The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
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Private foundation sponsored international travel of congressman
Bob Williams of The Center for Public Integrity and Steve Henn of Marketplace examine the organizational structure and business activities of the International Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources, or the IFCNR in their “Power Trips” series. IFCNR has alienated mainstream environmental groups and its tax documents show its major financiers include the Japan…
Read MoreLobbyist Abramoff used aide, attacks to influence Congress
Susan Schmidt and James V. Grimaldi, with contributions from Alice Crites and Julie Tate, of The Washington Post report that lobbyist Jack Abramoff used an aide to Tom DeLay and attacks on allies to defeat the anti-gambling bill. Details of that campaign, reconstructed from dozens of interviews as well as from e-mails and financial records…
Read MoreFew minority businesses take advantage of federal program
Jeff Raymond of the The Brownsville Herald reviewed the Small Business Administration
Read MoreBreakdowns in equipment thwart forecasts
Debbie Cenziper of The Miami Herald used forecast verification reports to show that breakdowns in crucial weather-observing equipment are foiling forecasters at the National Hurricane Center — the nation’s first line of defense against tropical weather. "Buoys, weather balloons, radars, ground sensors and hurricane hunter planes, all part of a multibillion-dollar weather-tracking system run by…
Read MoreFord leaves behind toxic legacy in N.J.
"Toxic Legacy" is a five-part series by reporters at The Record exploring the environmental and health impacts of paint sludge and other industrial waste dumped a generation ago in watersheds and other environmentally sensitive areas by the Ford Motor Co. For 25 years, ending in 1980, the automaker operated a massive assembly plant in Bergen…
Read MoreVast scope of priest abuse in Los Angeles
Jean Guccione and Doug Smith with contributions from William Lobdell of the Los Angeles Times tracked the assignments of 228 priests from 1950 through 2003 who have been named or identified as the subject of abuse complaints. The analysis reveals that because the accused priests moved around the archdiocese on average every 4.5 years, the…
Read MoreUnlicensed drivers responsible for deadly accidents in Va.
Bill Burke, with contributions from David Gulliver, of The Virginian-Pilot report that with swelling illegal migrant populations in Va., rogue vehicles being driven by unlicensed drivers have been responsible for a string of deadly accidents . "Since 2002, more than 90 people have been injured and 18 killed on the Eastern Shore in accidents involving…
Read MoreMetro officials spend excessively on travel in Mich.
Steve Neavling of The Bay City Times reviewed records to show that the Bay Metropolitan Transportation Authority has spent about $200,000 since 1999 on airfare, lodging, rental cars, valet parking, out-of-town meals and other travel expenses. These expenses came at a time when the agency was forced to reduce the schedules of bus routes and…
Read MoreMedical care under examination
Bill McKelway of the Richmond Times-Dispatch is doing a series of reports on the state of hospitals and medical care in the Richmond area. The latest in the series reports the story of Danielle Moore, a former prison guard who delivered a baby girl with severe cerebral palsy after staff and doctors at the hospital…
Read MoreOpen records survey carried out in Ky.
The Kentucky Press Association, The Associated Press, various newspaper and professional groups and several university student programs carried out a public records survey to determine whether public offices are allowing citizens to view government documents. "More than 100 students, volunteers and newspaper employees visited four local government offices on Oct. 21 seeking specific public records.…
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