Extra Extra
Advair boomed amid health risks
“A Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today investigation found the growth in Advair sales followed new asthma treatment recommendations that were written largely by doctors who received money from GlaxoSmithKline and other companies that market the drugs.”
Read MoreHundreds of millions of dollars spent on election in CA alone
“Now that Tuesday’s election is over, CaliforniaWatch did an analysis to find out how much money was pumped into the political battles over California’s eleven propositions.” “The total they found was $363 million or $20 in political spending for each of California’s 18.2 million registered voters.”
Read MoreThousands of CA parolees may be let off the hook
“A KCRA investigation found that the California Department of Corrections quietly began a “review process” that could effectively let nearly 10,000 people who ran away from parole off the hook.” “Using sourced internal memos and lists of parolees KCRA was able to determine that the 3-phase program would review everyone from minor offenders to those…
Read MoreOklahoma jobs program may not be so cut and dry
In an investigation by Alex Cameron, director of the Oklahoma Impact Team, “it has been found that a job incentive program that has created tens of thousands of good-paying jobs in Oklahoma has also rewarded companies that cut jobs and even exported jobs overseas.”
Read MoreExtra Extra Monday: Weekend enterprise outside of election coverage
Welcome to IRE’s roundup of the weekend’s many enterprise stories from around the country. We’ll highlight the document digging, field work and data analysis that made their way into centerpieces in print, broadcast and online from coast to coast. Coverage this week was dominated by the election, but there was some watchdog coverage to be found…
Read MoreParking ticket abuse rampant by Rochester Police
“A month-long investigation by the Democrat and Chronicle revealed that the Police Department routinely violated its own policies by fixing tickets for officers and their friends and relatives for flimsy excuses or none at all.” Through an open-records request, the Democrat and Chronicle found that between August 2009 and July 2012, a total of $7,800 parking tickets…
Read MoreWith no oversight, police can ignore domestic violence laws
“Wisconsin’s laws on how police must respond to domestic violence are among the most comprehensive in the country, but no one has the authority to enforce them, a Journal Sentinel investigation has found. And if the laws are ignored, there are no penalties.” The Journal Sentinel’s investigation notes that law enforcement agencies have to have…
Read MoreFelons, dead people are eligible voters on final Palm Beach County roll
“Peter Costello, a felon convicted of racketeering and fraud in 1998, has no right to vote because his civil rights never have been restored.But that didn’t stop the registered Republican from casting a ballot in the Aug. 14 primary, and, he said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post, submitting an absentee ballot for…
Read MoreAlleged HISD fee scheme detailed
“HISD trustee Larry Marshall voted repeatedly to award taxpayer-funded contracts to companies that hired his longtime business associate – who gave him a cut of her earnings, according to court records, deposition testimony and interviews.” According to the Chronicle’s investigation, an associate said she gave Marshall a percentage of her fees because of his help with consulting.…
Read MoreStorms increase insurance rates, but is it justified?
As homeowners begin to pick up the pieces following the destruction of Hurricane Sandy, their focus turns to insurance. Echoing the situation on the east coast, the Minneapolis Star Tribune investigated the topic of homeowner’s insurance premiums following natural disasters in the state of Minnesota. The Star Tribune found that rates were steadily hiked up…
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