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CDC says is recommended ariel spraying weeks before planes launched

“Was Dallas County’s health commissioner slow to react to a key piece of advice from federal health officials as West Nile virus spread this summer? The NBC 5 Investigates team has learned that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested the county “strongly consider” aerial spraying for mosquitoes nearly a month before Dallas County launched the planes. In…

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Not-so-special treatment in Seattle special education

Six special-education directors — and three superintendents — have served since that 2007 report, discombobulating a growing department that now serves more than 7,000 students, one-seventh of the district’s overall enrollment. The upheaval has spawned a culture of low expectations in which district officials seem to put avoiding lawsuits above engaging families, training staffers or educating…

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Medical pot growers ravage California forest habitat

“California’s annual medical marijuana harvest is just about done, but this year brings a new revelation sweeping the nascent industry: The feel-good herb may not, in fact, be so good for the environment. From golden Sierra foothills to forested coastal mountains, an explosion of pseudo-legal medical marijuana farms has dramatically changed the state’s landscape over the…

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Paid to stay at home

The paper found the state regularly pays employees not to work, even as it faces gaping budget gaps and service cutbacks. Between 2007 and September of this year, the 2,033 employees put on paid leave have cost the state $23 million, according to a Tribune analysis of state data.

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Phoenix metro becomes virtual investor’s housing market

Buying sprees by billion-dollar hedge funds and real-estate investment firms have investors owning nearly 20 percent, or one out of every five, of the region’s single-family houses and condominiums, according to an Arizona Republic analysis of recent sales data. That’s double the number of rentals considered normal in metro Phoenix in 2000, according to housing-market analysts.

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State, city program gives security guards police powers

For decades, they have added an extra layer of eyes and ears on the streets, supplementing the sworn police force at no cost to taxpayers and protecting some of Baltimore’s most venerable institutions. But some of the officers have also faced lawsuits and resident complaints, leading city police to re-evaluate whether to continue the program. City…

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Light sentences, expunged records prompt officials to call for new laws

“A review of government corruption cases by The Clarion-Ledger, including a dozen listed in today’s edition, indicates public officials tend to get off easy when they’re caught with their hands in the till. It shows a trend of light sentences and early release, inequity of sentences, lack of prosecution and expunged records.”

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Enter the Philip Meyer contest for a chance to win $500

There are only a couple more weeks until the postmark deadline (Nov. 2) of the Philip Meyer contest and we want to see your work! Three awards are given annually — a first, second and third place — to recognize the best work using techniques that are part of precision journalism, computer-assisted reporting and social…

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Texas police spend millions on drones

“While the nation disputes if, when and where the government should use drones over U.S. soil, Texas state police are taking their surveillance efforts to the next level.  In a little-noticed July purchase, officials at the Texas Department of Public Safety inked a $7.4 million contract with the Swiss company Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. for a…

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Azerbaijan’s elites illegally purchase property in Czech Republic

“Officials of oil-rich Azerbaijan, including members of the Aliyev ruling family, have established companies in Prague, bought land, and built hotels and luxury villas most of them focused around in the famous spa city of Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad). The problem is that some of these investments are illegal. The full extent of their investment became…

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