The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
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Head of McCain’s transition team lobbied for Freddie Mac
Newly released Congressional documents show that the lobbying firm of William Timmons Sr., who Republicans say has been tapped to lead Sen. John McCain’s transition committee, receive $260,000 this year from Feddie Mac prior to the government’s takeover of the mortgage company, report Jonathan D. Salant and Timothy J. Burger of Bloomberg. The midyear financial-disclosure…
Read MoreNY state misappropriating fees collected from cell phone tax
An investigation by Michelle Breidenbach of The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y) shows that a $1.20 cell phone tax intended for upgrades to 911 technology is being misappropriated. Only six cents for every $1.20 collected ends up in the coffers of the 911 call center. “Instead, the state spends the money on itself: overtime, fringe benefits, travel,…
Read MoreCluster of foreclosures linked to loose lending practices
Cary Spivak and Daniel Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel identified the four inner city neighborhoods hit the hardest by the mortgage meltdown in Milwaukee and zeroed in on the lending practices. The reporters found that many of the people who lost homes to foreclosure never should have gotten loans in the first place. But…
Read MoreOccupational disability claims an epidemic at L.I.R.R.
An investigation by The New York Times has uncovered an epidemic of occupational disability claims among retirees of the Long Island Rail Road. “Virtually every career employee — as many as 97 percent in one recent year — applies for and gets disability payments soon after retirement, a computer analysis of federal records by The…
Read MoreSection 8 vouchers lead to suburban migration, new challenges
In an effort to break up large-scale public housing projects riddled by crime, Section 8 vouchers have created the opportunity for low-income families to move into suburbs, according to a report by Gregory Korte of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The opportunity for a more stable community is not without its challenges, and many Section 8 tenants…
Read MoreFEMA no longer provides ice in emergency situations
Megan Chuchmach of ABC.com reports that new FEMA rules stipulate that states must provide their own ice in emergency situations. FEMA changed its policy is due the high cost of storing ice and its high perishability. Many relief aid workers and state officials did not know about the change, causing problems in areas affected by…
Read MoreGOP money buoys McCain campaign
Despite accepting $84 million in public financing for his Presidential campaign, John McCain “has found a way to work around these limits. The Republican Party — and not his campaign committee — has paid for more than half of his campaign ads and outspent Obama on television in the first week following the conventions,” reports…
Read MoreNashville council members enjoy generous health-care benefits
A report by Brad Schrade at The Tennessean showed how the Metro Council in Nashville had voted themselves generous life-time health care benefits that even city employees can’t get. The city pays 75% of annual health coverage costs for council members and their families for life, one of the most generous packages for elected officials…
Read MoreNY school cafeterias not meeting inspection requirements
“Nearly two-thirds of schools in New York state are not receiving the twice-yearly health inspections required by federal law to curb food poisoning, making the state among the nation’s worst offenders,” reports David Andreatta of the Democrat & Chronicle (Rochester, N.Y.). Inspection rates are lowest in Monroe County where nearly 80 percent of school cafeterias…
Read MoreLabor laws offer little protection to North Carolina workers
An investigation by Ames Alexander of the Charlotte Observer reveals that North Carolina has failed to protect employees who are fired in retaliation for filing workers compensation claims or blowing the whistle on unsafe practices. The newspaper found that few who seek help under the state’s anti-retaliation law wind up getting it. Of the roughly…
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