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Mark Naymik and Joseph L. Wagner of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer analyzed state campaign contributions to show that “top Ohio Republican officials and political committees have received millions of dollars in campaign contributions from companies managing money for the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. Almost two-thirds of the 212 companies hired by the bureau to invest…
Read MoreJennifer Steinhauer and Jo Craven McGinty of The New York Times used restaurant price information from Zagat Guides and the paper’s own reviews to show that “in 1994, the average one-star meal cost $33; it now costs a little more than $50, pushing it outside many people’s weekend budgets. That is a 51 percent increase,…
Read MoreA team of reporters from the Detroit Free Press analyzed drunken driving arrests over a four-day period in May. They found those arrested were “… ordinary people taking ordinary chances.” The project looks at drunken driving from the perspective of a defense lawyer, bartenders and a deputy, as well as offering a sample of the…
Read MoreJohn McCarthy of the Florida Today analyzed and mapped data from the Brevard County Property Appraiser’s database to report on growth and development in Brevard County, Fla. McCarthy found that land developers in the county “plan to turn agricultural land in the far reaches of the county into upscale housing developments …” The project includes…
Read MoreCameron McWhirter and Steve Visser of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution use public documents and interviews to identify crucial missteps that led to the March 11 attack that left three people dead at the Fulton County Courthouse. The investigation found long-standing problems including “… a sick day for a deputy who may not have been sick, a…
Read MoreBen Smith of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution analyzed campaign contributions to Gwinnett County commission races in the past two years, finding that “thousands of dollars in donations from companies sharing common addresses and company executives that appear to violate campaign contribution limits. Among them: nine companies headed by two developers whose firms gave to former Commission…
Read MoreMike Adamick of the Contra Costa Times used salary data obtained after a legal battle to show that “the number of BART employees making at least $100,000 nearly tripled since 2000. During the same time period, overtime payments surged by 147 percent for the transit district’s highest paid employees.” The transit agency originally resisted the…
Read MoreCollins Conner and Bridget Hall Grumet of The St. Petersburg Times investigated the Florida Youth Conservation Corps, which receives a state no-bid contract to help maintain highway rights of way in exchange for providing jobs and scholarships to its young employees. “FYCC said 46 trainees got scholarships from 1999 to 2003, but none came out…
Read MoreL.A. Lorek of the San Antonio Express-News used federal contracts data to examine the largest military contractors in San Antonio. Lorek found the Pentagon’s reliance on private companies has let to a boom for local businesses who “provide everything from oil and food to aircraft parts and weapons research.” In 2003, the top 20 contractors…
Read MoreDebra Erdley of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that police agencies in Western Pennsylvania don’t always comply with the state’s public records laws: “About 40 percent of 217 police agencies surveyed declined to provide access to daily call sheets or police blotters.” Police usually cite ongoing investigations or confidentiality concerns when withholding access, but “the law…
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