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Mining disaster might have been prevented
Ken Ward Jr. of The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette found that Sago Mine officials knew of a buildup of explosive methane behind mine seals where a Jan. 2 blast is believed to have occurred, in a two-day series of stories about the explosion. Twelve miners died in the explosion, making it the worst coal mining disaster…
Read MoreCounty dumps toxic materials, fails to clean up
Asjylyn Loder of the St. Petersburg Times used local and state documents to show that Hernando County’s public works facility served as a toxic dumping ground for years, and “instead of cleaning up the site, the county continued polluting. Instead of cracking down on the county’s ineffective cleanup, the state allowed delay after delay.” Despite…
Read MoreClassified military information on sale in bazaar
Paul Watson of the Los Angeles Times found stolen computer drives containing classified military assessments of enemy targets, names of corrupt Afghan officials and descriptions of American defenses were on sale in the local bazaar no more than 200 yards from the main gate of the U.S. base in Bagram, Afghanistan. “Shop owners at the…
Read MoreLines blurred in professors’ taxpayer-funded research
Matt Reed and John McCarthy of Florida Today examined university records to show that every day in Florida, state university professors work as consultants, expert witnesses and researchers-for-hire, earning thousands in fees. Most often, those faculty members work in their roles as public employees, sponsored by grants from corporations, local governments or trade groups. “But…
Read MoreForce used for minor offenses in boot camp
Carol Marbin Miller of The Miami Herald used juvenile justice records and found that force was used against teenage boys in spite of nonviolent behavior at a Florida sheriff’s boot camp. “In only eight of the 180 instances documented since January 2003 were the teenagers described as hitting guards, fighting with other youths, threatening to…
Read MoreSonics’ owners are a secretive team
Jim Brunner of The Seattle Times used public records to construct the most complete roster to date of the investors of Seattle’s basketball team, the Sonics. “Some were announced when they bought the team in 2001; others were identified in public records or interviews. Several were recently confirmed by the team for the first time…
Read MoreTax breaks prove costly for Detroit
David Josar of The Detroit News used State Tax Commission data, property assessments and tax records to show that Detroit is losing more than $63 million in annual revenue because of property tax breaks given to people moving into new houses, condos and lofts. The tax breaks have cost the city and school district more…
Read MoreDrug companies sponsored FDA staff travel
Alexander Cohen of The Center for Public Integrity analyzed FDA reports of privately sponsored trips taken by agency officials between October 1999 and September 2005 that cost more than $250 and found a loophole in the agency rules that has allowed its employees to receive more than $1.3 million in sponsored travel from groups closely…
Read MoreVoters duped into GOP registration
Tony Saavedra, Kimberly Kindy and Brian Joseph of The Orange County Register used voter records to show that more than 100 Orange County residents who thought they were simply signing petitions to cure breast cancer, punish child molesters or build schools were duped into registering as Republicans. The petition circulators were paid as much as…
Read MoreAgency’s spy satellite technology loses relevance
Michael Fabey of the DefenseNews looks into the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office’s fading imaging- and signals-intelligence program that reportedly has an annual budget of about $7 billion. “A satellite communications technology called spot beaming might help the NRO regain some of its fading signals-intelligence relevance, but imagery’s place as an intel centerpiece may have gone…
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