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Leaders, volunteers used charity money to finance events for themselves
John W. Allman and Michael Fechter of The Tampa Tribune investigated the activities of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Sarasota/Tampa Bay, finding that: “For much of that time, it used money intended for sick children to pay for questionable expenses such as lavish dinners for chapter leaders and volunteers. It permitted and covered up a rogue…
Read MoreDisability program plagued with problems
Maxine Bernstein and Brent Walth of The Oregonian investigated Portland’s police and firefighter disability progam, finding that “the city’s system is an open checkbook, with rules that allow injured police and firefighters to collect checks until they retire, even if they can earn a living in another job.” One in nine Portland police officers and…
Read MorePrison chief drove state-issued car, despite suspended license
Brad Schrade of The Tennessean uses state vehicle fuel logs to show that Correction Commissioner Quenton White drove his state-issued car across Tennessee while his driver’s license was suspended for not paying a speeding ticket. “White, 45, who had headed the state’s prison system since 2003, turned in his resignation yesterday to [Gov. Phil] Bredesen,…
Read MoreHigh school athletics organization spending questioned
Jean Rimbach and Gregory Schutta of The (Hackensack, N.J.) Record have a two-part series on spending by the non-profit association that oversees New Jersey high school athletics: “It’s a good thing the organization that oversees high school sports in New Jersey is making money because it’s spending plenty, too. On handsome salaries. On generous retirement…
Read MoreMany businesses not inspected, study shows
Reporter Christina Murphy and Assistant City Editor Jennie Coughlin of The Daily News Leader analyzed five years’ worth of Department of Labor and Industry inspections obtained from the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration. They found that “many businesses are not inspected each year. In fact, the labor department performed too few safety inspections between…
Read MorePaper finds inaccuracies in after-school claims
Paul Tosto of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports on discrepancies the paper found in a report the state published claiming that Minnesota has more young children taking care of themselves after school than any other state in the country. They found that the “commission did not have statistics showing Minnesota with the nation’s highest…
Read MoreSchool district loses big by investing locally
Joel Rutchick of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer used local school financial records to show that “the Cleveland Municipal School District has lost out on as much as $14 million in potential investment income over the last three years by investing most of its idle cash through local banks – which have paid lower interest rates…
Read MoreState wastes millions to acquire land
R.G. Dunlop of The (Louisville) Courier-Journal has a series on the state’s land condemnation system, finding that “Kentucky has squandered millions of tax dollars buying land for highway construction because of an outdated condemnation system that it has refused to fix for decades.” In some cases, the state paid owners much more than their land…
Read MoreHigh benefit payouts hurt Oregon schools
Betsy Hammond of The (Portland) Oregonian analyzed state education data to find that “for each teacher, secretary, principal, janitor and other worker, Oregon schools paid an average of $18,300 for health insurance and retirement pay in 2002-03. That was 55 percent more than schools across the nation.” Matching the national rate of benefits would save…
Read MoreEx-aides use connections to make money
James Drew and Steve Eder of The (Toledo) Blade traced the path of former Ohio state aides-turned-lobbyists who “have traded their official titles for personal riches and the influence that comes with helping select a U.S. president.” Some of Gov. Bob Taft’s closest aides have gone onto lucrative lobbying and consulting businesses; one “has raked…
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