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Pattern suggests misuse of sick time
“A Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) analysis of city payroll records obtained through the state Right to Know Law found that 46 percent of the total sick days taken by firefighters through mid-October have been combined with holidays, personal days or vacation days for extended time away from work.” Such a pattern suggests possible misuse of…
Read MoreGovernment wields influence over GM’s IPO
Clare Baldwin, Soyoung Kim and Kevin Krolicki, of Reuters, report that “a review of key events leading up to GM’s IPO and interviews with people involved inside and outside the company show that the U.S. government has been running key aspects of the landmark stock deal and exerting tight oversight on management decisions seen as…
Read MoreDespite raids, illegal massage parlors remain in operation
Yang Wang, of the Houston Chronicle, found a number of massage parlors remain open despite repeated police raids for vice crime and licensing violations. In Houston, “292 establishments have been cited by police for compliance violations, including operating without a state license, hiring unlicensed workers, operating during prohibited hours or engaging in vice crimes.” Vice…
Read MoreCrime deemed “stupid,” criminals remained free
John Diedrich and Ryan H of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report that a pair of criminals who robbed a 17-year-old at gunpoint avoided incarceration because “neither the judge nor the prosecutor appears to have considered the crime or their past records to be serious, according to transcripts of the sentencing. Rather than a brazen holdup…
Read MoreNewsroom training options updated
As newsrooms continue work on their 2011 budgets, it’s the perfect time to consider bringing IRE training to your staff. See a full list of IRE presentations and software hands-on training. Custom IRE training for your newsroom or university remains one of the best bargains in the industry, with immediate results: new tools, skills, websites and…
Read MoreSt. Louis businessman has spent millions on Missouri campaigns
Joe Yerardi, of the Columbia (Mo.) Missourian, found that retired St. Louis businessman Rex Sinquefield has spent millions to bankroll numerous campaigns in Missouri in the past two years. “The donations, which total more than $13.3 million, are the result of Sinquefield’s personal wealth, his ideological passions and Missouri’s lax campaign finance laws, experts and…
Read MoreX Prize winner in financial trouble
An investigation by Mike Soraghan, of Greenwire, found that the Li-Ion Motors Corp., winners of the coveted X prize for super-fuel-efficient cars, is struggling financially. “Court documents, interviews and the company’s regulatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission paint a picture of an erratic enterprise that has vacuumed up $50 million from stock holders…
Read MoreDon’t be a stenographer and other tips from a Pulitzer Prize winner
By Mark Horvit, IRE Executive Director Nigel Jaquiss has a strong but simple message for those who cover local government: “Do not be a stenographer.” Jaquiss, a Pultizer Prize and IRE Award winning reporter for the Willamette Week in Portland, offered a series of recommendations to help those who cover local government do more than…
Read MoreTrafficking, sexual exploitation of Haitian children on the rise
A report by The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald shows that human trafficking and sexual exploitation of Haitian children are on the rise in the Dominican Republic following January’s devastating earthquake in Haiti. “Since the earthquake more than 7,300 boys and girls have been smuggled out of their homeland to the Dominican Republic by…
Read MoreBackground checks for Idaho educators unreliable
In a report by Ben Botkin of the Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho), found that the state’s system for completing background checks on teachers fails to give school districts a full picture of the applicant’s background. The problem came to light after a Times-News investigation found that a teacher charged with sex crimes had a prior…
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