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Conflicted Justice
Following a six-month investigation, Alan Maimon of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports on the “conflict system” in Clark County, Nev., in which private attorneys are assigned to poor defendants whom the public defender’s office cannot represent due to conflicts of interest. An examination of every case the 30 contract defenders took to felony court in…
Read MoreNavy lacks plan to defend against Russian-built missile
Tony Capaccio of Bloomberg reveals that the “U.S. Navy, after nearly six years of warnings from Pentagon testers, still lacks a plan for defending aircraft carriers against a supersonic Russian-built missile, according to current and former officials and Defense Department documents.” Concern exists that the missile, known as the “Sizzler” may be purchased by Iran.…
Read MoreOne third of fatal accidents linked to shady driving records
Sarah Okeson of Florida Today investigated Brevard County drivers involved in fatal accidents, specifically looking at drivers charged with DUI manslaughter or vehicular homicide between 2000 and 2006. She found that more than a third of them didn’t have a valid license to be on the road at the time of the wreck, had a…
Read MoreJournalist’s investigation helps lead to woman’s murder conviction
Nancy Badertscher of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports on the conviction of Lynn Turner. Turner, already serving a life term for the murder of Randy Thompson, was given a 2nd conviction for the murder of her late husband, Glenn Turner. “Turner and Thompson initially were thought to have died of heart problems. But several months after…
Read MoreToxic vapors threaten well-being of residents of Victor, NY
The Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester, N.Y., presents stories from a two-month investigation into toxic vapor releases related to toxins improperly disposed of near Victor, N.Y., more than 17 years ago.”State officials, drawing upon numerous visits and hundreds of water samples over the last 15 years, have mapped the damage: a mile-long plume of contaminated…
Read MoreVirginia investment company profits off blight
Meghan Hoyer and Matthew Jones of The Virginian-Pilot investigated the purchase of over 250 houses and lots in depressed areas of cities such as Portsmouth, Norfolk and Newport News by a Virginia Beach-based company and its investors. Five years later, half the properties still sit in disarray with thousands owed in back taxes. “Since forming…
Read MoreAP found unauthorized classification of Caltrans contracts
An investigation by the Associated Press uncovered that the California Transportation Department classified nearly 300 contracts worth over $13 million – and many of them not competitively bid – as confidential without proper authority. The General Services Department grants the authority to classify contracts. “The agency was unaware Caltrans listed confidential contracts in its records…
Read MoreOn-duty death benefits denied to firefighters, EMTs
Bill Dedman of MSNBC.com reports that more than three years after President Bush signed the Hometown Heroes Act of 2003, no benefits have been paid to families. The act promises federal benefits to the families of firefighters and EMTs who die of heart attacks or strokes on the job. “The U.S. Justice Department has denied…
Read MoreHealthcare nonprofits spend millions in federal funds, operate in secrecy
In a two-part series, Clark Kauffman of The Des Moines Register examined the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care, the largest of 53 federally funded Quality Improvement Organizations. The newspaper found that the tax-exempt Iowa foundation, which investigates complaints of poor patient care received by Iowa’s 500,000 Medicare beneficiaries, reviewed only 12 complaints in 2005. That…
Read MoreDrug abuse, crime on rise among paramedics
A special report by Andrew McIntosh of The Sacramento Bee reveals problems with paramedics and EMTs in the state of California. Substance abuse is on the rise among paramedics, including theft of morphine on hand to treat patients in the field. Additionally, lax oversight of the paramedic and EMT licensing systems have led to fired…
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