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BusinessWeek tallies payoff from lobbying
BusinessWeek notes that, while scrutiny of federal earmarks and corporate lobbying has intensified recently,“no one outside the lobbying firms and corporate boardrooms has ever known just how much all those lobbyists bring in.” Based on an analysis of nearly 2,000 earmarks that went to companies in fiscal 2005, the story by Eamon Javers estimates that,…
Read MorePerks grew while budgets shrank in three Florida counties
With tax cuts and the real estate bust forcing local governments to slash their budgets, Doug Sword, Anthony Cormier and Patrick Whittle of the Herald-Tribune (Sarasota, Fla.) looked at spending in three local sheriff’s agencies. They found a number of questionable expenses, such as a luxury SUV for Sarasota’s sheriff with upgrades like climate controlled…
Read MoreOfficer’s record leads courts to re-evaluate misconduct policies
Gina Barton of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mined court records to find ten similar cases alleging that Jason Mucha, a Milwaukee Police officer, had beaten suspects or planted drugs. Despite the claims of misconduct, Officer Mucha had never been disciplined. Instead, the department promoted him to sergeant. After reviewing the cases, a state Court of…
Read MoreFlex-Fuel fleet remains shrouded in secrecy
Kimberly Kindy, reporting for the San Jose Mercury News and the Sacramento bureau of MediaNews, adds more on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s attempts to create a fleet of environmentally friendly vehicles, which earned him international recognition but also handed a single-source contract to General Motors, a longtime political supporter. The latest story describes how the governor’s…
Read MoreAccuracy of 9/11 health reports debated
Anthony DePalma and Serge F. Kovaleski of The New York Times explore questions about the health data reported by the Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, which has overseen the treatment of thousands of ground zero workers. While the clinic’s efforts have been called “well meaning,” the resources needed to track and…
Read MoreRepair funds not keeping up with aging bridges
In the wake of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Patrick Garmoe of the Duluth News Tribune reported on how age has affected bridges in the St. Louis County area of Minnesota. As the costs of repairing the bridges increased, 11 bridges in St. Louis County have been rated “fracture-critical” and at risk of collapse. The…
Read MoreYouth programs vulnerable to internal theft
San Diego Union-Tribune reporters Leonel Sanchez and Brent Schrotenboer looked into employees stealing money from non-profit organizations taking a cue from the case of Pamela Sue Adams, who was sentenced to a year in jail for embezzling as much as $131,000 from the non-profit Friends of Jamul-Dulzura Schools. The newspaper asked for information on similar…
Read MoreFocus intensifying on Toledo point-shaving scandal
ESPN.com reporters Mike Fish and George J. Tanber investigate the point-shaving scandal involving a University of Toledo football player. Harvey “Scooter” McDougle would have been a senior this season, but his implication in a gambling ring has likely ended his chances at playing football again, college or pro. The report includes a list of four…
Read MoreHotel security linked to Your Black Muslim Bakery
Robert Gammon of East Bay Express investigated the private security officers at the Oakland Marriott and found links between their firm and the Black Muslim clan believed to be responsible for the murder of Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey. Despite initial denials from the Mariott’s spokesman, public records revealed a history of connections between UD…
Read MoreOne in five taxis cited in state inspection
The Arizona Republic‘s M.B. Pell reports that one out of every five taxis in Arizona failed state inspections in the past year. Inspectors from the Department of Weights and Measures “conducted nearly 1,570 field inspections of cabs, citing 120 taxis and limousines for having improperly sealed, calibrated or installed meters. Among other citations, 126 vehicles…
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