The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Government (federal/state/local)
N.C. state pages stayed with convicted felon
As part of an on-going investigation of Democratic state Rep. Jim Black, Dan Kane and J. Andrew Curliss of The News and Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) report the coordinator of the state page program, Ann Lassiter, had arranged for student pages to stay with her son, a convicted felon. Rep. Black removed Lassiter from her position…
Read MoreBallot design may have caused undervote in Florida election
Matthew Doig and Maurice Tamman of the Herald-Tribune analyzed every ballot cast in Sarasota County in an effort to understand the substantial undervote for the disputed District 13 congressional race. Their analysis points to ballot design as the culprit, although they discuss other theories offered to explain the dramatic 13 percent undervote, or “nearly twice…
Read MoreMillions lost is ferry debacle
Steve Orr, of the (Rochester, N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle, investigates the failed project for a high-speed ferry intended to operate between Rochester and Toronto. Orr “reveals a troubling trail of political maneuvering, lax oversight and lack of follow-through” – issues that cost state taxpayers $14 million.
Read MorePolice pensions pumped up by overtime pay
Brian Sharp of the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, N.Y., takes a look at the Rochester police department’s overtime pay, an issue gouging the city’s budget. Inflated wages due to overtime are being used to bolster the pensions of officers nearing retirement. The investigation included analysis of 10 years of salary records which are included…
Read MoreEmpire Zone abuses afford millions to a lucky few
The (Syracuse, N.Y.) Post-Standard’s Mike McAndrew and Michelle Breidenbach expose abuses of New York’s “Empire Zone” tax breaks which negate the programs intended purpose:” to create jobs in targeted impoverished areas.” One mall owner was able to cash in on about $14 million in tax breaks by paying the city of Geneva to expand the…
Read MorePrince George’s County officials abuse credit card privileges
Cheryl W. Thompson of The Washington Post reports that officials in Prince George’s County charged thousands of dollar in personal purchases to county-issued credit cards. ” The Washington Post reviewed billing statements and other documents covering credit-card use over the past four years for officials in Prince George’s, where there has been a move to…
Read MorePost-election mapping wrap-up
Cincinati Enquirer takes a county-by-county look at the Democratic shift in Ohio The Herald Tribune’s coverage of the 13th Congressional District recount and the vote breakdown by precinct The Fresno Bee covers the neck-in-neck race for sheriff with a map showing how the votes split
Read MoreRemaking U.S. Intelligence: Hubs, Outreach, Blogs, and Wikis
David E. Kaplan and Kevin Whitelaw released Part One of a series in U.S. News & World Report on how reformers are trying to remake the U.S. intelligence community. In this week’s issue, Whitelaw presents the first in-depth portrait of the secretive National Counterterrorism Center, which acts as the hub for foreign and domestic intel…
Read MorePhiladelphia Inquirer child welfare investigation leads to firings
In response to The Philadelphia Inquirer investigation on the failures of DHS to protect children from abuse — and death — two officials have been dismissed. “Mayor Street forced out two top officials at the city’s child-welfare agency Friday, acknowledging that his administration had not done enough to protect children from being killed by child…
Read MoreFamily connections pave inside track to lobbying dollars
An investigation by Matt Kelley and Peter Eisler of USA Today shows that “lobbying groups employed 30 family members last year to influence spending bills that their relatives with ties to the House and Senate appropriations committees oversaw or helped write…combined, they generated millions of dollards in fees for themselves or their firms.” USA Today…
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