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MN state reps under scrutiny for ties to insurance firm
An investigation by MPR News has found that a “Republican state representative who steered legislation through the House to drop thousands of people from the state-run MinnesotaCare program is an independent contractor for an insurance brokerage firm that lobbied for the change.”
Read MoreAudio surveillance quietly being installed in public buses
“Government officials are quietly installing sophisticated audio surveillance systems on public buses across the country to eavesdrop on passengers, according to documents obtained by The Daily.“ “Plans to implement the technology are under way in cities from San Francisco to Hartford, Conn., and Eugene, Ore., to Columbus, Ohio.”
Read MoreA case for why journalists should learn statistics
Last weekend I flew to Phoenix for the IRE boot camp in statistics hosted at Arizona State University. Three days and 52 cups of coffee later, I can spot statistical significance. I can run a linear regression on a dependent and independent variable, and I might even be able to tell you what an R-Square…
Read MorePeace Corps bureaucracy leaves some volunteers stranded with thousands of dollars in medical debt
In a report by FairWarning it has been found that despite their service to the Peace Corps organization, some volunteers are left stranded with thousands of dollars in medical bills after being hurt or becoming sick while completing their assignments. “The program’s flawed management was underscored by a Government Accountability Office report issued in November.…
Read MoreBehind the Story: The reality of Oklahoma’s Quality Jobs Program
Last month, the Oklahoma Impact Team for KWTV News 9 in Oklahoma City and KOTV News on 6 in Tulsa, Okla., examined the much-touted Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program to see if it works as intended or amounts to a corporate giveaway. They found that three-quarters of a billion dollars in tax rebates have been awarded…
Read MoreMA state departments spending hundreds of thousands on bottled water
The MetroWest Daily News reports that “according to Open Checkbook, a Massachusetts state website touted by officials as a means to improve governmental transparency, state departments, little by little, have racked up almost $300,000 since July on bottles of Poland Spring and other water brands, and water coolers.” “With seven months to go in fiscal…
Read MoreLawmakers in North Carolina collecting money despite absences
A WXII12 investigation found that lawmakers in the North Carolina General Assembly can collect money, including subsistence money for meals and lodging while in session, whether they show up for work or not. WXII12 reports that “The legislative manual says lawmakers can waive the money by filing a waiver. Otherwise, O’Neil reported, the money comes…
Read MoreBeef’s Raw Edges
“The Kansas City Star, in a yearlong investigation, found that the beef industry is increasingly relying on a mechanical process to tenderize meat, exposing Americans to higher risk of E. coli poisoning. The industry then resists labeling such products, leaving consumers in the dark. The result: Beef in America is plentiful and affordable, spun out in…
Read MoreDying For Relief: Reckless prescribing, patients endangered
According to an investigation by the Los Angeles Times, “By the time the medical board stopped Estiandan from prescribing, more than four years after it began investigating, eight of his patients had died of overdoses or related causes, according to coroners’ records. It was not an isolated case of futility by California’s medical regulators. The board…
Read MoreNY mostly ignored reports warning of superstorm
According to an investigation by the Associated Press, “More than three decades before Superstorm Sandy, a state law and a series of legislative reports began warning New York politicians to prepare for a storm of historic proportions, spelling out scenarios eerily similar to what actually happened: a towering storm surge; overwhelming flooding; swamped subway lines;…
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