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Ken Ward Jr. of the Charleston Gazette used the federal Freedom of Information Act to obtain records showing that a plan by West Virginia environmental regulators to warn residents of Wood County about the spread of the toxic chemical C8 from DuPont Co.’s Parkersburg plant was killed after complaints from a DuPont lawyer. The paper…
Read MoreMaria Sacchetti of The Boston Globe used state education records to show that “average teacher pay in Massachusetts jumped 37 percent during the last decade, to $53,529 last year.” That’s a larger increase than teachers nationwide, and Boston schools pay an average teacher salary of $69,022.
Read MoreWade Rawlins of The (Raleigh/Durham) News & Observer reports on toxic chemicals that have been contaminating local water sources for the last 15 years. “Ward Transformer spilled thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals on its 11 acres at the edge of Raleigh-Durham International Airport.” Investigators knew in 1978 and 1979 of the high levels of…
Read MoreDouglas Fischer of Alameda Newspaper Group spent nine months investigating chemical pollutants in a family that “lives at one end of the consumer-chemicals spectrum — they eat organic, avoid common household cleaners and pesticides, don’t have wall-to-wall carpets or large new appliances.” The paper consulted a commercial research ethics board, responsible for protecting study participants’…
Read MoreStephen Smith of The Boston Globe used state data to show that “deaths from heart attacks in Massachusetts dropped by 24 percent in eight years,” a decline doctors attributed to increased usage of angioplasty and aspirin. “Nationwide, the number of people succumbing to heart attacks has also decreased, although at a somewhat slower pace than…
Read MoreChris Barge of the Boulder Daily Camera analyzed city animal enforcement records to show that “roughly seven out of every 10 tickets written by Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks rangers over the past three years have cited dog-related violations.” About a quarter of all dog-related infractions occurred in the Wonderland Lake management area –…
Read MoreSusan Kelleher and Duff Wilson interviewed more than 160 doctors, patients, medical analysts, regulatory officials and other experts for a Seattle Times series about the health care industry and the influence of the pharmaceutical industry. “Suddenly Sick” reveals that perviously healthy people go to the doctor only to be diagnosed with an illness because the…
Read MoreMichael Cass of The Tennessean reports on an analysis of 2004 disclosure forms for all Tennessee legislators, which found political expenses in places not typically incurred. One expense was for “$1,414 to Interstate Liquors by Sen. Jerry Cooper, D-McMinnville.” The story includes detailed sidebars outlining what the law says, how to follow the money and…
Read MoreSteve Lackmeyer and Ryan McNeill of The Oklahoman analyzed a never-completed 2002 audit of Oklahoma’s purchase card system. They found that for, “17 of the 20 agencies with cards at the time, receipts were not reviewed or verified to see whether the goods or services were received.” The state auditor is preparing to investigate the…
Read MoreGordon Russell of The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reports that while New Orleans has a residency requirement for its police officers, “dozens of Police Department sergeants and lieutenants and at least seven captains — the department’s highest civil-service rank — have been promoted in recent years despite claiming homestead exemptions outside the city.” The 10-year-old residency…
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