The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
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Fraudulent real estate company stole millions from unsuspecting buyers
Catherine E. Shoichet of the St. Petersburg Times reports on a bogus real estate company that defrauded unsuspecting buyers of millions. Natalia and Victor Wolf, owners of Sky Development Group, are currently under investigation for real estate fraud; no charges have been filed in the case. The Wolfs apparently fled the country in October and…
Read MoreSubprime loans cripple minority homeowners
Vikas Bajaj and Ron Nixon of The New York Times looked at the impact of subprime loans on minority homeownership over the past six years. The very loans that allowed for the purchase of a home are now crippling buyers’ finances as interest rates inflate, leading to an increase in delinquencies and foreclosures. “Industry officials…
Read MoreSexual misconduct problem for Oregon officers
Ian Demsky of Willamette Week in Portland, Ore., investigated the records of law enforcement and corrections officers in Oregon who had their licenses revoked. Since 2002, about one third of the revocations stemmed from sexual misconduct.
Read MoreBallot design may have caused undervote in Florida election
Matthew Doig and Maurice Tamman of the Herald-Tribune analyzed every ballot cast in Sarasota County in an effort to understand the substantial undervote for the disputed District 13 congressional race. Their analysis points to ballot design as the culprit, although they discuss other theories offered to explain the dramatic 13 percent undervote, or “nearly twice…
Read MoreSurface mines pose unique dangers
The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette’s Ken Ward Jr. continues his series on coal mine safety with a Sunday article about the dangers of working at mountaintop removal mines in Appalachia. Ward reports, among other things, that Appalachian strip mines account for 20 percent of the nation’s strip-mined coal, but over the last decade accounted for 75…
Read MoreTexas law hog-ties defense attorneys
Jeremy Rogalski and 11 News Investigates of KHOU-Houston exposed an open secret of the Texas justice system: Texas prosecutors are not letting defense attorneys see basic documents, such as police reports, witness statements, and even DNA lab results, before trial. A Texas state law practically eliminates pretrial discovery often leaving defense attorneys unable to prepare…
Read MoreConflict of interest in sealed guardianship cases
In the on-going series “Your Court, Their Secrets” investigating closed court records, Cheryl Phillips, Maureen O’Hagan and Justin Mayo of The Seattle Times uncovered conflicts of interest in sealed guardianship cases. “Only a small circle of lawyers practice in the guardianship field. Some say that to make a good living they cannot limit their practice…
Read MoreToo little choice, too much ideology
The Center for Public Integrity’s International Consortium of Investigative Journalists conducted a yearlong investigation into how rigid rules and restrictions of President Bush’s initiative to fight HIV/AIDS have affected countries struggling with the pandemic. The investigation found that restrictive funding and emphasis on abstinence have hindered the $15 billion effort. “Information accumulated by reporters in…
Read MoreMilitary introduces new mental-health guidelines for troops
Lisa Chedekel and Matthew Kauffman of The Hartford Courant reported that the U.S. military has issued sweeping new mental-health guidelines that expand screening for troops being sent to war and set limits on when service members with psychiatric problems can be kept in combat. The changes are aimed at meeting a congressional mandate prompted by…
Read MoreFort Worth Diocese concealed abuse
After a 19-month legal battle by The Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the newspapers obtained more than 700 pages from the personnel files of seven priests that the diocese had fought to keep secret. The records show that Fort Worth Catholic Diocese leaders systematically helped predator priests stay in ministry for two…
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