The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Government (federal/state/local)
Burglaries misclassified as thefts in Milwaukee despite evidence
A new Journal Sentinel investigation found more than 900 cases that should have been classified as burglaries but were marked as thefts by Milwaukee police since 2006, showing Milwaukee’s crime data problems extend to property crimes. Reporters Ben Poston and John Diedrich found had the cases been properly coded, the tally of burglaries would have been 2.4% higher than reported…
Read MoreReuters finds vicious circle of self-interest sank a California city
When San Bernardino filed for bankruptcy in August, the mayor blamed the city council and the police and fire unions. The unions blamed the mayor. Yet on close examination, the city’s decades-long journey from prosperous, middle-class community to bankrupt, crime-ridden, foreclosure-blighted basket case is straightforward—and alarmingly similar to the path travelled by municipalities around America’s…
Read MoreOklahoma jobs program may not be so cut and dry
In an investigation by Alex Cameron, director of the Oklahoma Impact Team, “it has been found that a job incentive program that has created tens of thousands of good-paying jobs in Oklahoma has also rewarded companies that cut jobs and even exported jobs overseas.”
Read MoreExtra Extra Monday: Weekend enterprise outside of election coverage
Welcome to IRE’s roundup of the weekend’s many enterprise stories from around the country. We’ll highlight the document digging, field work and data analysis that made their way into centerpieces in print, broadcast and online from coast to coast. Coverage this week was dominated by the election, but there was some watchdog coverage to be found…
Read MoreAlleged HISD fee scheme detailed
“HISD trustee Larry Marshall voted repeatedly to award taxpayer-funded contracts to companies that hired his longtime business associate – who gave him a cut of her earnings, according to court records, deposition testimony and interviews.” According to the Chronicle’s investigation, an associate said she gave Marshall a percentage of her fees because of his help with consulting.…
Read MoreInvestigation into court loophole leads to conviction
“Investigative reporter A.J. Lagoe, with WRIC TV8 in Richmond, Va, uncovers widespread fraud in Virginia’s court-appointed attorney system. Criminal defendants are lying about their assets in order to qualify for a free lawyer and all too often getting away with it thanks to a loophole in Virginia law.” “Now a man profiled in the 8News…
Read More$300 Million Meant To Help Florida Homeowners In Limbo
In this in-depth investigation of a $25 billion national settlement between five of the United States’ largest banks and forty-nine states and the District of Columbia, ProPublica uncovers that the state of Florida was keeping $300 million meant to help needy homeowners on the brink of foreclosure. ProPublica’s investigation uncovers that Florida’s attorney general had not revealed…
Read MoreLight sentences, expunged records prompt officials to call for new laws
“A review of government corruption cases by The Clarion-Ledger, including a dozen listed in today’s edition, indicates public officials tend to get off easy when they’re caught with their hands in the till. It shows a trend of light sentences and early release, inequity of sentences, lack of prosecution and expunged records.”
Read MoreTexas police spend millions on drones
“While the nation disputes if, when and where the government should use drones over U.S. soil, Texas state police are taking their surveillance efforts to the next level. In a little-noticed July purchase, officials at the Texas Department of Public Safety inked a $7.4 million contract with the Swiss company Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. for a…
Read MoreInvestigation leads to EPA re-examining lead factories
“The Environmental Protection Agency is re-examining more than 460 former lead factory sites across the USA for health hazards left by toxic fallout onto soil in nearby neighborhoods.” “The massive effort, a result of a USA TODAY investigation, involves locations in dozens of states and has already identified several sites needing further investigation and some…
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