The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Extra Extra
Georgia purchasing cards abused to the tune of $370 million
Andrea Jones and Megan Clarke of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution report that abuse of government purchasing cards cost the state approximately $370 million in 2007. An analysis of over four million transactions showed that the credit cards have been used to pay for such things as pornography, tattoos, concerts, and dating services. In addition to the…
Read MoreRearrest rate high in felons released on “shock probation”
Jason Riley of The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.) found that many inmates granted “shock probation” were being re-incarcerated in Jefferson County, Ky. The program releases offenders after only one to six months of their sentence and was developed for “first-time, nonviolent offenders who, after getting a taste of prison life, would be so ‘shocked’ by their…
Read MoreReporter’s work leads to review of murder conviction
A report by Christine Young of the Times Herald-Record in Middletown, NY, in a special eight-page supplement and online multi-media presentation, suggests strongly that a New York City man who is borderline mentally retarded was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1989. Thanks to Young’s reporting—and a bizarre set of circumstances that thrust her into the…
Read MoreBusiness interests throw money into ballot referendum on growth
A two-part series in the Jacksonville Business Journal looked into the business behind the fight over a ballot initiative will determine how Florida grows. By building his own database, reporter Mark Szakonyi was able to determine who was funding each side and how the battle for paid petition gatherers was influencing the issue.
Read MoreSeparation of church and state blurred by former Utah governor
Robert Gehrke of The Salt Lake Tribune reported that U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt discussed incorporating Mormon doctrines and beliefs into state government when he was governor of Utah. When The Tribune started inquiring, Leavitt requested the state remove transcripts of his discussions from public display. PDFs of the minutes from the…
Read MoreLucrative market exists for military exam answers
Alan Wirzbicki and Kevin Baron of The Boston Globe exposed a lucrative black market that exists for professional certification exams. The Globe found that “pirated answers to hundreds of professional qualifying exams, in fields ranging from school-bus driving to medical technicians, are openly available, sometimes for as little as $4 each, from a thriving network…
Read More“Coincidence or Cluster?”
A six-part series by Kevin Craver of the Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, Ill.) looks into lawsuits facing two chemical companies after a cluster of brain cancer patients were discovered in a small town. Craver studied documents going back 30 years to investigate the site’s regulatory history, inspections, claims and counterclaims about pollutants and human exposure.…
Read MoreBundlers problematic for candidates
Following the news of fugitive Norman Hsu fundraising for Hillary Clinton’s campaign, a Center for Investigative Reporting investigation for Politico finds new examples of presidential candidates relying on fundraisers with questionable backgrounds. A fundraiser for Mitt Romney was recently suspended from practicing law. A backer of Barack Obama defaulted on loans. A bundler for Rudy…
Read MoreDesigned to treat addicts, ‘bupe fix’ gains popularity on streets
A three-part investigative series by The Baltimore Sun looks at the drug buprenorphine which is now being commonly prescribed to addicts to help them kick their addictions. It has shown great promise with opiate addictions by curbing withdrawal symptoms. But in plentiful supply, it is now showing up on the streets where abusers are using…
Read MoreAlleged doping aligns with boosts in stats, paychecks
Ben Poston, Derrick Nunnally and Bill Glauber of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel built a database of every player named in the Mitchell Report. The reporters analyzed statistical performance before and after the players allegedly began taking drugs and found that more than half the 90 players named in the report showed an improvement in performance…
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