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Data shows car accidents spike when sun aligns with Toronto street grid
Global News obtained 11 years of collision data and found that “Torontohenge,” when the setting sun aligns with Toronto’s east-west street grid and forces drivers to squint through salt-crusted windshields, coincides with the third-worst day of the year for car accidents. Get the full story and graphic.
Read MoreIn New York, a Heart Surgery Factory With ‘Obscene Levels’ of Pay
Reports of scheduled ER visits raised a concern internally that some cardiologists might be using the emergency department to get the costs of uninsured patients’ procedures covered, according to hospital correspondence. In some cases, the government’s Medicaid program and private insurers will pay for procedures done via an emergency-room visit that wouldn’t be covered otherwise,…
Read MoreIRE members win 2014 Goldsmith Prize
Seven IRE members from two news organizations won the 2014 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. Chris Hamby, Ronnie Greene, Jim Morris and Chris Zubak-Skees of the Center for Public Integrity and Matthew Mosk, Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz of ABC News were recognized for their work on “Breathless and Burdened: Dying from Black Lung, Buried…
Read MoreFERPA Frustrations: How to outmaneuver university officials to get the info you need
By Donovan Harrell Three journalists offered advice to students struggling with public records requests during a brown bag session at the 2014 CAR Conference. Student attendees talked about attempts to outmaneuver their respective universities, which had been denying public records requests using laws such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the…
Read MoreAUDIO: Alberto Cairo on the next generation of data viz
[View the story “Highlights: The next generation of data viz” on Storify]
Read MorePentagon slow to identify remains of missing service members
The Pentagon spends about $100 million a year to find men like World War II POW Arthur “Bud” Kelder, following the ethos of “leave no man behind,” ProPublica reports. Yet it solves surprisingly few cases, hobbled by overlapping bureaucracy and a stubborn refusal to seize the full potential of modern forensic science. Last year, the military identified just…
Read MoreData Deep Dives: What we can learn from ‘Deadly Delays’ and other powerful projects
By Ariana Giorgi One of the best ways to start your own data story is to learn what worked – or didn’t work – for other journalists. Three pros took NICAR attendees behind their data-driven projects as part of “Data Deep Dives.” Speeding Cops | John Maines, Sun Sentinel John Maines presented his story…
Read MoreBorder Patrol agents criticized in report for ‘lack of diligence’
The LA Times obtained a report criticizing the U.S. Border Patrol for a “lack of diligence” and its use of tactics that may give officers an excuse to open fire. The report by law enforcement experts was the result of a review commissioned by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Of 67 cases involving border patrol officers…
Read MoreUniversity of California losing millions of dollars on interest-rate bets
The University of California has lost tens of millions of dollars, and is set to lose far more, after making risky bets on interest rates on the advice of Wall Street bankers. University officials agreed to the financial deals – complex contracts known as interest-rate swaps – because they believed they could save money in…
Read MoreMembers of Mesa Police Department pose as Nazi stormtroopers, Hispanic males, gang members
The hearing was kept quiet. Officers with the Dobson Bike Patrol displayed a lack of respect to the homeless and immigrants in their community, keeping bulletin boards of mocking photos and signs. One officer even posed for a photo as a Nazi stormtrooper. The hearing resulted in disciplinary action against the officers, but the department…
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