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Investigation shows MAC athletic programs profit from academic fees
Students at Kent State University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication investigated student fees in an effort to illuminate how those fees are spent on Mid-American Conference (MAC) campuses. A series of stories and graphics bring to light how the campuses athletic departments are funded by academic student fees. Of the campuses that responded to…
Read MoreDeveloper plagued with business, legal problems
“A Nashville Business Journal investigation has uncovered a trail of unpaid bills, bounced checks, evictions, troubled business associates and unfulfilled plans left by Dennis W. Peterson.” Peterson, the developer of a proposed $750 million mega theme park near Nashville, has racked up at least three quarters of a million dollars in civil judgments in three…
Read MoreWoman who lost law license appointed as guardian, stole from clients
As part of a continuing investigation into problems with guardians in Minnesota, the Star Tribune reported how a woman who lost her law license for negligence and dishonesty found a new career in the courthouse as a guardian and conservator for vulnerable adults. Now the woman is charged with stealing $68,000 for 10 of her…
Read MoreNY lawmakers cut services while funneling money to own interests
Michelle Breidenbach of The Post-Standard in Syracuse, NY, reports that while New York state lawmakers were cutting services for health and education, they continued to quietly borrow millions of dollars for grants under their sole control. The legislators handed out grants without competition or open review, and often gave the public money to political insiders…
Read MoreMajority of Florida agencies compliant with public records laws
A report by Jennifer Kay of the Associated Press shows a statewide audit of Florida’s public records law found that the vast majority of agencies in the state were in compliance with with the law. The audit was conducted as part of Sunshine Week. 201 agencies were initially contacted. Of the 148 who responded, 86.5…
Read MoreHead of Emerging Technology Fund profited off of private deals
The Dallas Morning News investigated Alan Kirchhoff, the former director of Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s prized economic development program, the Emerging Technology Fund. The story traced the rapid rise of Kirchhoff and his friendship with a powerful member of the tech fund’s advisory committee, William E. Morrow. The News obtained a Texas Ranger investigation that…
Read MoreInvestigation shows Phoenix kidnapping statistics are skewed
Using Arizona’s Open Records Law, Dave Biscobing of KNXV-TV in Phoenix recently uncovered discrepancies in kidnapping statistics used by the Phoenix Police Department to obtain more than $2 million in federal grant money. City leaders and Arizona Senator John McCain repeatedly cited the statistics, calling Phoenix the “Kidnapping Capital of the US.” However, Biscobing’s research…
Read MoreGrounded pilots promoted to key California National Guard positions
A report by the Sacramento Bee shows revealed that “four pilots who are under criminal investigation for receiving possibly illegal payments of public funds have been appointed to key leadership posts in the California National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing based in Fresno. Two former commanders, also targeted in the probe, previously were relieved of their…
Read MoreSearching for the Truth
In this three-part series, Brandon Stahl of the Duluth News Tribune reports on a rape case that remains unsolved. In a classic case of “he said, she said,” a 34-year-old woman accused a 17-year-old male of coming into her home and raping her while holding a gun to her throat. Andrew Lawrence, the accused, maintains…
Read MoreAsthma strikes more young people in certain Utah ZIP codes
A report by the Salt Lake Tribune reveals that children living on the west side of Salt Lake City take more trips to the emergency room and are more likely to “be hospitalized for asthma than those living in the rest of the state.” An analysis of data from the Utah Department of Health that…
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