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Hospital faces deep problems
Julie Bell of The (Baltimore) Sun reviewed documents on the performance of Maryland General Hospital, finding that “from at least the mid-1990s until spring 2004, the hospital’s board and a changing cast of top executives failed to act quickly as oversight systems designed to protect patients failed.” Breakdowns at the hospital’s laboratory in early 2004…
Read MoreSchool administrators paid big during yearlong leaves
Megan Twohey of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel used university documents to show that “the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has paid four former administrators more than $600,000 in taxpayer dollars for yearlong leaves granted after their resignations.” The college does not track what officials granted such leaves do during that time, when typically they are preparing to…
Read MoreKentucky residents’ health plagued by bad habits, poverty
Laura Ungar of The (Louisville) Courier-Journal spent a year assessing the health of Kentucky’s residents, finding that “Kentucky is one of the sickest states in America, a place where too many people die too soon, and many who live endure decades of illness and pain.” Bad health habits ingrained in the state’s culture, including high…
Read MoreIllinois police pull over minorities at higher rate
Ryan Keith of the Associated Press analyzed the results of a state-mandated study on Illinois traffic stops, finding that “black and Hispanic drivers in large downstate cities are pulled over by police at a rate that far exceeds their share of the local population.” The state legislature had every police agency turn over data on…
Read MoreThousands of home permits issued for fire-prone areas
Jim Miller and Ben Goad of The (Riverside, Calif.) Press-Enterprise use mapping software to plot thousands of new home permits issued since the 2003 Southern California fires and then compared the points to state maps showing fire threat. “In the 18 months after the firestorms of 2003, Inland cities and counties issued permits for more…
Read MoreCompany builds silo within 300 feet of school
Ken Ward Jr. of the Charleston Gazette investigates a coal company, which has built and begun to build silos outside the companies permit area, within 300 feet of a school. The Gazette used color overlays of hard-copy mine maps produced by a local blueprint shop, so that maps dating back to 1982 could be easily…
Read MoreLeaders, volunteers used charity money to finance events for themselves
John W. Allman and Michael Fechter of The Tampa Tribune investigated the activities of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Sarasota/Tampa Bay, finding that: “For much of that time, it used money intended for sick children to pay for questionable expenses such as lavish dinners for chapter leaders and volunteers. It permitted and covered up a rogue…
Read MoreDisability program plagued with problems
Maxine Bernstein and Brent Walth of The Oregonian investigated Portland’s police and firefighter disability progam, finding that “the city’s system is an open checkbook, with rules that allow injured police and firefighters to collect checks until they retire, even if they can earn a living in another job.” One in nine Portland police officers and…
Read MorePrison chief drove state-issued car, despite suspended license
Brad Schrade of The Tennessean uses state vehicle fuel logs to show that Correction Commissioner Quenton White drove his state-issued car across Tennessee while his driver’s license was suspended for not paying a speeding ticket. “White, 45, who had headed the state’s prison system since 2003, turned in his resignation yesterday to [Gov. Phil] Bredesen,…
Read MoreHigh school athletics organization spending questioned
Jean Rimbach and Gregory Schutta of The (Hackensack, N.J.) Record have a two-part series on spending by the non-profit association that oversees New Jersey high school athletics: “It’s a good thing the organization that oversees high school sports in New Jersey is making money because it’s spending plenty, too. On handsome salaries. On generous retirement…
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