The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
Government (federal/state/local)
San Diego land inventory flawed
Brooke Williams and Danielle Cervantes of the San Diego Union-Tribune compiled data on the city’s land holdings, finding that “the city’s inventory of real estate assets, worth billions of dollars, is seriously flawed. A roster of 4,430 parcels the city supplied omits some property, and it also lists land the city has never owned, land…
Read MoreFunds for workers could drive agencies to bankruptcy
Troy Anderson of the Los Angeles Daily News found that “California’s largest public agencies face setting an extra $108 billion aside in the coming years to pay for promised retiree pensions, health care and workers’ compensation claims.” Experts say the estimate is conservative and that some public agencies might face bankruptcy in the future.
Read MoreS.C. port authority operates like a business
Michael R. Shea of The Beaufort (S.C.) Gazette delved into the South Carolina State Ports Authority, the state agency that manages “the fourth-largest waterborne shipping network in the country through marine terminals in Charleston, Georgetown and Port Royal, South Carolina.” The stories show that political contributions, political appointments and no-bid contracts blur the line between…
Read MoreContributors get the contracts in Ohio
James Drew and Mike Wilkinson of The (Toledo) Blade examine the relationships between Ohio politicians and the businesses that do work for the state’s Department of Transportation. “Over the last decade, a Blade investigation shows, those firms have contributed more than $1 million to politicians, political parties, and political action committees. In the last five…
Read MoreW. Va. cashes in on video poker
Lawrence Messina and Vicki Smith of The Associated Press have a three-part series examining the impact of the video poker industry on West Virginia. They found that nearly 2,000 businesses have the gambling machines installed and “fifteen businesses, families or partnerships — out of more than 1,300 that held one or more licenses — collected…
Read MorePotential conflicts identified for Supreme Court nominee
Center for Investigative Reporting’s Dan Noyes finds that “After a long career spent representing blue chip corporations and resource industries, Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, Jr. brings more potential conflicts of interest to the bench than any justice of his generation.” The investigation looks at “rules governing conflicts of interest and reveals cases already on…
Read MoreDisaster planning focused on terror threats
In a Web exclusive report, Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball of Newsweek report that state emergency management directors have complained FEMA has concentrated too much on preparing for terror threats and not enough on natural disasters. “Internal Homeland Security documents obtained by Newsweek lend support to the state directors’ complaints. Out of 15 ‘all hazards’…
Read MoreMapping tornado sirens allows look at disaster planning
Sarah Okeson of the Peoria, Ill., Journal Star mapped tornado sirens and looked at how much of the county they cover, as well as geocoding the county’s schools and nursing homes and looking for gaps in the coverage. “The National Weather Service thinks Peoria is adequately prepared for a tornado or other disaster.” Okeson describes…
Read MoreSept. 11 loans go to many unaffected by terror
Frank Bass and Dirk Lammers of The Associated Press examined nearly $5 billion in loans granted by the Small Business Administration as Sept. 11 recovery aid, and found that many went to businesses “that didn’t need terror relief — or even know they were getting it.” The SBA said it first learned of the problems…
Read MoreLegislators leasing vehicles
Chris Casteel of The Oklahoman used rarely-scrutinized records detailing congressional office expenses, finding that “Rep. John Sullivan is leasing a sport utility vehicle in his congressional district for $1,242 a month at taxpayer expense. Rep. Frank Lucas rented a car in December in Oklahoma City and paid more than $1,500 for it out of his…
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