The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Government (federal/state/local)
High salaries, free spending at N.Y. agency
Michelle Breidenbach of The (Syracuse, N.Y.) Post-Standard looks into the “high salaries and free spending of the public’s money at the New York Power Authority,” the state’s publicly owned power generator. “NYPA’s six trustees oversee a $2.2 billion budget that accommodates the patronage and pork-barrel spending that come with a state public authority as well…
Read MoreFederal fines go uncollected across the nation
Martha Mendoza and Christopher Sullivan of The Associated Press used federal records to show that the amount of unpaid federal fines has risen sharply in the past decade, in an investigation that examined federal financial penalty enforcement across the nation. Individuals and corporations regularly avoid large penalties for wrongdoing — sometimes through negotiations, sometimes because…
Read MoreHighway patrol policy changed during recall
John Hill of The Sacramento Bee found that the California Highway Patrol repeatedly shut down signature gathering at Department of Motor Vehicle offices across the state in response to the petition drive to recall Gov. Gray Davis in the spring of 2003. The move reversed a long-standing CHP practice of allowing local offices to routinely…
Read MoreDam threats in Hawaii underassessed
Karen Blakeman, staff writer with The Honolulu Advertiser, used National Inventory of Dams data from IRE and NICAR for a story about the deadly failure of a privately owned dam on the Hawaii island of Kaua’i. Two bodies have been found and five others are missing. Blakeman reported that state safety inspections of dams across…
Read MoreStates make little use of provision to help hurricane victims
Jenni Bergal of The Center for Public Integrity reviewed health records to find that states have barely used $2 billion provided in an emergency bill passed by Congress to help low-income hurricane victims scattered across the country. “Any state that took in Katrina evacuees could tap into the money to offer cash to those who…
Read MoreTenn. Medicaid pays for most expensive transportation
Nancy Amons of WSMV-Nashville investigated Tennessee’s TennCare (Medicaid) rides program and found that millions of dollars may have been wasted. The investigation found the program assigning patient trips to the most expensive companies, even though that is against its own regulations. “Taxpayers have been overpaying by 40% or more for some trips simply because TennCare…
Read MoreCounty fails to monitor AIDS services program
Norberto Santana Jr. and Tony Saavedra of The Orange County Register used data crunching, document digging and old-fashioned gumshoe work to reveal how Orange County bungled its fledgling AIDS program for African-Americans. The investigation found what the county hadn’t bothered to look for when hiring an AIDS service provider. ” Pastor Aubrey Keys, the person…
Read MoreFederal cases shrouded in secrecy
Michael J. Sniffen and John Solomon of the Associated Press used court records to show that despite the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of public trials, nearly all records are being kept secret for more than 5,000 defendants who completed their journey through the federal courts over the past three years. The investigation found that most of…
Read MoreStates progress in reform of lobbying laws
Leah Rush and David Jimenez of The Center for Public Integrity report that 24 states have worked to strengthen or improve electronic disclosure systems since the Center’s 2003 report, “Hired Guns.” Meanwhile, federal lobbying disclosure laws have not changed in the past eight years. Political scandals, in many cases, were the catalyst for changes in…
Read MoreCounty officials surf Internet during public meetings
Garrett Therolf and Matthew Waite of St. Petersburg Times used Internet records to show that three Pasco commissioners visited numerous Web sites during commission meetings over the past three years. The investigation found personal use of county computers has gotten rank-and-file county employees fired. “Like many other workplaces, the county uses software to track employees…
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