The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Government (federal/state/local)
Beer tax money in UT not always used accordingly
“A review by The Salt Lake Tribune has found that perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars of Utah’s beer tax money have been diverted to other causes or rolled into everyday city or county activities in. In some cases, the recipients seemingly stretched the interpretation of the statute to justify how they spent the money.…
Read MoreCPS returns child; makes fatal mistake
“Case files from Sacramento County Child Protective Services, recently obtained by The Sacramento Bee show how a two-year old girl died. However, the records do not explain how the agency made the decision to return the child to care that led to her death.“ After countless reports of abuse and neglect, including 8 missed doctor’s…
Read MoreCompanies cheating vets out of business
‘The Dayton Daily News reports that the U.S. Veterans Affairs inspector general’s office has estimated $500 million worth of VA contracts through the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Program go to ineligible businesses each year. After the VA beefed up its review process over whether firms actually are headed by disabled veterans, it found 1,800 companies…
Read MoreLA Deputies working off-duty pay into “detail fund”
“The Lens reports that the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office runs a lucrative program hiring out deputies for private security work frequently at far higher pay than their commissioned duties – but it’s not just the deputies who are bringing in a tidy sum. The program provides Sheriff Marlin Gusman with a regular supply of discretionary…
Read MoreFormer criminals caring for elderly and others, despite state law
“During the past six years, Minnesota has granted more than 15,000 waivers to people with criminal records seeking employment in nursing homes and other state-regulated care programs, state records show.“ However, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports that “under state law, people are automatically rejected for those jobs if background checks reveal they have committed any…
Read MoreDouble-Dipping in New Jersey
A New Jersey Watchdog investigation by Mark Lagerkvist reveals that more than 20 “investigators and supervisors who work for Attorney General Paula T. Dow and her Division of Criminal Justice” are receiving both a salary and a pension. For example, the New Jersey State Police captain retired at age 50. However, he “began work at…
Read MoreWho’s policing the police in Florida?
“In a multi-day project, Anthony Cormier and Matthew Doig of The Sarasota Herald-Tribune investigate why law enforcement agencies around Florida employ officers despite cases of serious misconduct in their past, involving everything from violence and perjury to drugs and sexual assault. Many more cases stay hidden because agencies fail to thoroughly investigate or report complaints.”…
Read MoreSick-time pay in MN raises concerns
“MaryJo Webster of The Pioneer Press reported that the state of Minnesota paid about $57 million in unused sick time from January 2008 to June 2012 to departing workers. Now, Minnesota legislators from both sides of the aisle are calling for inquiries into the payments, with one senator saying, “we need to take an aggressive…
Read MoreEPA releases secret ‘watch list’ that includes chronic polluters
Two decades ago, Democrats and Republicans together sought to protect Americans from nearly 200 dangerous chemicals in the air they breathe. That goal remains unfulfilled. Today, hundreds of communities are still exposed to the pollutants, which can cause cancer, birth defects and other health issues. An ongoing investigation by the Center for Public Integrity, with…
Read MoreYouths held in adult jails face higher risk of attack
ScrippsNews‘ Isaac Wolf found that “for thousands of teens accused of crimes, punishment precedes any conviction in court. While awaiting trial and ostensibly presumed innocent, they can be held for months or even years in county jails for — and sometimes with — adult suspects. Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics data shows, in 2010, roughly…
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