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How sound are bridges in your area? Find out with updated National Bridge Inventory data
Now is a good time to investigate the bridges in your state and community: NICAR has just updated the National Bridge Inventory. Current through 2011, the data can help you assess the soundness of bridges in your area. Key fields can be used for an overall indication of a bridge’s quality. There are also fields…
Read MoreIRE Conference first-timer
By Mikel SchaeferWVUE-TV New Orleans Following the conclusion of the Boston IRE Conference, I felt compelled to share my experience as an IRE Conference first-timer, especially since I was a fairly rare species at the event. Unlike most attending the three-day conference, I was not an investigative reporter, but one of a handful of television…
Read MoreCommunity college football players caught up in criminal activity
“After a sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a local community college football player during a struggle at a burglary scene Feb. 23, The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif., compared recent years’ football rosters at College of the Desert to county court databases.” “Reporters Keith Matheny and Kate McGinty found far more criminal activity by…
Read MoreCharter school leader claims Ph.D from unaccredited online university
“A News Journal reporter uncovered that the head of a local charter school lied about her credentials, claiming a Ph.D. from an “online university” that doesn’t exist, after following a news tip. The story evolved into the damaging effects of diploma mills such as the online service the school leader used to purchase her fake…
Read MoreWisconsin’s mobile home communities overlooked
“Wisconsin’s patchwork system of regulating mobile home communities often forces communities such as Plymouth to act alone when a park owner won’t make repairs to houses with malfunctioning plumbing, broken heating systems and mold-covered walls, a Gannett Wisconsin Media investigation has found.” “Even though the state has the authority to respond to residents’ complaints and…
Read MoreFormer chief deputy caught pawning department gun
“A Yancey County News investigation has led to the arrest of a former chief deputy on a charge of felony embezzlement. In a year-long series of stories the paper found that a pistol, bought for the sheriff’s department, had been pawned.” “The newspaper proved that the gun was listed on the inventory of the sheriff’s…
Read MoreGas company giants plotted to suppress land prices
“A Reuters investigation has found that under the direction of CEO Aubrey McClendon, Chesapeake Energy Corp. plotted with its top competitor to suppress land prices in one of America’s most promising oil and gas plays.” “In emails between Chesapeake and Encana Corp, Canada’s largest natural gas company, the rivals repeatedly discussed how to avoid bidding…
Read MoreThieves and gamblers given control of disabled vets’ assets
“A Houston Chronicle/Hearst series on disabled veterans ripoffs nationwide found convicted thieves, inveterate gamblers, the bankrupt and the mentally ill were repeatedly handed control of disabled veterans’ assets and estates by the VA – and then stole from them.” “The findings of this investigation of more than 100 prosecutions and decades of audits of this…
Read MoreVirginia police deny access, even when investigation is over
“19-year-old Hailu Brook was shot and killed by Fairfax County police after he allegedly robbed a bank and crossed the county line. Officers fired 25 shots into his body, and the Arlington County Police Department conducted an official investigation into the actions of the Fairfax officers.” “The case is closed, but the Arlington police chief…
Read MoreMilwaukee Police Department misreporting violent assaults
“Echoing the findings of a Journal Sentinel investigation last month, Ben Poston reports that more than 5,300 violent assaults have been misreported since 2006, according to Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn whom told a Common Council committee Thursday.” “An internal department audit shows that 20% of aggravated assaults were underreported as lesser offenses that didn’t…
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