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20 percent of early release inmates in Fresno County back in jail
The Fresno (Calif.) Bee analyzed Fresno County Jail data and found one in five inmates released early over the past year was already back in jail. “Probation violations, drug possession and disorderly conduct were the most common charges, but some early-release inmates also have been arrested for violent crime such as robbery.”
Read MoreChemical industry fought ban of bisphenol A
Reporters Meg Kissinger and Susanne Rust of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reviewed thousands of pages of public records, from IRS documents to financial disclosure filings, to get inside the chemical industry’s push to fight a ban on bisphenol A, a chemical used in hard, clear plastics, including baby bottles. Their analysis showed the industry has…
Read MoreThousands of petroleum leaks go uncleaned in Florida
Matt Dixon of The News Herald (Panama City, Fla.) reports that budget cuts and strict state regulations have prevented the clean-up of thousands of underground petroleum leaks throughout Florida. Analysis of discharge data maintained by the Florida Department of Environment Protection shows more than 17,000 uncleaned leaks dating back to the mid-1980s.
Read MoreCity loses money as lenders abandon foreclosed properties
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporters Cary Spivak and Ben Poston uncovered the latest fallout from the mortgage crisis: foreclosed properties abandoned by lenders, also known as “walkaways.” Using city and county databases the reporters found that walkaway properties were already costing the city of Milwaukee more than $400,000 in back taxes, fees and demolition costs. The…
Read MoreRace gap widens in rejections for mortgage loans
An analysis of the latest national mortgage data by The Charlotte Observer found that “as the credit spigot dried up in 2008, blacks and Hispanics were more likely to be denied mortgage loans than whites.” The analysis found that nearly one out of two African Americans applicants were denied loans for the purchase or refinance…
Read MoreProblem nurses, lax oversight leave patients at risk
In a continuing investigation into failed oversight of California’s health professionals, ProPublica and The Los Angeles Times found the California Board of Registered Nursing, responsible for the oversight of 350,000 nurses, “often takes years to act on complaints of egregious misconduct, leaving nurses accused of wrongdoing free to practice without restrictions.” An analysis of the…
Read MoreNon-motorized boat accidents often fatal
An analysis of Wisconsin boating accident data by Jacob Kushner and Kryssy Pease of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism found that accidents in non-motorized boats are often fatal. “Eight of the 20 people who died last year were in non-motorized boats, most of which capsized…Over the past 10 years, 193 people died in 1,311 boating…
Read More‘Historic’ budget cuts roughly equal to 2008 payroll growth
The San Diego Union-Tribune found that “San Diego’s payroll ballooned by $41 million last year, fueled by unpublicized payouts, labor settlements and costly benefits.” Analysis of spending data “helps put into perspective the $43 million in wage and benefit reductions that will take effect July 1 to address a budget gap. [Mayor Jerry] Sanders portrays…
Read MoreCriminals work as childcare providers in Wisconsin
In her ongoing series “Cashing in on Kids” which has found millions of dollars in fraud within Wisconsin’s $350 million taxpayer subsidized child-care system, Raquel Rutledge writes that hundreds of convicted criminals, including those who had physically abused children, are being licensed to run day care centers. Some of them now appear to be scamming…
Read MoreMembers of Congress benefit from farm subsidies
The Panama City News Herald tallied farm subsidy data for Florida and examined the subsidies paid to U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd and other Congressional leaders with ties to agriculture. Matt Dixon reported that in “Boyd’s first 10 years in Congress, Boyd Family Farms has received $1.2 million in subsidy payments, ranking it 12th out of…
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