What is private mortgage insurance, and how can it end up suing you?
Private mortgage insurance was created to help less wealthy people buy homes by reducing the risk to mortgage lenders if the borrower defaults. But while the policies have helped hundreds of thousands...
View ArticleDifferent rest requirements for cargo and passenger plane pilots
Although pilots flying cargo planes are controlling larger aircrafts, these pilots can fly twice as long as passenger pilots before getting a mandatory rest. Cargo pilots may be working up to 16 hours...
View ArticleMillions spent to incarcerate parole violators without trial
Thousands of people in Wisconsin’s prisons are incarcerated, without a trial and without being found guilty of new crimes, as punishment for violating their parole. Infractions that result in jail time...
View ArticleLas Vegas consultant continuing work despite lawsuit
Nevada’s Clark County continues to employ consultant Tom Akers to teach best practices to local businesses despite suing him over his own poor business practices which include bounced checks, missed...
View ArticleCash register shortages may lead to wage theft, Colorado investigation finds
A series of interviews and a review of public records shows a pattern of Colorado gas station/convenience store managers encouraging employees to pay out of pocket for cash register shortages — and...
View ArticleMassachusetts government shrouded in secrecy
According to experts, Massachusetts has one of the worst public records laws in the country, making it difficult for citizens to engage with lawmakers and making roadblocks for journalists trying to...
View ArticleFor nonprofit executives, perks complement large salaries
In addition to large salaries, executives in Boston’s nonprofit art and cultural organizations are receiving perks like bonuses, reimbursement for children’s college tuition, and housing allowances....
View ArticleWith increased addiction, Massachusetts treatment facilities struggle to keep up
Amid an opiate epidemic declared by Governor Deval Patrick last year, Massachusetts inpatient treatment facilities are overwhelmed, leaving addicts without treatment for as long as six months, a Lowell...
View ArticleInvestigations of California dentist misconduct prolonged
The Dental Board of California is taking more and more time to resolve issues of dentists’ misconduct despite an increase in the number of investigators looking into these cases, a U-T San Diego review...
View ArticlePolitically involved nonprofits rarely audited by IRS
While “dark money” nonprofit groups are disallowed from making political activity their primary activity, the Internal Revenue Service rarely audits the groups to monitor their spending. The IRS has...
View ArticleLack of regulation puts patients at risk of contracting “superbug”
A special endoscope used to detect and treat digestive disorders has been connected to CRE, an antibiotic-resistant bacteria that kills up to 40 percent of patients it infects. These specific...
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Proposed law aims to protect homeowners from private tax lien sales
Peter Pereira/The Standard-TimesA Dartmouth official thumbs through a list of town properties with tax leins to be auctioned off to a private investor. Proposed Massachusetts legislation would limit...
View ArticleRehabilitation methods questioned with heroin overdose increase
In a drug rehabilitation system that uses a “one size fits all” addictions approach and focuses on “willpower over chemistry,” fatal heroin overdoses are becoming more and more common in Kentucky. From...
View ArticleCalifornia sending old, polluting trucks to Oregon
After emissions standards were made stricter in California, thousands of pollution-emitting trucks became unsuitable in the state. Truck owners sold the rigs to neighboring Oregon where the...
View ArticleMurder of witnesses a roadblock in convicting DC criminals
Witnesses trying to cooperate with police sometimes pay a fatal price in in Washington D.C. At least 37 people have been killed for either working with law enforcement or simply “out of fear that they...
View ArticleDrawing the line on wining and dining: Time Warner hosts ‘conference’ for...
Time Warner recently hosted Maine politicians at a "Winter Policy Conference" in an apparent attempt to dissuade policymakers from employing government-owned broadband service. Attendees were given...
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As flood damage from storms swells, a growing, controversial call to buy out...
Lauren Owens for NECIRThe home at 48 Oceanside Drive is just one of many "severe repetitive loss" properties located in the town of Scituate, Mass. Coastal legislators are urging Governor Charlie Baker...
View ArticleLack of oversight for Massachusetts dementia facilities
Massachusetts regulators may not be taking the proper steps to ensure that nursing homes are complying with rules meant to protect dementia patients, according to a Boston Globe review. From the story:...
View ArticleNew York’s high-end real estate saturated with shell companies
For over a year, New York Times’ reporters examined the “hidden money” behind New York’s high-end real estate, finding many sources of foreign wealth — some with criminal backgrounds. From the story:...
View ArticleLack of oversight allows poor living conditions for migrants
Tens of thousands of Florida’s migrant laborers are living in unpermitted work camps where conditions can be unsanitary and sometimes dangerous. From the story: “Florida’s migrant laborers are...
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