The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
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LA fire inspections can’t keep pace
A Los Angeles Times analysis of fire inspection reports “show that personnel from the department’s Bureau of Fire Prevention and Public Safety have been falling behind in their efforts to flag hazards such as inoperable sprinkler systems, illegally stored hazardous materials and broken or missing fire extinguishers. In some parts of the city, inspectors were…
Read More‘Historic’ budget cuts roughly equal to 2008 payroll growth
The San Diego Union-Tribune found that “San Diego’s payroll ballooned by $41 million last year, fueled by unpublicized payouts, labor settlements and costly benefits.” Analysis of spending data “helps put into perspective the $43 million in wage and benefit reductions that will take effect July 1 to address a budget gap. [Mayor Jerry] Sanders portrays…
Read MoreLaw school admitted unqualified applicants for a price
In its on-going watchdog series “Clout Goes To College,” the Chicago Tribune reveals a “jobs-for-entry scheme” at the University of Illinois’ law school. Internal emails “show for the first time efforts to seek favors — in this case, jobs — for admissions, the most troubling evidence yet of how Illinois’ entrenched system of patronage crept…
Read MoreForeclosure backlog continues to threaten economic recovery
Renae Merle of The Washington Post reports that a backlog of delinquent mortgages threatens the nation’s economic recovery. “It masks the full extent of the foreclosure crisis and threatens to depress prices even further just as some parts of the country are hinting at recovery. For lenders, it could portend even more financial losses tied…
Read MoreFormer Scientologists allege culture of violence, intimidation
An investigation into the Church of Scientology by Joe Childs and Thomas C. Tobin of The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times alleges “a culture of intimidation and violence” under the church’s leader, David Miscavige. The Times interviewed “executives who for decades were key figure in Scientology’s powerful inner circle.” Church leaders have refuted the claims made…
Read MorePropriety of campaign fund donations questioned
Companies that received multimillion-dollar deals with CalPERS, California’s giant public pension fund, pumped more than $300,000 into a union campaign fund overseen by Sean Harrigan while the long-time California labor leader was one of the giant pension fund’s board members from 2000-2004, The Sacramento Bee’s Andrew McIntosh reported in an examination of the deals.
Read MoreInvestigation into former governor of N.C. yields results
Executive Privilege, a series by The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.), detailed questionable dealings by former North Carolina governor, Mike Easley. “Starting in 2003, Easley took at least 25 flights on private jets, some in apparent violation of campaign laws and ethics rules, documents and interviews show. Some flights were free. The value of others…
Read MoreCity cannot account for one quarter of its water supply
“Of the 2.1 billion gallons of water that flowed through city water mains in fiscal year 2007-2008, 26 percent went unbilled – or unaccounted – for,” according to an analysis of utility records by The News Herald (Panama City, Fla.). Based on the retail rate of water in Panama City, the lost revenue from the…
Read MoreIowa air pollution levels nearing federal limits
“The air across Iowa is so polluted that the state is perilously close to violating new federal limits aimed at protecting human health. Yet Iowans have no way of knowing what chemicals they are breathing because of a limited – and often inaccurate – system of monitoring pollution statewide, a Des Moines Register investigation found.”…
Read MoreCriminals work as childcare providers in Wisconsin
In her ongoing series “Cashing in on Kids” which has found millions of dollars in fraud within Wisconsin’s $350 million taxpayer subsidized child-care system, Raquel Rutledge writes that hundreds of convicted criminals, including those who had physically abused children, are being licensed to run day care centers. Some of them now appear to be scamming…
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