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Washington state’s price of public office
The Skagit Valley Herald reports that even though “Skagit County has just two full-time mayors, both earn more than the mayors of Tacoma, Vancouver, Yakima and Olympia.” An interactive map was created to compares the salaries with other mayors across the state.
Read MoreHow OxyContin has changed lives
“In 1998, seven chronic pain sufferers had been featured in a promotional video for OxyContin that was put out by the drug company Purdue Pharma. In the video, they talked about how the powerful narcotic had allowed them to get their lives back. Purdue Pharma’s aggressive marketing of OxyContin marked the beginning of the industry’s…
Read MoreImmunization rates fall in Bay Area kindergartners
“In recent years, the number of Bay Area kindergartners who have been immunized against diseases like whooping cough and measles has declined. With the 2011-12 school year beginning, The Bay Citizen collected the latest data covering last year from the California Department of Health, so you can see which schools are most susceptible to an…
Read MoreIt’s all about location for disabled vets in limbo
A Bay Citizen investigation has found that “veterans waiting for decisions on their disability claims wait longer than the Department of Veterans Affairs has acknowledged, especially if they come from larger urban areas. Solutions tried in four locations have not helped so far, as the backlog continues to grow.”
Read MoreEmployers caught cheating
The News & Observer exposed employers who cheat, misclassifying construction workers to avoid taxes and buying fake workers’ compensation policies. A three-part series, “The Ghost Workers,” also showed a state government inept at — and not interested in — finding the dishonest businesses. However, Governor Bev Perdue has already ordered reforms.
Read MoreBronx prosecutors declined almost one quarter of all cases last year because of policy
“A months-long WNYC investigation has revealed that those accused of crimes in the Bronx have a greater chance of walking away without any charges than anywhere else in the city.” “In the Bronx, if a victim isn’t interviewed by prosecutors within 24 hours after an arrest, the DA will almost always decline to prosecute the…
Read MoreC. diff bacteria cause of tens of thousands of deaths; could be stopped
“A USA TODAY investigation finds that an infection called C. diff is wreaking havoc in the nation’s hospitals, nursing homes and other medical facilities, infecting a half million Americans a year and killing about 30,000.” “The death toll is twice government estimates and nearly equal to the 32,000 U.S. deaths each year from auto accidents.”
Read MoreMillions of pounds of herbicide being sprayed on Oregon’s forests
In collaboration with the Center for Investigative Reporting, The Atlantic and Living On Earth, Ingrid Lobet reports that “herbicides have become a crucial tool for Oregon’s $13 billion timber industry.” However, “in spite of precautions, lab results suggest that harmful chemicals are finding their way into residents’ bloodstreams.”
Read MoreOne photo highlighted international web of child pornography network
In a report filed The Boston Globe, it has been revealed that “federal agents working out of Boston, are heading an investigation into child pornography that so far has resulted in at least 40 arrests around the world and the discovery of 140 children who were sexually exploited. And it all began with a single…
Read MoreReviews of child abuse deaths not always completed in KY
“A Herald-Leader analysis of 41 child fatalities in 2009 and 2010 found at least six cases where the Cabinet for Health and Family Services did not do an internal review even though there were previous reports involving the family before the child died.” “The reviews are supposed to examine the cabinet’s actions in a case…
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