutors are not letting defense attorneys see basic documents, such as police reports, witness statements, and even DNA lab results, before trial. A Texas state law practically eliminates pretrial discovery often leaving defense attorneys unable to prepare…
Read MoreThe Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette’s Ken Ward Jr. continues his series on coal mine safety with a Sunday article about the dangers of working at mountaintop removal mines in Appalachia. Ward reports, among other things, that Appalachian strip mines account for 20 percent of the nation’s strip-mined coal, but over the last decade accounted for 75…
Read MoreThe Center for Public Integrity’s International Consortium of Investigative Journalists conducted a yearlong investigation into how rigid rules and restrictions of President Bush’s initiative to fight HIV/AIDS have affected countries struggling with the pandemic. The investigation found that restrictive funding and emphasis on abstinence have hindered the $15 billion effort. “Information accumulated by reporters in…
Read MoreSix months after the Charleston Gazette ran a series about methadone overdose deaths nationwide, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a public health advisory and strenghtened the warnings on the package insert for methadone this week. The Gazette series revealed that the FDA-approved recommended dosage on methadone’s old package insert was wrong and potentially…
Read MoreAfter a 19-month legal battle by The Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the newspapers obtained more than 700 pages from the personnel files of seven priests that the diocese had fought to keep secret. The records show that Fort Worth Catholic Diocese leaders systematically helped predator priests stay in ministry for two…
Read MoreLisa Chedekel and Matthew Kauffman of The Hartford Courant reported that the U.S. military has issued sweeping new mental-health guidelines that expand screening for troops being sent to war and set limits on when service members with psychiatric problems can be kept in combat. The changes are aimed at meeting a congressional mandate prompted by…
Read MoreSarah Okeson of Florida Today reports that hurricane storm shutter fraud is on the rise in Florida. Records from the Better Business Bureau of Central Florida show that at least six companies offering storm shutters have unsatisfactory records, and at least one faces criminal charges. Complaints range from shoddy workmanship to theft of deposits. A…
Read MoreIn a follow-up to an earlier story, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report‘s Michael Fabey writes that the Air Force rushed the deployment of its airspace defense system by bypassing typical Pentagon standards. Information received by The Daily indicates that “the Air Force accepted the BCS-F [Battle Control System-Fixed] even though it did not meet the…
Read MoreA Dallas Morning News investigation of the Dallas Independent School District’s method of making criminal background checks on potential employees has found a system that still has holes and, at times, ignores district and state rules. The News’ investigation found at least 80 current employees who have been convicted of felonies or received deferred adjudication…
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