The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
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AIG benefited from founder’s Washington connections
The Washington Post‘s Carol D. Leonnig gives readers a glimpse into the power and influence Maurice R. “Hank” Greenberg wielded as the CEO of the AIG financial firm. Under Greenberg’s leadership, AIG employees donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republican and Democratic candidates who held key financial regulation positions. Additionally, Greenberg’s charisma and donations…
Read MoreFederal report cites 94 percent of nursing homes for violations
Robert Pear of The New York Times reports that 94 percent of nursing homes in the United States violated federal health and safety standards in 2007 according to a recently released federal study. Although only 17 percent of nursing homes had violations that threatened the lives of residents, many were cited for abuse, neglect, confusing…
Read MorePelosi used PAC funds to pay husband
PAC to the Future, the political action committee of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, funneled almost $100,000 over the past nine years to her husband’s real estate and investment firm for rent and utility payments, according to a report by Jennifer Haberkorn of The Washington Times. FEC records indicate that the payments quadrupled when Paul Pelosi…
Read MoreUrban sprawl remains a problem in Fresno
A series by Brad Branan of The Fresno Bee looks at problems with how the city of Fresno, Calif. regulates development. Despite a plan to curb urban sprawl, it continues to plague the area leading to some of the country’s worst air quality and the most concentrated poverty in the nation. Lawsuits filed under the…
Read MoreCentral Ohio fire departments missing the national response standard
The National Fire Protection Association says that firefighters should get to a site within 6 minutes, 90 percent of the time. Using state fire-run data, Doug Caruso, Martin Rozenman and Jim Woods of the Columbus Dispatch discovered that only two of 84 fire districts in central Ohio meet that national standard. Area firefighters say that…
Read MoreArmy missteps handling chemical weapon disposal plant
Matthew D. LaPlante of The Salt Lake Tribune found that the U.S. Army made several errors in its attempts to dispose of Utah’s stockpile of lewisite, a now-illegal agent similar to mustard gas used in chemical warfare. Lewisite can be disposed of in two ways: by incineration, which can release arsenic into the air without…
Read MoreSewage cleanup plan not enough to repair polluted waterway
A special report by the Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.) looks at Beargrass Creek, a polluted waterway that runs through Louisville, Kentucky, and finds that an $800 million sewage cleanup plan won’t be enough to solve its many problems. The report used computer-assisted techniques and multi-media presentations to help document and tell the story of this troubled, urban…
Read MoreIndianapolis city employees are abusing parking placards
An investigation by Tom Spalding and Heather Gillers of the Indianapolis Star has led to a policy change regarding special parking placards in Indianapolis. Some have been using the special permits, intended to help city employees complete quick downtown tasks, to park for hours at no charge. The abuse has negatively impacted downtown businesses, whose…
Read MoreSt. Louis towing lot illegally sold impounded cars
Reporters Joe Mahr, David Hunnand and Jeremy Kohler of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch have uncovered a scandal involving St. Louis police and a private towing contractor. St. Louis police, who do have access to a public impound lot, allowed the proprietors of the St. Louis Metropolitan Towing lot, to illegally keep and sell stolen and…
Read More“Mitchell Report” for NFL shows history of drug use
Using media reports, archives, public records and interviews with players and personnel, Brent Schrotenboer of the San Diego Union-Tribune compiled a “Mitchell Report” for the NFL. The list identifies 185 players linked to abuse of performance-enhancing drugs dating back to 1962. “There are no bombshell names unveiled for the first time, nor is it considered…
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