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Joseph Tanfani, Tom Infield, Carrie Budoff and Edward Colimore of The Philadelphia Inquirer studied the availability of armor for military vehicles in Iraq, finding a shortage “had more to do with Pentagon missteps than any lack of industrial capacity.” The importance of vehicle armor is highlighted in casualties: “Since May 1, 2003, when the United…
Read MoreCheryl W. Thompson of The Washington Post studied medical board records from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, finding that “scores of physicians in the area and across the country have been given repeated chances to practice, despite well-documented drug and alcohol problems.” In addition, sanctions in such cases can take months or years…
Read MoreLarry Margasak and Sharon Theimer of the Associated Press reviewed federal campaign filings to find that “dozens of lawmakers have hired their spouses and children to work for their campaigns and political groups, paying them with contributions they’ve collected from special interests and other donors.” The AP identified about 50 House members who pay their…
Read MoreCNN investigative correspondent Drew Griffin reports on police officers who use steriods. Griffin reports this is a growing problem across the country as police feel they need to bulk up to gain an advantage over criminals. In an interview with Al Geoit, a former officer in rural Michigan who was fired for poor job performance,…
Read MoreBrian Meyer of The Buffalo News used city records to show that “the agency that runs public housing in Buffalo set aside nearly $124,000 last July for trips, credit card spending, cell phones, insurance and stipends for its seven volunteer commissioners for this fiscal year. … This is the same Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority that…
Read MoreTim Smith of The Greenville News used state records to show that “relatives of two South Carolina Department of Transportation commissioners have been hired at the agency, but the board members said there was nothing improper about their employment.” The two relatives are part-time employees, but one has worked for the agency since 1999 and…
Read MoreMarcia Gelbart of The Philadelphia Inquirer used city records to show that more than 1,000 seats in luxury suites at professional baseball and football games went “mostly to people with clout.” Among the top recipients were members of the city council, aides to Mayor John Street and members of his family. Street has distributed another…
Read MoreDavid Olinger and Jeffrey A. Roberts of The Denver Post examined reports of violent incidents in Colorado schools, finding that “disclosures of school violence vary wildly from one district to another. Some schools report every punch thrown on the playground. Others did not include assaults that police classified as felonies.” The state requires districts to…
Read MoreSydney P. Freedberg and Connie Humburg of the St. Petersburg Times wrote about Florida’s attempt to attract business by offering large incentives to help companies create jobs. The incentives were not working with some companies shipping jobs oversees instead of creating them. These economic efforts come at a big price with Florida’s economic development efforts…
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