The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
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Domestic violence victims find little solace in justice system
They are the “anecdotes,” the “unsubstantiated allegations,” the stories told in a brutally honest, 185-page report on domestic violence that Metro withheld and, once it was revealed, sought to minimize. But to domestic violence victims, tales of an insensitive, intimidating and sometimes cold criminal justice system are all too real.
Read MoreDeadly business: Texas onshore oil and gas drilling
Despite hundreds of oil field fatalities, federal government does little to monitor or safeguard onshore workers.
Read MoreHospital visits in Eagle Ford Shale region double, triple
With drilling increasing dramatically in the Eagle Ford Shale, patients from the region with serious injuries have turned up in fast-increasing numbers at San Antonio’s top trauma hospitals.
Read MoreMinnesota state judges deal out varying punishments for drug offenses
State judges are routinely rejecting guidelines that are supposed to make drug sentencing uniform and equitable statewide, according to a Star Tribune analysis of more than 21,000 drug convictions in Minnesota from 2007 to 2012. The difference between getting prison or probation for the same drug crime often comes down to which county offenders live…
Read MoreCasinos main source of income for Wisconsin-based tribes
Today, American Indian gaming is the biggest economic engine for the Menominee, and the other 10 Wisconsin tribes. Twenty-five licensed Class III casinos across Wisconsin generated more than $1 billion for tribes in 2011. About $52 million of that money went to the state of Wisconsin’s coffers, the latest figures from the state show. The Ho-Chunk also…
Read MoreTrauma transfers risky procedure at Central Mississippi Medical Center
A for-profit hospital in south Jackson repeatedly transferred emergency patients it was paid by the state to treat, possibly violating state hospital regulations and federal law, a Clarion-Ledger investigation found. The Clarion-Ledger obtained hospital transfer logs, patient charts and other documents leaked by whistle-blowers that depict a pattern of decisions at Central Mississippi Medical Center…
Read MoreMaryland law presumes many cancers are job-related for firefighters
A dispute between the City of Baltimore and a firefighter-paramedic with breast cancer spotlights a high-stakes debate over a law that presumes certain cancers are related to fighting fires. Firefighters say the provisions — which can lead to awards exceeding $500,000, including medical bills — rightly reflect the fact that they can encounter dangerous fumes…
Read MoreUnsolved hit and run cases in Denver haunt detectives, victims
Despite traffic cameras, instant public notifications, sophisticated investigations and new, tougher laws, police remain frustrated by the dozens of hit-and-run cases, including the one involving the Khans, that might never be solved. And the clock is ticking. Investigators are in a race against time to file charges before the statute of limitations expires on such…
Read MoreAlabama prison guards charged with sex crimes
Guards and other employees at Alabama’s Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women accused in a U.S. Department of Justice report of demeaning, harassing and sexually abusing inmates typically pleaded guilty to lesser crimes, an AL.com examination of court records found.
Read MoreArizona ranks in bottom third of states for new born screening requirements
Arizona’s screening now tests for 29 diseases or conditions, including hearing loss. That number places Arizona in the bottom third of states. As of 2011, at least 15 states tested for more than 50 conditions, according to the Save Babies Through Screening Foundation, a national non-profit that advocates for newborn screening.
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