The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Government (federal/state/local)
ProPublica, WNYC launch project to track stimulus spending
WNYC-New York and ProPublica have started a Web site dedicated to providing “documents, data and original reporting to help citizens monitor the progress and effectiveness of the largest domestic spending bill in U.S. history.” The site, called ShovelWatch, can be found at http://www.shovelwatch.org/.
Read MoreProblems with food safety protection are rampant
A watchdog report by Justina Wang of the Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, N.Y.) looks at how the latest salmonella contamination exposes vulnerabilities in the protection of U.S. food safety. Despite calls for stricter oversight, the system remains inadequate. The article points out that “federal officials hold little power to force recalls or oversee the daily…
Read MoreHomeland Security USA: The Outtakes
The Center for Investigative Reporting files ongoing reports about what viewers don’t see in the ABC reality TV series, “Homeland Security USA,” which G.W. Shultz characterizes as ” ‘Cops’-style, heart-pounding segments of border agents drawing their weapons on a suspect or airport security seizing smuggled narcotics” with an occasional pause “to focus briefly on the…
Read MoreForeign workers hired as banks failed
“Major U.S. banks sought government permission to bring thousands of foreign workers into the country for high-paying jobs even as the system was melting down last year and Americans were getting laid off, according to an Associated Press review of visa applications.” Frank Bass and Rita Beamish of the Associated Press reported that visa applications…
Read MoreRaids targeted illegal immigrants with no criminal record
Nina Bernstein of The New York Times reports that, despite the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s January 2004 statement that its officers would focus their efforts on detaining illegal immigrants with criminal records, the agency changed its quotas to facilitate the capture of non-criminal illegal immigrants as well. By 2006, only 9 percent of those detained…
Read MoreRacing company profited off subsidies from city of San Diego
An investigation by The San Diego Union-Tribune has found that Elite Racing, a marathon promotion company, has received subsidies from the city of San Diego. According to the article, “The subsidies stem from a nonprofit charity that San Diego-based Elite Racing created that co-hosts the event. It allows the company to cash in on a…
Read MoreInterior Department’s plan may have hurt Grand Canyon wildlife
Juliet Eilperin of The Washington Post obtained memos from the Interior Department suggesting officials may have ignored the environmental risks of a plan to reduce water flow through the Grand Canyon at night when there is low demand for hydroelectric power. The department proceeded with the plan despite warnings that it would harm endangered species…
Read MoreLobbyists spent $12.8 million courting Texas lawmakers
According to a report in the Houston Chronicle, lobbyists spent more than $12 million in the last four years wining and dining Texas lawmakers and other state workers, including trips to pricey resorts across the country. Using lobby disclosure data, reporter Matt Stiles found that state senators and representatives had accepted at least $3.5 million…
Read MoreCashing in on kids
In a two-part series, Raquel Rutledge of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel found a trail of phony businesses and child-care providers who were tapping into taxpayer subsidies for child care in Wisconsin. Rutledge reviewed thousands of pages of documents, and also obtained records from whistle-blowers that the county and state refused to release. Her findings revealed…
Read MoreAlt-weekly exposes mayor’s lie about sexual relationship
Willamette Week, the alt-weekly based in Portland, Ore., broke a story about Portland Mayor Sam Adams. After 16 months of reporting, Willamette Week compiled evidence that Adams had lied in 2007 about having sex with an 18-year-old legislative intern. In an interview last week, Adams again denied having sex with the young man but as…
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