The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Government (federal/state/local)
Lack of oversight fuels fraud suspicions
Miles Moffeit of The Denver Post used purchasing and accounting records to find that “since 2001, Jefferson County employees have handled millions of dollars in transactions without competitive bidding, close supervision or contracts – and sometimes in conflict with policies.” In one example, the county’s technology manager made $3.7 million in equipment purchases on his…
Read MoreOfficials free gas card raises questions
Hal Marcovitz of The (Allentown) Morning Call used county records to show that Bucks County “Chief Operating Officer David M. Sanko obtains free gas at the county pumps for a county-owned 1997 Ford Explorer, which he is permitted to tank up before making 100-mile trips from the courthouse in Doylestown to his home in Harrisburg.”…
Read MoreArt collectors go untaxed in Washington
An investigation by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer found that “millions of dollars in purchases by Washington art collectors have gone untaxed, and that an agent’s effort to collect that revenue was squelched by upper management at the Department of Revenue, then suspended late last year.” A week after the Post-Intelligencer first reported the story, the Department…
Read MoreD.C. subway system suffers from mismanagement
Lyndsey Layton and Jo Becker of The Washington Post obtained and reviewed documents and data on the performance of the DC-area subway system, finding that “trains break down 64 percent more often than they did three years ago, and the number of daily delays has nearly doubled since 2000. Although the vast majority of trains…
Read MoreStipend boosts school official’s pay
Rosalind Rossi of the Chicago Sun-Times, with assistance from Art Golub and Dave McKinney, used Illinois state records to find that “the highest-paid public school employee in the state last year was the No. 2 person — the man in charge of finance — at a one-school district in north suburban Lincolnshire.” James Hintz took…
Read MoreState homeland security problems uncovered
Bert Dalmer of The Des Moines Register reports on an analysis done by the Register using Iowa’s critical-asset list. The list “has played a key part in determining how the state divides homeland-security money among Iowa’s counties.” They found that some “dams and schools on the list have been found not to exist.” Historic buildings…
Read MoreMotor Vehicle Bureaus use varies
Michele McNeil of The Indianapolis Star used state data to show that “at least 30 motor vehicle license branches do as little business as those in the 12 small towns already scheduled to close.” In addition, the paper found that the number of cars and trucks processed by branches fluctuates wildly. “For example, the average…
Read MoreTax abatements benefit downtown owners
Gregory S. Reeves of The Kansas City Star analyzed county data on tax breaks given to properties in downtown Kansas City, finding that “more than 1,700 properties in Jackson County enjoy some kind of property tax abatement,” including several expensive condo buildings. Meanwhile, many residential property owners are facing double-digit increases in their assessments.
Read MoreAmnesty execs contribute maximum to Kerry
Rowan Scarborough of The Washington Times used Federal Election Commission records finding that the top leadership of Amnesty International contributed the maximum of $2,000 to Sen. John Kerry’s presidential campaign. Amnesty International describes itself as nonpartisan. William F. Schulz, executive director of Amnesty USA and Joe W. “Chip” Pitts III, board chairman of Amnesty International…
Read MorePolice chases lack restrictions
Eunice Trotter, Tom Spalding and Mark Nichols of The Indianapolis Star built a database of reports on police chases, showing that “police are virtually unrestricted when they chase suspects. They pursue fleeing vehicles at high speeds and usually for traffic infractions.” One of five chases resulted in an injury or death, and state police chases…
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