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Polygraphs show border agency applicants admitted to rape, kidnapping
According to documents obtained by the Center for Investigative Reporting, applicants who have sought sensitive law enforcement jobs in recent years with the U.S. Border Patrol and its parent agency, Customs and Border Protection, admitted to a host of astonishing crimes during the application process, including rape, kidnapping. “The records – official summaries of more than…
Read MoreLeads in ATF sting gone wrong end in dead ends
In a follow up to their investigation on an ATF sting gone wrong, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has found that all leads on the stolen, government-owned Colt M4 have ended in dead ends. “And despite a newly filed search warrant detailing a text message that may link one of the original suspects to the theft,…
Read MoreBack-door school handouts
“Rolled into the usual state aid sent to districts, the subsidies are all but hidden and have been skyrocketing, starting at $46 million and increasing more than 1,000 percent in the years since lawmakers approved them, state data show. At its peak in 2008, the program cost taxpayers $805 million, with the majority of school…
Read MoreExtra Extra Monday: OSHA ignores slow and silent killers, corporate influence reaches court, back-door school handouts
As OSHA Emphasizes Safety, Long-Term Health Risks Fester | The New York TimesThe Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the agency that many Americans love to hate and industry calls overzealous, has largely ignored the slow, silent killers that claim the most lives. Corporations, pro-business nonprofits foot bill for judicial seminars | Center for Public IntegrityConservative…
Read MoreCorporations, pro-business nonprofits foot bill for judicial seminars
“Conservative foundations, multinational oil companies and a prescription drug maker were the most frequent sponsors of more than 100 expense-paid educational seminars attended by federal judges over a 4 1/2-year period, according to a Center for Public Integrity investigation.” Read CPI’s full story here.
Read MoreLeaking gas pipelines across Michigan create an underground danger
“Crisscrossing Michigan are more than 3,100 miles of old wrought- and cast-iron natural-gas pipelines — the type federal regulators consider the most at risk of corrosion, cracking and catastrophic rupturing. The state’s two largest utilities have replaced less than 15% of these pipelines — 542 miles — in the past decade,” according to an investigation…
Read MoreAs OSHA Emphasizes Safety, Long-Term Health Risks Fester
“The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the agency that many Americans love to hate and industry calls overzealous, has largely ignored the slow, silent killers that claim the most lives,” according to an investigation by The New York Times.
Read MoreTitle loans hurt poor, critics say
“More than 430 auto-title-lending branches have been licensed in Arizona since 2009, the year after voters rejected payday lending, state figures show. By comparison, from 2000 to 2008, about 160 title-lending branches were licensed with the state. The rise of title lenders has rekindled a debate over whether these kinds of high-interest loans ultimately help…
Read MoreLame-duck Cravaack handed out large raises to his staff
“Former U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.) awarded his staff some of the largest salary increases in Congress last year as he left after one term in office. For the first three quarters of 2012, the Minnesota Republican’s staff payroll averaged a little over $197,000. In the final three months of the year, it shot up…
Read MoreFor Boston cabbies, a losing battle against the numbers
“Boston’s cabbies can be a surly lot, but consider what they endure. A Globe investigation finds a taxi trade where fleet owners get rich, drivers are frequently fleeced, and the city does little about it,” according to the Globe’s story.
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