The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
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Commission plagiarized study for own report
A report by Georgia’s mental health commission lifted large portions from a Michigan study published in 2004, reports Alan Judd and Andy Miller of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The report presents as its own work entire sentences, paragraphs and longer passages from other sources, with no more than superficial editing. It duplicates, with only two minor…
Read MoreMany U.S. detainees wrongly imprisoned
A report by Tom Lasseter of McClatchy Newspapers reveals that the U.S has wrongly imprisoned dozens of men “in Afghanistan, Cuba and elsewhere on the basis of flimsy or fabricated evidence, old personal scores or bounty payments.” The report comes after an 8-month investigation spanning 11 countries on three continents. “Of the 66 detainees whom…
Read MorePaper’s investigation leads to DNA tests for inmates
The Columbus Dispatch, in its ongoing coverage of inmate DNA testing, reported that half of the 30 cases highlighted by the newspaper in January as prime candidates for testing have been approved, and evidence is headed to the lab. These fifteen tests are more than have been done in the entire 5-year history of Ohio’s…
Read MoreAnatomy of a Meldown: The Credit Crisis
A three-part series by The Washington Post dissects the current credit crisis. The series looks at how forces aligned to create “the biggest American housing boom since the 1950s,” the stress on the market when new homes went unsold and foreclosures mounted, and finally how the overall impact of the housing market implosion.
Read MoreOver $500,000 in low-income housing funds misspent by nonprofit
An investigation by AmyJo Brown, of the Pine Bluff Commercial (Pine Bluff, Ark.), revealed that over $500,000 in federal money earmarked for low-income housing was misspent by Progressive Southeast Arkansas Housing Development Corporation, a local nonprofit leading the city’s low-income housing development project. “The records show that of the 47 new, low-income houses and four…
Read MoreCompromised care: Utah’s nursing home facilities
Matt Canham, of The Salt Lake Tribune, evaluated all the nursing home facilities in the state of Utah. The investigation showed that “ownership is probably the best predictor of quality care. But the public has no easy way to identify who owns the homes, particularly when names are changed to hide a troubled past.” Included…
Read MorePentagon’s logistics concerns mean profit for transportation companies
Air freight companies are profiting from the war as the Pentagon increases its investment in logistics, reports Michael Fabey for Air Cargo World . "Contracts and contract modifications for companies flying cargo and passengers to the war zones in 2006 and 2007 totaled about $5.6 billion, according to an Air Cargo World analysis of data.…
Read MoreQualifications of some D.C. special ed teachers called into question
An inspection by the U.S. Department of Education revealed that “D.C. school administrators can
Read MoreReport shows FAA behind in training new air traffic controllers
An inspector general’s report shows the Federal Aviation Administration is hiring more air traffic controllers than it can effectively train, reports Michael J. Sniffen of the Associated Press. “The Transportation Department’s inspector general said the Federal Aviation Administration is so swamped with new hires that it has exceeded its own maximum trainee numbers at 22…
Read MoreMarine life jeopardized by record crop sizes
A report by Kent Garber of U.S News & World Report shows that U.S. farming policy, which is leading to record crop sizes, is having a negative impact on marine life. With more land being planted, more chemicals are leaching from fertilizers and passing on to streams and rivers creating vast “dead zones” in areas…
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