Politics
FEC-Cain used campaign money to buy autobiography from Co. he owns
“Jonathan D. Salant and Joshua Green of Bloomberg News reported that Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain used campaign funds to buy books he wrote from his own company.” “’All candidates publish books and they offer them as premiums to donors, but most candidates aren’t buying them from their own companies’, Bill Allison, editorial director at…
Read MoreCA fires won’t deter 150-home development, despite high-risk area
“Following the deadly Esperanza wildfire in Southern California in October 2006, in which five U.S. Forest Service firefighters were killed, a task force recommended tougher zoning and code enforcement to limit development in the mountain forests considered high fire hazard zones. Yet within a year of those recommendations, Riverside County supervisors gave the go-ahead to…
Read MoreSubsidiary of Koch Industries has direct interest in Keystone XL
“In recent months Koch Industries Inc., the business conglomerate run by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, has repeatedly told a U.S. Congressional committee and the news media that the proposed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline has “nothing to do with any of our businesses.” But Inside Climate News reports that the company has told…
Read MoreRegardless of bailout, Gov. Perry has deep ties to one of TX’s largest banks
In his bid for the president, Governor Rick Perry has attacked the Troubled Asset Relief Program numerous times; calling it an “unprecedented assault on free markets.” However, The Dallas Morning News reports that the very bank Perry designated for his campaign finances received more than $87 million in TARP money. That same bank, PlainsCapital, is…
Read MoreState legislators earning pension before retirement
It may be surprising to learn that after legislators in South Carolina passed a law that would allow them to collect their pension, while still working for the state full time, their annual incomes have nearly tripled. Thomas Frank, of USA TODAY, investigates the disturbing, yet legal, actions our legislators are taking. “More than 4,100 legislators…
Read MoreEl Dorado sheriff buys helicopter; officials worry about costs to taxpayers
The El Dorado County sheriff John D’Agostini surprised county administrators when a helicopter appeared as a new tool for the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department. KCRA3 reporter Dave Manoucheri reveals that D’Agostini failed to alert county officials that a chopper was in the works, which raises risk management and liability concerns. Although the sheriff says…
Read MoreWilkes-Barre mayor used used summer jobs program to hire family, friends
Citizens Voice reporter, Andrew Staub, uses DocumentCloud to publish documents showing Mayor Tom Leighton has been hiring his kids and relatives for summer jobs. Over the past 8 years, Leighton hired his children for over a dozen different positions. However, it’s not just his children he’s hiring, but also affluent children from his neighborhood. “The hires have clouded…
Read MoreState ethics commission makes questionable decision
Dale Russell, investigative reporter for Fox 5 in Atlanta, reveals the latest information regarding the Georgia state ethics commission. Two top staffers of the commission have found themselves out of a job after a recent commission decision. The same two staffers are conducting an investigation on the campaign of Governor Nathan Deal. Ethics commissioners say…
Read MoreIranian women share details of prison torture.
“Thousands of Iranians took to the streets in 2009 as part of the Green Movement to protest a disputed presidential election. The government crackdown that followed included some women being imprisoned, tortured and raped. This report shares some of their stories.” Jeffrey Brown with The Center for Investigative Reporting and PBS NewsHour reports on the…
Read MoreElizabeth school board uses teachers as fundraising base
This four-month investigation by The Star-Ledger reveals questionable practices by the Elizabeth Board of Education. The Elizabeth school district is the largest in New Jersey, and seen as one of the “top” districts to some. Reporter Ted Sherman found that members of the school board often contacted teachers soliciting donations and various other types of…
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