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Back in Black
In a three-day series, Spencer Hunt of The Columbus Dispatch reports on the environmental issues arising out of a resurgence in coal mining in the state of Ohio. He found that “state laws and programs designed to safeguard the land and water are riddled with problems.“
Read MoreRoad Hazards
The Dallas Morning News has conducted a year-long investigation into safety issues plaguing the trucking industry in Texas. The final installment of the series focuses on felons in the workforce, harsh working conditions that make trucking a dangerous job, and the industry’s political influence in shaping safety laws and regulations. The Department of Transportation’s Truck…
Read MoreN.C. state pages stayed with convicted felon
As part of an on-going investigation of Democratic state Rep. Jim Black, Dan Kane and J. Andrew Curliss of The News and Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) report the coordinator of the state page program, Ann Lassiter, had arranged for student pages to stay with her son, a convicted felon. Rep. Black removed Lassiter from her position…
Read MoreFinancial aid staff destroy documents during fraud investigation
Corey G. Johnson of The Daily Reflector in Greenville, N.C., reports that East Carolina University “employees destroyed numerous Office of Student Financial Aid records in apparent violation of university policy and federal requirements” during an audit and investigation at the school. It is not known what specific documents were destroyed or what impact the shredding…
Read MoreFraudulent real estate company stole millions from unsuspecting buyers
Catherine E. Shoichet of the St. Petersburg Times reports on a bogus real estate company that defrauded unsuspecting buyers of millions. Natalia and Victor Wolf, owners of Sky Development Group, are currently under investigation for real estate fraud; no charges have been filed in the case. The Wolfs apparently fled the country in October and…
Read MoreSubprime loans cripple minority homeowners
Vikas Bajaj and Ron Nixon of The New York Times looked at the impact of subprime loans on minority homeownership over the past six years. The very loans that allowed for the purchase of a home are now crippling buyers’ finances as interest rates inflate, leading to an increase in delinquencies and foreclosures. “Industry officials…
Read MoreSexual misconduct problem for Oregon officers
Ian Demsky of Willamette Week in Portland, Ore., investigated the records of law enforcement and corrections officers in Oregon who had their licenses revoked. Since 2002, about one third of the revocations stemmed from sexual misconduct.
Read MoreBallot design may have caused undervote in Florida election
Matthew Doig and Maurice Tamman of the Herald-Tribune analyzed every ballot cast in Sarasota County in an effort to understand the substantial undervote for the disputed District 13 congressional race. Their analysis points to ballot design as the culprit, although they discuss other theories offered to explain the dramatic 13 percent undervote, or “nearly twice…
Read MoreSurface mines pose unique dangers
The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette’s Ken Ward Jr. continues his series on coal mine safety with a Sunday article about the dangers of working at mountaintop removal mines in Appalachia. Ward reports, among other things, that Appalachian strip mines account for 20 percent of the nation’s strip-mined coal, but over the last decade accounted for 75…
Read MoreTexas law hog-ties defense attorneys
Jeremy Rogalski and 11 News Investigates of KHOU-Houston exposed an open secret of the Texas justice system: Texas prosecutors are not letting defense attorneys see basic documents, such as police reports, witness statements, and even DNA lab results, before trial. A Texas state law practically eliminates pretrial discovery often leaving defense attorneys unable to prepare…
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