The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Business
Private contractors pour $2.5 billion into city
L.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 MoreGetty chief’s high compensation, management style under fire
Jason Felch, Robin Fields and Louise Roug of the Los Angeles Times investigate Getty Chief Executive Barry Munitz and his handling of the nonprofit. Declining stock markets helped in the nonprofit’s two-year $1 billion loss, leading to cutbacks and layoffs. Two days following a series of layoffs the Getty paid $72,000 for an SUV for…
Read MoreProblems plague state’s biotech partnership
Clint Riley of The (Hackensack, N.J.) Record investigates New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey’s plans to promote biotechnology in the state in a four-part series. The investigation found problems with New Jersey’s partnership with the biotechnology industry. “Millions of your tax dollars have gone to companies that take valuable research, profits and jobs from New Jersey…
Read MoreStreet gun dealers go to jail, while licensed dealers get a free pass
Susan Schulman, Lou Michel and Dan Herbeck of The Buffalo News uses public records to investigate gun dealers in a four-day series. The investigation found that while street gun dealers go to jail, licensed gun merchants get a free pass. “Gun shows are a prime source of crime weapons in many states…Despite those concerns, the…
Read MoreOfficials free gas card raises questions
Hal Marcovitz of The (Allentown) Morning Call used county records to show that Bucks County “Chief Operating Officer David M. Sanko obtains free gas at the county pumps for a county-owned 1997 Ford Explorer, which he is permitted to tank up before making 100-mile trips from the courthouse in Doylestown to his home in Harrisburg.”…
Read MoreState homeland security problems uncovered
Bert Dalmer of The Des Moines Register reports on an analysis done by the Register using Iowa’s critical-asset list. The list “has played a key part in determining how the state divides homeland-security money among Iowa’s counties.” They found that some “dams and schools on the list have been found not to exist.” Historic buildings…
Read MoreTax abatements benefit downtown owners
Gregory S. Reeves of The Kansas City Star analyzed county data on tax breaks given to properties in downtown Kansas City, finding that “more than 1,700 properties in Jackson County enjoy some kind of property tax abatement,” including several expensive condo buildings. Meanwhile, many residential property owners are facing double-digit increases in their assessments.
Read MoreSection 8 failing to provide adequate housing
Antonio Olivo, John Bebow and Darnell Little of the Chicago Tribune used local data to show that “private landlords are fast taking over government’s traditional role of housing Chicago’s poor. But these subsidized ‘Section 8’ landlords have been failing four out of every 10 inspections” during the last five years. “More than 6,000 landlords failed…
Read MoreFire district underestimates cost of helicopter
Andrew McIntosh of The Sacramento Bee used state public records to show that “the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District spent at least $790,000 to refurbish and equip a military surplus helicopter for firefighting and rescues, more than twice the $300,000 budget its elected board originally approved for the project.” A member of the fire district’s board…
Read MoreState senator makes big bucks with bank
Craig 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…
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