The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Government (federal/state/local)
MA state departments spending hundreds of thousands on bottled water
The MetroWest Daily News reports that “according to Open Checkbook, a Massachusetts state website touted by officials as a means to improve governmental transparency, state departments, little by little, have racked up almost $300,000 since July on bottles of Poland Spring and other water brands, and water coolers.” “With seven months to go in fiscal…
Read MoreLawmakers in North Carolina collecting money despite absences
A WXII12 investigation found that lawmakers in the North Carolina General Assembly can collect money, including subsistence money for meals and lodging while in session, whether they show up for work or not. WXII12 reports that “The legislative manual says lawmakers can waive the money by filing a waiver. Otherwise, O’Neil reported, the money comes…
Read MoreNY mostly ignored reports warning of superstorm
According to an investigation by the Associated Press, “More than three decades before Superstorm Sandy, a state law and a series of legislative reports began warning New York politicians to prepare for a storm of historic proportions, spelling out scenarios eerily similar to what actually happened: a towering storm surge; overwhelming flooding; swamped subway lines;…
Read MoreAmazon creates billion-dollar tax shield
An examination of accounts filed by 25 Amazon units in six countries show how the company has avoided paying more tax in the United States, where it’s based, according to a report from Reuters. Reuters writes that Amazon, in effect, used inter-company payments to form a tax shield behind which it has accumulated $2 billion. Last…
Read MoreArmored car industry leaves workers unprotected
A lack of industry regulation, jurisdictional confusion at the federal level and trucks in bad conditions leave armored car drivers unprotected, The Texas Observer reports. The Bureau of Labor statistics reports an average of four deaths in the armored car industry per year, but experts say they have yet to see a figure on fatalities…
Read MoreCalifornia police ignored, mishandled sex assaults reported by disabled
In three dozen cases of developmentally disabled patients accusing caretakers of rape and molestation during the past four years, police failed to complete even the simplest tasks associated with investigating the alleged crimes, according to a California Watch investigation.
Read MoreTobacco companies fighting anti-smoking laws with trade agreements, legal challenges
Fair Warning reports that as governments around the world adopt stringent rules to fight the public health burdens of smoking, tobacco companies are fighting back, trumping those laws by invoking long-standing trade agreements. Anti-smoking advocates told Fair Warning those efforts, and the cost and liability governments face in fighting them, will intimidate “all but the…
Read MoreFederal judge’s financial conflict of interest went unnoticed for years
“A federal judge has issued three key rulings over a four-year period that favored companies in which he owned stock, a California Watch analysis has found.” “Measures are in place to prevent judges from violating federal conflict-of-interest laws. But Judge Manuel Real, a 46-year veteran of the bench appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, appears…
Read MoreCity’s lucrative speed camera program dogged by problems
“While the city reaps millions from motorists who believe their only practical option is to pay up, the evidence used to issue speed camera tickets is not nearly as unimpeachable as many drivers and lawmakers think, The Sun found. Even some city District Court judges criticize the program.”
Read MoreNew Jersey railway put trains in flood zone despite warnings, millions in damages result
New Jersey Transit placed much of its equipment in rail yards that forecasters predicted would flood after Hurricane Sandy, a move that damaged one third of its locomotives and a quarter of its passenger cars, according to a report from Reuters. The damage could cost tens of millions of dollars to repair, according to Reuters.
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