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FBI examines lobbying by Brownback loyalists
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is exploring whether confidantes of Gov. Sam Brownback operated influence-peddling operations in Kansas pivoting on personal access to the Republican governor and top administration officials. The Topeka Capital-Journal learned the months-long inquiry involves Parallel Strategies, a rapidly expanding Topeka consulting and lobbying firm created in 2013 by a trio of…
Read MoreSavannah companies owned by women, minorities not contacted for school construction despite contractor’s pledge
When the Savannah-Chatham School Board agreed to pay JE Dunn/Rives E. Worrell construction company $21 million to build a new Hesse Elementary campus, they believed the 50 percent JE Dunn/Rives E. Worrell promised to women- and minority-owned subcontractors would make a huge impact on the local economy. Now, that’s open to question.
Read MoreFederal judges admit conflicts of interest
When Linda Wolicki-Gables and her husband appealed a lawsuit all the way to the second-highest court in the nation against Johnson & Johnson over a malfunctioning medication pump that had been implanted in her body, the couple had no idea that one of the judges who decided their case had a financial stake in the…
Read MoreWashington state loses waiver for No Child Left Behind
Washington has become the first state in the country to lose its waiver for No Child Left Behind. This after the state voted down the use of student test scores as part of teacher evaluations. Schools will lose control of about $40 million. However, private tutoring companies could be positioned to reap the benefits. With…
Read MoreIncrease in heroin use brings longer waiting lists for addiction treatment centers in New York region
Today, the recovering addict climbs into a taxi cab at 5 a.m. every weekday for a 60-mile drive to Crouse Hospital in Syracuse, where he receives methadone treatment. And that came only after a two-month delay on the program’s waiting list, which is now often nine months or longer. Across the Southern Tier, getting hooked…
Read MoreEye care much higher for NC Medicare patients
In North Carolina, Medicare data shows spending on a $2,000-a-dose eye drugs topped $25 million in 2012. Yet a $50 “off-label” alternative – proven equally effective in multiple studies and manufactured by the same company – is rarely prescribed in North Carolina, according to a WRAL analysis of 2012 Medicare Part B spending data released…
Read MoreDavid Dietz Fellowship available for 2014 IRE Conference
Are you a journalist with less than 10 years of experience? Interested in attending the upcoming IRE Conference in San Francisco? IRE could pay your way. In 2012 IRE added a new fellowship, created to honor the memory of longtime IRE member David Dietz, who succumbed to cancer in June of 2011. David served as…
Read MoreEmails show Emanuel aides, producers coordinated CNN ‘Chicagoland’ scenes
If it seemed as though some scenes of CNN’s documentary series “Chicagoland” were coordinated by Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s City Hall and the show’s producers, that’s because they were. More than 700 emails reviewed by the Chicago Tribune reveal that the production team worked hand in hand with the mayor’s advisers to develop storylines, arrange specific…
Read MoreInside the private umbilical cord blood banking business
The question of whether to pay for storage of a baby’s cord blood is now routinely asked of expectant parents in obstetrician offices and hospital delivery rooms. Many states have passed laws requiring that doctors tell expectant parents their options for cord blood: discard it; bank it privately; or donate it to a public bank,…
Read MoreHow to use inspection data to drive your stories
By Hannah Schmidt Joce Sterman of WMAR-Baltimore and Michael Pell of Reuters explain where reporters can find inspection data and how they can incorporate it into investigative pieces. Where do you find inspection data? Pell suggested reporters check the following organizations: U.S. Government Accountability Office U.S. Chemical Safety Board National Transportation Safety Board Office of Inspector…
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