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Special benefits for religious groups
Diana B. Henriques of The New York Times, with computer analysis by Andy Lehren and research by Donna Anderson, examined the quiet expansion of special benefits for religious groups. “In recent years, many politicians and commentators have cited what they consider a nationwide ‘war on religion’ that exposes religious organizations to hostility and discrimination. But…
Read MoreAmbulance diversions at St. Louis area hospitals
Deborah L. Shelton and Jaimi Dowdell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch used local data to revisit a topic the paper first examined five years ago: ambulance diversions from full hospitals.
Read MoreSecurity lax in Philly schools
In response to the latest spate of school violence, reporters at The Philadelphia Inquirer decided to investigate the safey of local schools only to find that it lax. “In spite of rules aimed at limiting public access, reporters who fanned out on a single day walked into more than a dozen schools unannounced and without…
Read MoreState SAT score rankings are misleading
Student reporter Sarah Rabil at The Daily Tar Heel analyzed state SAT rankings to take into consideration the impact of poverty and participation on these rankings. “An analysis by The Daily Tar Heel shows that the percentage of students taking the SAT in a given state dramatically affects a state’s average score. Poverty levels also…
Read MoreIssues of border security
Reporters from the Arizona Daily Star have put together an extensive investigation into the issues surrounding US-Mexico border security. Their multimedia investigations looks into the issues of why sealing off our borders will not work. “The Star sent a six-member reporting team on a three-week trek from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico…
Read MoreHigh cost of US subsidy bailouts for cotton farmers
In an extensive investigation into cotton farming and US subsidies, reporters Dan Chapman and Ken Foskett with CAR specialist Megan Clarke of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution take a look at the impact of this “multibillion-dollar entitlement” program on farming here and abroad. They also look at how “farmers game the system to evade subsidy limits, and…
Read MoreTexas sex-offender registry plagued with problems
In a two-part series Emily Ramshaw of The Dallas Morning News reports on the state of Texas’ sex offender registry, which is ladden with inaccuracy. Some experts blame an ever-increasing database without the manpower to maintain the information. “ The result? Vigilant parents and community groups are relying on faulty or incomplete data to protect…
Read MorePolk County supervisors play favorites with grant money
Bert Dalmer of the Des Moines Register has written about a grant program in Polk County, Iowa that “smacks of vote-buying, according to one government watchdog group…The money - $1.5 million, given from the beginning of 2004 to the present — originates from gambling profits at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Altoona.” Regulations controlling…
Read MoreSF Police spied on jounalists to find source of internal leak
A.C. Thompson of SF Weekly reports on a scandal within the San Franciso Police Department, “a cloak-and-dagger investigation that may have transgressed the department’s own rules - and definitely torched the careers of a pair of ethical police officers who dared to air their criticisms of the SFPD.” Following the 2003 leak of an internal…
Read MoreQuality cardiac care correlates with wealthier counties in US
A story by Robert Benincasa and Jennifer Brooks of the Gannett News Service shows that the best cardiac care is typically found in higher-income counties. “Using data provided by hospitals to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and covering the period of October 2004 through September 2005, GNS rated the nation’s hospitals on…
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