The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Extra Extra
Benefit payouts generous for public employees
David Milstead of the Rocky Mountain News used documents and recordings to find that the benefits offered by Colorado’s Public Employees’ Retirement Association to its employees have been generous. “In total, leave payouts have cost PERA more than $2 million since 2000. The benefits don
Read MoreState lax on enforcing weight limits on trucks
Pat Stith of The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer, with assistance from database editor David Raynor and news researcher Brooke Cain, reports that “the state Department of Transportation has ignored a series of increases in truck weights approved by the legislature and failed to protect more than 1,000 bridges that are not strong enough to…
Read MoreDrunken driving cases often end in dismissals
Brad Branan of the Tucson Citizen used databases from two courts to analyze about 33,000 drunken-driving cases filed from 1999 to last year. He found that “thousands of motorists are charged with drunken driving each year in metro Tucson, giving the area one of the highest DUI arrest rates in the country. But nearly half…
Read MorePolitics plague state’s safety aid program
Rick Hepp of The (Newark) Star-Ledger analyzed state and federal spending on homeland security in New Jersey, finding that politics can make a big difference: Somerset County towns in the past three years “have received more than $2.7 million in federal Homeland Security grants designed for ‘first responders,’ but only $235,000 from New Jersey.” The…
Read MoreMoney, debts high in Texas county
Paula Lavigne of The Dallas Morning News used Census and state economic data to show that while residents of Collin County, Texas, are among the wealthiest nationwide, many also have large debts: “On average, Collin County residents have more credit card debt – $4,200 – and a lower net worth – $125,000 – than residents…
Read MoreHome prices rose sharply
Bob Fernandez and Alletta Emeno of The Philadelphia Inquirer analyzed real estate data from the region to find that a rising tide of prices is lifting many boats: “the gains are broad-based and remarkably even, with the median gain ranging from 13 percent in Bucks and Camden Counties to 17 percent in Philadelphia and Gloucester…
Read MoreVery few hold power in Richmond
Staff at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, along with Aaron Kessler used the social network analysis program UCINET and more than 50 interviews to investigate who really wielded power in Richmond, Va. The series includes a story about the four men central to Richmond’s power, a story about minorities and how political influence does not equal power,…
Read MoreState lobbyists spending nears $1 billion
An analysis by The Center for Public Integrity found that lobbyists and their employers in 42 states reported spending nearly $953 million in 2004 attempting to influence state legislators and executive branch officials. That figure is up from the $904 million reported in 2003. “It seems likely that state lobby expenditures will exceed the $1…
Read MoreRise in disability retirements plague funds
Beth Musgrave and Delano R. Massey of the Lexington Herald-Leader used local records to find that the city’s pension fund for police and firefighters is ripe for abuse: “Police officers who have run afoul of the law or departmental policy have retired on disability pensions before internal investigations could be completed or discipline handed down.”…
Read MoreResearchers sell secrets to Wall Street investors
Luke Timmerman and David Heath of The Seattle Times use sources and documents to investigate at least 26 claims that drug researchers leaked secrets to Wall Street. “In 24 of the 26 cases, the firms issued reports to select clients with detailed information obtained from doctors involved in confidential studies. The reports advised clients whether…
Read More