The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
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U.S. guns linked to Mexican crime scenes, cartels
The Washington Post‘s yearlong investigation documenting the way guns move through American society continues with an examination of the role U.S. gun dealers play in supplying Mexican drug cartels. The Post cracked the secrecy of the federal government’s gun-trace database and obtained the names of the top U.S. stores with the most guns traced back…
Read MoreDerailed series
A a four-part investigation of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. (BNSF) by the Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) with ProPublica reveals a troubled railroad company. “Over the past decade, court records show, judges around the country have disciplined BNSF after finding that the company or its lawyers broke rules aimed at ensuring fair legal proceedings…
Read MorePepco’s utility service unreliable in D.C area
Over the past year, severe weather in the Washington D.C. area has led to frequent power outages, and called attention to the service of utility provider Pepco. “One of Pepco’s standard explanations for the frequency and duration of its outages — dense tree cover — does not hold up under scrutiny, a three-month Washington Post…
Read MoreLegal problems mount for large foreclosure processing company
Reuters correspondent Scot Paltrow reports on Lender Processing Services, a Florida company that handles half of all foreclosures in the United States. A Reuters investigation shows the company’s legal woes are more serious than previously disclosed. “Public records reveal that the company’s LPS Default Solutions unit produced documents of dubious authenticity in far larger quantities…
Read MoreState Department fails to address student visa abuses
A six-month Associated Press investigation uncovered massive problems with a popular State Department program designed to foster cultural understanding. Reporters Bert Mohr, Mitch Weiss and Mike Baker found that foreign students pay recruiters thousands to help find employment, then don’t get work or wind up making little or no money at menial jobs. Labor recruiters…
Read MoreTraining hospital leaves patient welfare at risk
In an ongoing investigation into problems at Parkland Hospital, Brooks Egerston of The Dallas Morning News reports on a botched knee surgery that ultimately led to an amputation. The surgery was performed by a doctor in training. According to a patient safety report by the hospital, these outcomes aren’t uncommon. “‘We harm two patients a…
Read MoreState inspectors overwhelmed by fracking infractions
An investigation by Isaac Wolf, national reporter for Scripps Howard News Service, found that fracking, a widespread method of extracting natural gas by shooting chemical-laced water underground, is a growing threat to water supplies in 28 states, according to scientists, landowners and environmentalists. Plus, Wolf reported, overwhelmed, understaffed state inspectors aren’t keeping up with the exploding number of…
Read MoreThe Price of Living series
The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.) spent months going through individual case files at the Charleston County Probate Court to learn what was happening to the savings of elderly incapacitated persons. Reporter Doug Pardue discovered a court that was set up to protect vulnerable elderly persons but often helped drain their estates throught court-approved fees…
Read MoreTracing the guns used to kill cops
In The Washington Post‘s continuing investigation, The Hidden Life of Guns, reporter Cheryl W. Thompson offers the first comprehensive analysis of how cop-killers got their guns. “Legal purchase was the leading source of weapons used to kill police officers. In 107 slayings, the killers acquired their firearms legally. In 170 deaths, The Post could not…
Read MoreSatellite monitoring of sex offenders under attack
In a two-part story on North Caroina’s satellite-based monitoring of sex offenders program, the Winston-Salem Journal newspaper found that technological limitations create a system that some say does nothing more than create a false feeling of security. Additionally, legal challenges may reduce the number of offenders who will have to enroll. The Journal built an…
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