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Texas teens are being sent to adult jail on charges related to skipping school
In the past three years, more than 1,000 Texas teenagers – most black or Hispanic, and most of them very poor – have spent time in jail on charges stemming from cutting class. Students whose families...
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Hundreds healthcare providers, banned from Medicare, still bill under Medicaid
A doctor who took kickbacks from a Pennsylvania and a Ohio psychiatrist who billed for no-show patients are among 1,800 providers being paid by a state Medicaid system, despite having been banned from...
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Toxic turf? Momentum grows against synthetic turf
Artificial turf fields, cushioned with recycled crushed tires and increasingly in demand for US athletic complexes, are getting some serious pushback. In Swampscott last week, town meeting members...
View ArticleHow much are Massachusetts superintendents paid?
Superintendents in Massachusetts make an average of $161,133, according to a review of 240 superintendent contracts from across the state by WWLP-TV’s I-Team. For many, the job comes with additional...
View ArticleUSDA failed to act on repeated reports of salmonella-tainted chicken from...
Between 2004 and 2014, chicken from the California-based Foster Farms has been linked to four salmonella outbreaks, the most recent of which infected 634 people across the country. Health officials in...
View ArticleLegacy of the ‘war on drugs': Imprisoned elderly
Thousands of low-level offenders convicted under severe sentencing policies during the “war on drugs” in the 1980s and 1990s are aging in prison. The cost associated with geriatric health care and...
View ArticleLead paint harms thousands of poor Chicago children as millions less spent on...
Though the problem of toxic lead paint has largely been eradicated in more affluent Chicago neighborhoods, more than a fifth of the children tested in poorer areas have brain-damaging levels of lead in...
View ArticleUnderpaid and overworked, manicurists are also at risk for serious health...
The nail industry is a growing, billion-dollar business, as women across a broad economic spectrum head into salons for manicures and pedicures. A widely shared two-part story from The New York Times...
View Article$5.4 million in tax dollars went to NFL teams for salutes and military...
The Department of Defense and the Jersey Guard paid the New York Jets $377,500 between 2011 and 2014 for featuring a “Hometown Heroes” segment during football games at their MetLife Stadium, according...
View ArticleBlacks, Hispanics more likely to be ticketed after police stops
Black and Hispanic drivers are far more likely to end up with a ticket after being pulled over for common driving violations such as speeding, traffic-light and stop-sign violations, according to an...
View ArticleDelayed consequences for high-ranking New Jersey National Guard officials who...
At least four colonels in the New Jersey National Guard have been convicted of drunk driving since 2009, yet some continued to serve in positions of power, while the Guard delayed or bungled pursuing...
View ArticleSt. Louis municipalities hold drivers licenses hostage for non-traffic...
Municipal courts across St. Louis County have been overstepping their legal authority by holding people’s drivers licenses for non-moving violations such as failing to buy city stickers for their...
View ArticleChris Christie spent $85,000 entertaining in luxury boxes at sports venues
Between 2010 and early 2012, Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie spent $85,000 in taxpayer money to entertain in luxury boxes at various sports venues, according to documents obtained by The...
View ArticleLawmakers enjoy choice health care while tightening the belt on public health...
Despite serving part-time, the majority of elected officials in Arizona’s legislature are enrolled in generous, year-round health insurance plans that rank among the best in the nation, according to an...
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Rail safety fact check: Fires, spills up despite industry claims
Despite the terrible derailment of an Amtrak train last week and a spate of other fiery accidents involving trains carrying flammable crude oil — five so far this year — railroad industry and...
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Maine schools at risk due to high percentage of unvaccinated students
Wikimedia Commons School by school vaccination rates, examined by the Portland Press Herald, show immunization opt-outs of as much as 20 percent in some schools leave many children vulnerable to...
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Medicare Advantage investors make millions
Flickr Companies selling Medicare Advantage plans profited after a tip-off from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2011, according to NPR. From the story: Several of those that offer...
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Safety concerns surround Advair after over a decade on the market
Advair inhaler via Wikimedia Commons Questions concerning overuse and asthma related deaths remain unanswered even after the medication’s approval 15 years ago. From the story: Recent federal research...
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Connecticut yet to establish an efficient system for medical-record sharing
Dr. Albert Warren, MD, Family Medicine Physician at the R.J. Taylor Memorial Hospital, Inc. in Hawkinsville, Georgia reviews patients’ diagnosis and symptoms and records the information on an...
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Domestic violence statutes for repeat offenders go ignored in Colorado
Colorado Court of Appeals via Wikimedia Commons Habitual domestic violence offenders are rarely charged under a state statute providing for felony prosecution of a defendant with three prior domestic...
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