The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Government (federal/state/local)
The Favor Factory 2008
An investigation by The Seattle Times shows that Congressional earmarks remain a problem despite efforts in ethics reform. A Times analysis of the 2008 defense bill found $3.5 in hidden earmarks, and used this to point out flaws in efforts to curb these favors. Members of the House violated laws mandating disclosure of earmarks 110…
Read MoreChicago Housing Authority falling behind goals
Jason Grotto, Laurie Cohen and Sara Olkon of the Chicago Tribune found that the Chicago Housing Authority, despite vows to reform its failing policies, has spent hundreds of millions of federal tax dollars on “housing complexes that preserve the very policies the plan was meant to reverse.” With crime and pollution on the rise, many…
Read MoreSix states under fire for blocking voters
Ian Urbina of The New York Times reports that elections officials removed or blocked tens of thousands of eligible voters from voter registration rolls in at least six swing states and that elections workers misused Social Security databases. The actions, revealed in a Times review of state and Social Security records, appear to violate federal…
Read MoreNORAD relocation could compromise security
A report by Michael de Yoanna and Bill Gertz of The Washington Times reveals that the relocation of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) from Cheyenne Mountain to office space at nearby Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo. could undermine national security. “According to military and defense sources familiar with the missions…
Read MoreCDC report riddled with errors, put public at risk
Joaquin Sapien of ProPublica reports that the CDC’s original report on the safety of FEMA trailers dispensed to Hurricane Katrina victims was fundamentally flawed. While an agency standard states that formaldehyde exposure for two-weeks or more at levels measuring 30 parts per billion (ppb) can lead to health problems — the FEMA trailers all measured…
Read MoreTexas senators play loose with payroll laws
“State senators may be violating a Texas Constitution ban on using taxpayer money for bonuses to government workers by approving temporary end-of-year raises to give staffers thousands of dollars in extra pay,” reported Matt Stiles of the Houston Chronicle. An analysis of a state payroll database obtained through the Texas Public Information Act showed a…
Read MoreFine reductions greater for labor chief’s contributors
Ames Alexander and David Ingram of The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer reported that North Carolina Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry has collected at least half of her campaign contributions from executives and managers of companies that have been inspected by her department. The newspaper’s analysis also found that while the Labor Department routinely reduces fines for workplace…
Read MoreIndianapolis city employees are abusing parking placards
An investigation by Tom Spalding and Heather Gillers of the Indianapolis Star has led to a policy change regarding special parking placards in Indianapolis. Some have been using the special permits, intended to help city employees complete quick downtown tasks, to park for hours at no charge. The abuse has negatively impacted downtown businesses, whose…
Read MoreSt. Louis towing lot illegally sold impounded cars
Reporters Joe Mahr, David Hunnand and Jeremy Kohler of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch have uncovered a scandal involving St. Louis police and a private towing contractor. St. Louis police, who do have access to a public impound lot, allowed the proprietors of the St. Louis Metropolitan Towing lot, to illegally keep and sell stolen and…
Read MoreNY state misappropriating fees collected from cell phone tax
An investigation by Michelle Breidenbach of The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y) shows that a $1.20 cell phone tax intended for upgrades to 911 technology is being misappropriated. Only six cents for every $1.20 collected ends up in the coffers of the 911 call center. “Instead, the state spends the money on itself: overtime, fringe benefits, travel,…
Read More