The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Government (federal/state/local)
Stimulus funds go to troubled corporations
Will Evans of California Watch found large corporations in California are getting hundreds of millions of dollars in federal stimulus dollars despite a history of environmental violations and a host of other legal problems.
Read MoreLegislation proposed to help protect young runaways
Ian Urbina of The New York Times reports that “state and federal lawmakers from around the country are pressing a variety of new laws that would make sweeping changes in the way runaways and prostituted children are handled by police officers and social workers.” Much of the new legislation was prompted by a Times series…
Read MoreOvertime inflates deputies’ pay and pensions
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY) used payroll records to show that two trainers at a police academy run by the sheriff have far more than doubled their pay through staggering amounts of overtime. The father of one of the trainers runs the academy. The marathon shifts have inflated the state pension the trainers will receive for…
Read MoreChange in ownership allowed controversial gun store to remain open
For two years, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter John Diedrich has been seeking documents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on a local gun store that has been the subject of controversy. Despite heavy redactions by the agency, and differing responses to various FOIA requests, Diedrich was able to confirm the ATF…
Read MoreDisabled workers paid cents-per-hour for work at state-run homes
Clark Kauffman of the Des Moines Register reports that more than 300 mentally retarded wards of the state are being paid less than the minimum wage for work performed at two state-run homes for the disabled. Seventy-four of the workers are paid an average hourly wage of 60 cents or less, and some of the…
Read MoreQuestions about results, conflict-of-interest surround early-childhood initiative
The Fresno Bee published a two-part series on accountability problems with Fresno County First 5, an early childhood initiative approved by voters in 1998. The first story found that, despite promises made to voters and millions of dollars spent on evaluations, First 5 hasn’t produced a complete evaluation of its results, raising questions about the…
Read MoreRegulations crippling commercial fishing industry
A Life at Sea/A Life at Risk, a six-part series by The Press of Atlantic City (N.J.), examined the crushing impact of federal and state fishing regulations on New Jersey’s $1 billion a year commercial fishing industry. “The regulations use size limits, gear restrictions, seasons, quotas and other methods to reduce the catch. A new…
Read MoreStimulus loans scarce for minority-owned businesses
Aaron Glantz of New American Media reports that analysis of data from the federal government’s Small Business Association (SBA) revealed racial inequities in small business loans given out as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. While race is not recorded by Recovery.gov, data from the SBA found that 91 percent of the 4,497…
Read MoreDistribution of economic development loans questioned
The Buffalo News analyzed loans and grants data to see how the city “spends the federal funds it receives to promote economic development and urban renewal.” The analysis showed that two-thirds of the almost $2 million in grant money went to Masten District where the mayor used to serve as councilman. Other regions in need…
Read MoreHuman Trafficking in America series
A series by The Kansas City Star explores the problem of human trafficking, and how the U.S. is failing in its promise to end trafficking and other human rights abuses. Their investigation “found that, in spite of all the rhetoric from the Bush and Obama administrations, the United States is failing to find and help…
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