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Penalties and prosecution light as illegal gun market thrives in Minnesota
Over the last decade, federal prosecutors pursued only eight domestic gun-trafficking cases in Minnesota, according to court records examined by the Star Tribune. Federal law enforcement officials say their limited presence in the state and significant constraints in federal law present serious obstacles to cracking down on illegal gun trafficking. Minnesota U.S. Attorney B. Todd…
Read MoreFour of five drug busts by Border Patrol involve U.S. citizens
There’s no argument that Mexico-based crime organizations dominate drug smuggling into the United States. But the public message that the Border Patrol has trumpeted for much of the last decade, mainly through press releases about its seizures, has emphasized Mexican drug couriers, or mules, as those largely responsible for transporting drugs. It turns out that…
Read MoreFear drives lack of public access in Maine
By Judy Meyer Maine is moving in the wrong direction when it comes to public access. Blame technology. The very computer systems and databases created to improve the flow of information and ease public access are now being held up, by lawmakers, as troublesome portals to be sealed shut in the interest of personal privacy.…
Read MoreInvestigating agribusiness: A workshop and reporting examples
Navajo boys plow a corn field on the Navajo Reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico, date unknown. Photo from the National Archives and Records Administration. Monday is the last day to register for an all-expenses paid reporting workshop on covering agribusiness from The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting and Investigative Reporters and Editors, held May 30 to June…
Read MoreMobile apps for investigative journalists
Journalists can now carry many of the essential reporting tools — camera, voice recorder, notepad, phone, police scanner — with them in one hand-held device. But that same device can carry a police scanner, a document scanner, a photo editor, a video camera and a flight tracker. You can record audio and take time-stamped notes.…
Read MoreStory of stolen semi-automatic reveals shadowy circulation of handguns
The Star Tribune tells the story of how one cheap semi-automatic handgun was stolen, and then used in three violent crimes in Minneapolis. The long and shadowy circulation of handguns like the Hi-Point often confounds police and can elude gun control laws.
Read MoreConsultant’s report kept secret over ’embarrassing’ criticism
The Charleston Gazette reports that “a state agency paid a Virginia-based company an estimated $118,000 to review West Virginia’s use of $126.3 million in federal stimulus funds to expand high-speed Internet, but Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s administration won’t release the consultant’s findings to the public.” The reason, Commerce Secretary Keith Burdette told the Gazette, is that at…
Read MoreBehind the Story: Tax forms and FEC filings reveal nonprofit’s political activity
Learning about sources of political spending can be “like unpacking a Russian nesting doll,” says Michael Beckel, a politics reporter for the Center for Public Integrity. Using tax filings as his primary source, Beckel investigated the third most politically-active nonprofit in 2012 as part of the Center for Public Integrity’s Consider the Source project. “In…
Read MoreExtra Extra Monday: A ruling’s tainted legacy, a botched signature and corporate catch shares
The New York TimesRuled a Threat to Family, but Allowed to Keep Guns“Advocates for domestic violence victims have long called for stricter laws governing firearms and protective orders. Their argument is rooted in a grim statistic: when women die at the hand of an intimate partner, that hand is more often than not holding a…
Read MoreWhat journalists can learn from this year’s Sunshine Week
Journalists don’t need more reason to celebrate public records, but Sunshine Week provides a time for swapping tips and tricks, successes and horror stories. The EditorialMatters blog in Iowa spent the week posting tips like advice on requesting records, finding stories in those records, and avoiding all-too-common mistakes. Watchdog Wire shared their own tips on…
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