The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Extra Extra
Know Parking Here series
A project by CTV-British Columbia and ESRI Canada mapped parking ticket trends in Vancouver. Through a freedom of information request, CTV received digital copies of all the parking tickets issued during a two-week period and analysed the information to determine numerous trends including spikes in ticketing at certain points in the day and neighborhoods where…
Read MoreLAPD paying too much in overtime
Jason Kandel of the Los Angeles Daily News reports that overtime pay for Los Angeles police officers has increased almost 150 percent in the past decade. According to department records, the LAPD has spent more than its allotted overtime budget by an average of nearly $6 million a year since 2002-03. The report comes on…
Read MoreRefugee programs struggle under increasing demand
The Salt Lake Tribune looked at the federal resettlement system that provides financial and social support for refugees relocating in Utah and throughout the U.S. The Tribune found the system quickly abandons refugees soon after their arrival. People coming from poor African nations and some parts of Asia, particularly those who have lived for a…
Read MoreHidden wells, dirty water
An investigation by Leah Beth Ward of the Yakima Herald-Republic (Yakima, Wash.) reveals that evidence of area groundwater contamination has long been ignored. “A little noticed scientific study six years ago found that one in five of 195 wells tested outside five Lower Valley communities contained levels of nitrates above federal safety limits…Responsibility for keeping…
Read MoreMistress paid off by Florida Congressman
West Palm Beach Congressman Tim Mahoney (D-Fla.) has agreed to pay his mistress, Patricia Allen, $121,000 according to an investigative report by ABC News’ Emma Schwartz, Rhonda Schwartz and Vic Walter. In addition to the payment, Mahoney also offered Allen a job at the agency that handles his campaign advertising. Mahoney was elected following the…
Read MoreMissouri, Illinois lack meth clean-up laws
Christine Byers of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has found that Missouri and Illinois have some of the highest numbers of known methamphetamine labs, yet both states fail to ensure that former labs get decontaminated when properties are seized. Additionally, there are no laws mandating that new residents are notified of potential contamination before moving into the…
Read MoreDNA exonerations highlight flaws in eyewitness identifications
The Dallas Morning News spent months looking at Dallas County’s 19 DNA exonerations as well as current felony cases in an investigation that highlights flaws in the witness identification process. Despite known problems with eyewitness testimony, police and prosecutors still rely upon it to secure convictions. “The fallibility of eyewitness testimony revealed by DNA exonerations…
Read MoreObama campaign slow to return money to fictitious donors
Michael Luo and Griff Palmer of The New York Times report that nearly 3,000 donations to Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama’s campaign have been in the name of fake donors. While some of the campaign contributions had been refunded, Times analysis found about $40,000 in questionable donations had not. Mr. Obama has raised approximately $450…
Read MoreAir bag fraud can lead to serious injuries, death
Liane Hansen and Jenni Bergal of NPR caution used car buyers to check their cars for signs of air bag fraud. In their investigation, they found that some car dealers and body shops either removed air bags from cars or did not replace deployed air bags. Air bag compartments were often stuffed with items such…
Read MoreThe Favor Factory 2008
An investigation by The Seattle Times shows that Congressional earmarks remain a problem despite efforts in ethics reform. A Times analysis of the 2008 defense bill found $3.5 in hidden earmarks, and used this to point out flaws in efforts to curb these favors. Members of the House violated laws mandating disclosure of earmarks 110…
Read More