Social issues
Severe flaws in Ohio’s abuse laws
A Columbus Dispatch investigation of domestic violence in 2009 found flaws in Ohio laws and policies that created a culture of tolerance. Two years later, more agencies are reporting more abuse and deaths, yet reform legislation remains stalled.
Read MoreCongress benefits widen pension gap
“Bloomberg BusniessWeek reports that almost 15,000 federal retirees, including former leaders of Congress, a university president and a banker, are receiving six-figure pensions from a system that faces a $674.2 billion shortfall. Charles R. Babcock and Frank Bass obtained data that shows about one of every 125 retired federal civilian workers collects more than $100,000…
Read MoreCA, a haven for diploma mills
“An investigation by The Bay Citizen has found that California is a haven for diploma mills and unaccredited schools. The paper found that the state has given approvals to hundreds of dubious programs and has not inspected some of these schools for decades.”
Read MoreING’s “cafes” may be trying to avoid regulation
The Bay Citizen reports that the Internet banking giant, ING Direct USA, may be trying to bypass regulation by opening “cafes” instead of branches. By not offering deposits at the cafe, ING does not have to follow regulation that requires banks to lend money to low- and moderate-income borrowers in metropolitan areas. ING claims the…
Read MoreCPS returns child; makes fatal mistake
“Case files from Sacramento County Child Protective Services, recently obtained by The Sacramento Bee show how a two-year old girl died. However, the records do not explain how the agency made the decision to return the child to care that led to her death.“ After countless reports of abuse and neglect, including 8 missed doctor’s…
Read More“Racial gap” shows up in Milwaukee traffic stops
In a recent analysis of 46,000 traffic stops, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Ben Poston found that black resident drivers are “seven times as likely to be stopped by city police as a white resident driver.” Additionally, the study found that “Milwaukee police pulled over Hispanic city motorists nearly five times as often as white drivers.”…
Read MoreYouths held in adult jails face higher risk of attack
ScrippsNews‘ Isaac Wolf found that “for thousands of teens accused of crimes, punishment precedes any conviction in court. While awaiting trial and ostensibly presumed innocent, they can be held for months or even years in county jails for — and sometimes with — adult suspects. Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics data shows, in 2010, roughly…
Read MoreHaitian deportees jailed without cause; face serious health risks
“The United States has deported more than 250 Haitians since January knowing that one in two will be jailed without charges in facilities so filthy they pose life-threatening health risks. An investigation by the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting found that the Obama administration has not followed its own policy of seeking alternatives to deportation…
Read MoreData shows mayor hyped crime claim against Hispanic-owned business
When the mayor of Mount Vernon, Wash., requested that a liquor license be denied, he claimed it had to do with the proposed location of the business. However, when Kate Martin, of the Skagit Valley Herald checked with the local police department, the numbers didn’t add up. “Too many 911 calls have been made from…
Read MoreCMS reports over 600 pages of neglect at Dallas County public hospital
Dallas’ Parkland Memorial Hospital, which offers care to much of the poor community in the Dallas County area, have been targeted by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. They found countless incidents of deficiencies in the hospital, including “patients lost in hallways, buckled over in pain. Children discharged without medical screening or stabilizing…
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