The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
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Phones sold by McCain campaign contained confidential information
John McCain’s campaign headquarters sold blackberry phones chock full of internal information, according to a report by Tisha Thompson of Fox 5 (Washington, D.C.). The campaign was trying to sell off old office inventory from its Arlington, Va. campaign offices, with everything from computers to file cabinets offered for bargain basement prices. They also sold…
Read MoreNorth Carolina’s probation system riddled with problems
A series in The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the North Carolina probation system. The report reveals that, since 2000, 580 people have killed in North Carolina while under probation officer supervision. Outdated computer systems make it difficult to track new offenses by probationers. Problems, such as growing…
Read MoreTacoma area voters split their tickets
Ian Demsky of The News Tribune in Tacoma, Wash. found that nearly a third of the voters in Pierce County cast their ballots for Democratic president-elect Barack Obama and Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi. The article includes maps of the areas that went for Obama and Rossi and the county’s results of both races.
Read MoreBusinesses see benefit of earmarks at troops’ expense
A report by Christine Willmsen and David Heath of The Seattle Times shows that $7.6 million worth of earmarks pushed through by prominent members of Congress — including senators Hillary Rodham Clinton, Charles Schumer and Alren Specter — have kept troops equipped with an inferior chemical-warfare protection product. “Clinton, who is poised to become secretary…
Read MoreMillions paid for uncompleted renovation and building projects
The seventh installment of The Washington Post‘s “Forced Out” series explores how a longtime city council member and former U.S. Housing and Urban Development official was paid millions of dollars for a series of housing projects marred by double-billing and dubious deals. In one case, the developer received $25 million from U.S. HUD to help dozens…
Read MoreIndustrial pollution impacting air quality at nearby schools
USA TODAY’s Blake Morrison and Brad Heath have published a package of stories using government data to examine the air quality of American schools located near industrial plants. They found that thousands of schoolchildren are exposed to dangerous levels of carcinogens, metals and other chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency has never run these models and…
Read MoreVolunteer firefighting companies riddled with problems
The News Journal’s three-part series on Delaware’s volunteer firefighters exposed slow response times, manpower shortages, archaic rules and lopsided funding formulas, as well as potential solutions and alternatives to the current system. The package includes an interactive map with operation and financial data on the 60 volunteer companies in the state.
Read MoreThe art of mortgage fraud
In final installment of the The Miami Herald‘s Borrowers Betrayed series, reporters Jack Dolan, Matthew Haggman and Rob Barry show the anatomy of a massive mortgage fraud network in Florida that generated $550 million in loans during the housing boom years, and the failure of state regulators to stop one of its lead brokers.
Read MoreEscalator safety issues spotlighted
A story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution details escalator injuries throughout the metro area. Every week in metro Atlanta people are badly injured riding escalators. They fall and crack their heads, or get their clothing or luggage tangled in the machinery. And in the worst cases, they suffer amputating injuries. Injuries associated with children wearing Crocs-like…
Read MoreOur Hungry Planet series
In a seven-part multimedia series, the Star Tribune examines the phenomenon of the global food market through the eyes of farmers and consumers from Cambodia to Papua New Guinea to southern Minnesota. Reporters Matt McKinney, Chris Serres and Richard Meryhew explore the powerful and conflicting forces around the world influencing the supply and price of…
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