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National Practitioner Data Bank goes blank
Two decades ago, if a doctor ran into malpractice trouble in one state, all he or she had to do was move to another state and their slate was wiped clean. This posed problems for hospitals so, in 1986, Congress “established the National Practitioner Data Bank: a clearinghouse for hospitals, professional societies and state regulators…
Read MorePolice officers without proper radar training continue to hand out tickets
This investigative report by A.J. Lagoe of WRIC TV-8 in Richmond, Va., calls into question the ability of some Petersburg police officers to accurately run radar. Digging deeper, Lagoe reveals that officers who were not certified to run radar were passing out speeding tickets. One specific instance involves an officer who openly admitted having no…
Read MoreEasy to find synthetic drugs pose an alarming, increasing threat
In the series, “A Lethal Dose,” the Star Tribune addresses alarming facts about synthetic drugs. In part II, the Star Tribune reveals how simply it is to obtain these highly dangerous chemicals. All it takes is a credit card and the Internet. The substances are often marketed as harmless bath salts, herbal incense or research chemicals. To find out just…
Read MoreTexas’ top politicians hiding just how much radiation is in the water
In a one-hour comprehensive special, KHOU-TV revealed how Texas and U.S. authorities often allow the public to drink water with more radioactive contamination than is allowed by federal law. “A Matter of Risk” also uncovered a report by state-scientists that nearly a quarter of a million Texans drink water that give them a 1 in…
Read MoreDurham DA under scrutiny for withholding information in court
In this 3-part series titled “Twisted Truth,” The News & Observer reporter J. Andrew Curliss investigates the questionable practices of Durham District Attorney Tracey Cline. This report reveals that Cline has purposefully withheld important information and evidence from the court. “Cline’s conduct is under scrutiny for similar behavior in at least five cases …” “In her quest to…
Read MoreUtah Transit Authority failed to act on safety concerns, now one teen is dead
A concerned citizen, and Union Pacific employee called the UTA last November to voice her concerns about a sound wall that was too high for people to see oncoming trains. However, even after the second complaint, by another concerned citizen, the UTA did nothing. Now, 15-year-old Shariah Casper is dead. “Records obtained through open records…
Read MorePost-9/11 laws blurring the line of terrorism
“The Sept. 11 attacks prompted almost every nation to adopt or toughen anti-terror laws. Until now, no one followed up to see who was impacted. In an unprecedented 9-month investigation, journalists in more than 100 countries found that at least 35,000 people have been convicted on terror charges since 2001, from bombers to bloggers.AP National…
Read MoreLouisiana government contractor may be overbilling for thousands of dollars more
Fox 8‘s, Lee Zurik investigates one Louisiana government contractor that appears to be over-charging FEMA and local Sheriff’s department. Benetech, and it’s owner Aaron Bennett, have made millions of public dollars since Katrina by overcharging for their employees. One former employee of Benetech, Joddie Crenshaw, agreed to be interviewed by Zurik, and stated that for…
Read MoreJournalism students report on the Haitian population in the Dominican Republic
Seventeen students from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University traveled “to the Dominican Republic to investigate how immigration and border policies are affecting the country’s large Haitian population.” The Florida Center for Investigative Reporting recently published several reports on what the students found: “Whitney Phillips examined how the Dominican…
Read MoreKBR’s umbrella contract with the government raises questions
As U.S. troops moved into Afghanistan in the months following 9/11, there were few facilities in place that would offer them support. As Sharon Weinberger of The Center for Public Integrity reports, “the military needed someone to do everything from housing troops to rebuilding airfields. The solution was a contract called the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program, or LOGCAP,…
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