The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Government (federal/state/local)
New conflict of interest concerns arise in state corruption case
As part of a two-year investigation by The (Toledo, Ohio) Blade into the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and corruption in state government, James Drew and Steve Eder have discovered that a conflict of interest was not disclosed when in a five-year, $384,000 contract was given to the accounting firm of Ciuni & Panichi. The…
Read MoreWashington’s $8 Billion Shadow
Writing for Vanity Fair, Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele uncover the influence of SAIC, a “mega-contractor” in Washington, D.C. SAIC, unlike other contractors, is often called upon for expertise “
Read MorePolitics play into road fund allocation
Richard Rubin of The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer investigated how politics determine how money is allocated from a North Carolina road fund. “The $15 million contingency fund is controlled largely by legislative leaders who distribute it to their colleagues’ districts, and their own, without a comprehensive analysis of traffic, safety or population, according to an Observer…
Read MoreOutsourcing the Government
In the first article of a series examining government contracting, Scott Shane and Ron Nixon of The New York Times describe how independent contractors have become “a virtual fourth branch of government. On the rise for decades, spending on federal contracts has soared during the Bush administration, to about $400 billion last year from $207…
Read MoreCalifornia Department of Justice Hid Millions in Contracts
Michael R. Blood of the Associated Press found that the California Department of Justice improperly concealed tens of millions of dollars worth of contracts with lobbyists, consultants, legal firms – even couriers and parking garages – in violation of its own confidentiality rules. “An internal agency review, conducted at AP’s request, found information on scores…
Read MoreProbation Officers Overworked in Douglas County
Ron Knox of The Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World reported that probation officers in Douglas County were among the most overworked in the state – and by far the most overworked in similar judicial districts, based on his analysis of a state probation caseload database. Knox compared the number of adult and juvenile cases with the number…
Read MoreLicense to Carry
In a four-part series, Megan O’Matz and John Maines of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel examined Florida’s concealed weapons law and found that licenses have been issued to hundreds of people who, due to their criminal histories, wouldn’t stand a chance of getting them in most other states. Courts have found them responsible for assaults, burglaries,…
Read MoreOhio workers comp probe continues
In a three-part series, Steve Eder and James Drew of The (Toledo) Blade report that, since early 2004, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation has failed to fully investigate allegations of kickbacks and fraud in its managed-care section. The report, “Falling Down on The Job,” is the latest installment in The Blade‘s two-year investigation into…
Read MorePublic money for Port of Seattle funds private profits
In a 3-part series, Ruth Teichroeb and Kristen Bolt of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer report on how the Port of Seattle officials have brokered “generous no-bid deals with a company hired to run publicly owned facilities on the central waterfront, have failed to closely monitor those contracts, and have shouldered all of the financial risk for…
Read MoreTax dollars pay for religion behind bars
Diana B. Henriques and Andrew Lehren of The New York Times report on the proliferation of faith-based rehabilitation programs funded by tax dollars and springing up in correctional facilities across the country. “Since 2000, courts have cited more than a dozen programs for having unconstitutionally used taxpayer money to pay for religious activities or evangelism…
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