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Travel regulations don’t touch executive branch officials
Ken Dilanian of USA Today reports that many executive branch officials regularly still accept trips from companies and associations which stand to benefit from the agencies’ decisions. Although members of Congress cannot accept these sorts of gifts according to the newly passed ethics bill, the restrictions do no apply to other branches of government. “More…
Read More57 Philadelphia area bridges “deficient”
Paul Nussbaum and Dylan Purcell of The Philadelphia Inquirer report that nearly 60 bridges in the Philadelphia area are rated structurally “deficient” with traffic on those bridges ranging from 25,000 to 160,000 vehicles daily. Six thousand bridges are rated “deficient” in Pennsylvania, the greatest number in the nation. Included in their report is an interactive…
Read MoreA look at Utah’s mine safety records
Following the Crandall Canyon Mine disaster, Lee Davidson of the Deseret Morning News did a couple of quick-hit stories on mine safety in Utah. The stories detail repeated safety violations in Utah mines and those violations specific to the Crandall Canyon Mine, which were fewer than average for Utah mines.
Read MorePolice department plagued by internal discipline problems
Top city officials in Denver are calling for a complete overhaul of the discipline system of the Denver Police Department, reports Christopher N. Osher of The Denver Post. “At least 25 officers remained on the force from January 1997 through September 2006 after they were punished for what the department calls “departure from the truth.”…
Read MoreCritics seek to close tax loophole
Palm Beach Post reporter Jeff Ostrowski reports that “trophy properties” in Florida are changing hands, legally, for $10 and costing the state millions in tax revenue. Commercial property deals are being recorded as “transfers of assets” instead of actual sales. In the case of a $600 million property, 70 cents in taxes were collected as…
Read MoreChavez family’s fundraising scrutinized
Linda Chavez, Bush’s failed nominee for Labor Secretary, and members of her immediate family control political action committees and non-profit political foundations with names like the Republican Issues Committee, the Latino Alliance, Stop Union Political Abuse and the Pro-Life Campaign Committee, which quietly raised more than $24.5 million from January 2003 to December 2006. Matthew…
Read MoreWis. dam inspections fall behind schedule
Ben Poston and Patrick Marley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analyzed a database of state dam inspections and found that Wisconsin inspectors have failed to inspect dozens of dams that could pose a danger in the event of a break. In all, the state Department of Natural Resources has not inspected at least 230 state-regulated…
Read MoreJustice Department knew of abuses in Texas juvenile prisons
In an ongoing Dallas Morning News investigation, Holly Becka and Jennifer LaFleur found that the private contractors housing juvenile inmates in Texas have lost their contracts in other states after abuse and neglect were discovered. In addition, Steve McGonigle and Doug J. Swanson report that records show U.S Justice Department attorneys have been aware of…
Read MoreWis. trucking firm fined twice for false logbooks
Rick Romell of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analyzed federal records and reviewed hundreds of pages of documents to find that JDC Logistics Inc., a Franklin, Wis., firm has been among the most heavily fined trucking companies in the country. Logbook falsification by truckers at the 589-driver firm was so widespread, federal auditors discovered last August,…
Read MoreOhio bridges at risk
The Columbus Dispatch examined each of the 35 bridges over the Ohio River connecting Ohio to neighboring Kentucky and West Virginia. Reporter Randy Ludlow discovered that seven are rated as structurally deficient. That group includes three of the four bridges owned by the Ohio Department of Transportation. The investigation revealed that highway officials have plans…
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