The early bird deadline for 
Promotions and new staff strengthen IRE
Ames Alexander of The Charlotte Observer, working with database editor Ted Mellnik, investigated the relationship between lawyers and judges in the North Carolina’s judicial district that is most lenient on drinking and driving. “District judges there acquitted suspects in more than 87 percent of the DWI trials in which they rendered a verdict. Statewide, the…
Read MoreCraig R. McCoy, Jennifer Lin and Mario F. Cattabiani of The Philadelphia Inquirer detailed the relationship between state Sen. Vincent J. Fumo and the bank he heads, finding that “PSB Bancorp Inc. has served one man especially well: its chairman, Sen. Fumo. The bank paid Fumo $709,800 last year. For a few years, it provided…
Read MoreRick Brundrett of The State continued the paper’s investigation in South Carolina domestic violence cases, finding that “more than a third of the most serious criminal domestic violence cases statewide have been dropped in the four years since South Carolina’s attorney general ordered prosecutors not to drop any unless absolutely necessary.” That amounts to nearly…
Read MoreJason Riley and Kay Stewart of The (Louisville) Courier-Journal used Kentucky court records to show that “thousands of Kentuckians are erasing their arrests and convictions every year by taking advantage of expungement laws that make it cheap and easy to bury their past mistakes.” Variances in the process and the lack of a tracking systems…
Read MoreScott Powers of The Orlando Sentinel used county traffic ticket data to show that “last year Florida Highway Patrol troopers, Orange County deputies and police ticketed 342 high rollers for driving at least 100 mph.” Those who are caught typically are young, white men and many were traveling on the Central Florida GreeneWay. “And though…
Read MoreLee Davidson of The Deseret Morning News used federal data to review deficient bridges in Utah. “Federal data, based on state inspections, show that 256 bridges in Utah were considered structurally deficient in 2004. Another 250 were functionally obsolete.” Despite the high number of deficiencies, Utah’s bridges are rated Ninth best among states, federal data…
Read MoreM.L. Elrick and Jim Shaefer of The Detroit Free Press continues their investigation into personal expenditures made by Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick on the city’s credit card. Numerous Freedom of Information Act requests uncovered expenditures including an $850 steakhouse dinner and $11,644 he spent on Super Bowl hotel rooms. On the mayor’s first day on…
Read MoreLynn Campbell, Erin Jordan and Madelaine Jerousek of The Des Moines Register analyzed fund-raising costs by state universities, finding that “foundations at ISU and the University of Iowa are about average in the amount they spend on salaries, travel and other overhead to raise money for their universities.” The two schools spend about 11 or…
Read MoreMike McAndrew and Michelle Breidenbach of The (Syracuse) Post-Standard report on how New York Governor George Pataki’s administration gives millions of dollars to businesses that promise to hire people, but often don’t. The Post-Standard uses the state’s Freedom of Information Law to obtain financial accounts, as well as records on companies’ penalties. “The newspaper’s review…
Read More