The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
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St. Louis-area school district faculty travel bills found to be exorbitant
A St. Louis Post-Dispatch review of Riverview Gardens School District documents revealed a pattern of travel spending normally seen in districts twice its size. “Since 2003, Riverview has sent almost 600 teachers, staff members, principals, administrators and board members on more than 100 trips, to at least 60 cities, from Lake of the Ozarks to…
Read MoreUnexploded munitions pose danger to area residents
Land that was once an isolated bombing range has since become prime real estate, the Newport News, Va.Daily Press reports. The land is still marked with dangerous remianders of its former purpose. “As the military has shut bases, bombing ranges and ordnance depots – and as it prepares to depart Fort Monroe in Hampton –…
Read MoreBackgrounding South Florida businessman reveals criminal past
While looking into complaints about a local business, Florida Today reporter Sarah Okeson unearthed the criminal record of a top executive, exposing the questionable endeavors in his past and present. His current firm was booted from the Better Business Bureau. Along with the story, a video interview with the subject of the story was posted…
Read MoreForeclosure rescue firm preys on those it claims to help
An investigation by Mc Nelly Torres and Jon Burstein of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel revealed that Florida Housing Council, a foreclosure rescue firm, was defrauding the very people it claimed to aid. Interviews with 11 homeowners, in addition to the review of seven lawsuits and hundreds of property records, uncovered a pattern of deception and…
Read MoreCollateral Damage – Human Rights and Military Aid after 9/11
The Center for Public Integrity has published “one of the most comprehensive resources on U.S. military aid and assistance in the post-9/11 era. ‘Collateral Damage’ couples the reporting of 10 of the world’s leading investigative journalists on four continents with a powerful database combining U.S. military assistance, foreign lobbying expenditures, and human rights abuses into…
Read MoreDelays impeded implementation of air defense system prior to 9/11
Michael Fabey of Aerospace Daily and Defense Report writes that the inability of the Pentagon and Canadian defense officials to keep a lid on costs and schedules may have cost them the opportunity to modernize their radar-based air defense system in time to possibly thwart the terrorist from completing their 9/11 attacks.
Read MorePolice chief misrepresents crime report to city council
Will Carless of voiceofsandiego.org reports that San Diego’s Chief of Police delivered misinformation in his report to the City Council. “The chief’s statements were made at the height of contract negotiations between the police department and the city. While the chief was painting a rosy picture of crime rates before four city councilmen, the police…
Read MoreSpecial-ed missteps contribute to violence in Philadelphia schools
A two-part investigation by Martha Woodall and Susan Snyder of The Philadelphia Inquirer, part of a continuing series on violence against teachers, revealed the lapses in the district
Read MoreSeries a look at Tarrant County (TX) schools
In its series “Measuring Up,” the Fort Worth Star-Telegram looked at the area’s public schools to see how they were performing. Using school test scores and other data, they identified key trends, including: which schools are doing better or worse than expected on state assessments; a large percentage of students requiring remedial help once in…
Read MoreSpeeders more deadly than drunk drivers
While alcohol-related accidents and deaths may receive more attention, speed-related accidents kill more people — about 10 each week — in North Carolina, according to a The News & Observer report by Pat Stith, Mandy Locke and David Raynor.“But while state legislators and court officials have gotten tough on drunken drivers, they have eased up…
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