The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Government (federal/state/local)
Companies failed to create jobs after receiving tax-payer funded grants
“A three-month investigation by The Tampa Tribune shows at least four in every 10 companies that receive grants from the state’s jobs incentive fund have failed to meet their obligations — some slightly, others by wide margins.” “However, Enterprise Florida, the state’s chief economic development agency, paints a rosier picture, concluding Florida is exceeding its…
Read MoreVirginia police deny access, even when investigation is over
“19-year-old Hailu Brook was shot and killed by Fairfax County police after he allegedly robbed a bank and crossed the county line. Officers fired 25 shots into his body, and the Arlington County Police Department conducted an official investigation into the actions of the Fairfax officers.” “The case is closed, but the Arlington police chief…
Read MoreMillions spent on high-end routers for small, rural areas
“Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette reporter Eric Eyre found that the state of West Virginia used $24 million in federal stimulus money to purchase more than a thousand “enterprise-class” Internet routers at $22,600 each even though the West Virginia Office of Technology warned that the routers were “grossly oversized. “The report states that the high-end routers were…
Read MoreNational tutoring program rampant with fraud
In a three-part series, the Star Tribune has found that a billion-dollar federal tutoring program is rife with fraud and mismanagement. The program, officially known as Supplemental Educational Services, is one of the lesser known and little scrutinized portions of No Child Left Behind. The investigation found that it has been lightly regulated by the…
Read MoreAn in-depth look at Florida’s ‘stand your ground’ law
“In light of the Trayvon Martin case, the Tampa Bay Times spent two months identifying and analyzing self-defense cases in which defendants invoked Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law.” The paper collected photos of victims and defendants and built nearly 200 case studies into an interactive database. The Times used public records to identify victim…
Read MoreEmails reveal how University of Montana’s administration handles cases of alleged rape
“Earlier this month, the U.S. Justice Department announced a first-of-its kind investigation into how rape cases are handled by the University of Montana and its campus police, along with the Missoula Police Department and the Missoula County Attorney’s Office because of a series of investigations by the Missoulian.” “Since December, the paper has been reporting…
Read MoreAnalyzing Governor Walker’s calendars
In a three-part series for the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, Kate Golden and Amy Karon used the state’s open records law to receive Gov. Scott Walker’s official calendars. “To analyze how Walker has used his time as the state’s chief executive, WCIJ reporters created a database of the more than 4,400 entries in Walker’s…
Read MoreDeteriorating combat ship raises questions
Mike Fabey of Aviation Week was afforded an authorized, guided tour of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-1), USS Freedom, that appears to be in no shape to sail. Despite Navy and contractor claims to the contrary – the ship is a rusty, rotting mess in key operational areas. As a result of this investigation a…
Read MoreNECIR takes a five-year look back at public servants charged with crimes and ethics violations
“In the past five years, Massachusetts residents have been forced to witness an embarrassing parade of fallen public servants caught up in corrupt acts, handcuffed and led away.” However, according to a new analysis by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting “an overwhelming majority of public servants embroiled in criminal or ethical scandals since…
Read MoreWhite House sought healthier school lunches, food industry fought back
Duff Wilson and Janet Roberts, for Reuters, report on “how food and beverage companies have dominated policymaking in Washington by doubling their lobbying expenditures during the past three years and defeating government proposals aimed at changing the nation’s diet.” Reuters Investigates TV also produced a video about “how the food industry fought back when the…
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