Six months in the life of FOI
What are FOI laws used for, anyway? Well, one of the most important uses is to generate stories, large and small, on issues of national and local importance. NFOIC researcher Emily Coleman, a second-year student at Missouri, kept an eye out for FOI use in stories across the country, and the result is the list below. We think you’ll be inspired by the depth and breadth of the topics that FOI helped to generate.
Council asked to draft placard use ordinance
By Tom Spalding and Heather Gillers
September 23, 2008
The Indianapolis Star used FOI to uncover a lack of oversight concerning parking permits for city workers though lists of city- and sheriff-issued parking permits and ordinances related to the permits.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080923/LOCAL18/809230380
States’ Actions to Block Voters Appear Illegal
By Ian Urbina
October 8, 2008
The New York Times used FOI to show at least six swing states have been removing eligible voters from the rolls or stopping them from registering to vote in possibly illegal ways through state records and Social Security data.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/us/politics/09voting.html
Behavior issues: the battle over Cascade High’s student newspaper
By Eric Stevick and Scott North
September 28, 2008
Everett, Wash.’s Daily Herald used FOI by obtaining public records using attorney’s’ invoices, emails, memos, letters, sworn deposition and minutes from closed-door meetings to show the secretive events surrounding the legal actions between a teacher and the school district.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080928/NEWS01/709289920
Federal workers owe billions in unpaid taxes
By Mark Segraves
September 15, 2008
WTOP Radio used FOI to obtain IRS records that prove thousands of federal workers have not paid their 2007 federal income taxes.
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=428&sid=1478352
Board adviser racks up travel, phone bills
By Jorge Fitz-Gibbon and Gerald McKinstry
September 14, 2008
The Journal News used FOI to prove an unpaid adviser to the Westchester County board had expenses being paid by taxpayers that amounted to $13,270 over four years.
http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008809140342
Sonics fight cost city $2.9 million
By Greg Johns
August 28, 2008
The Seattle Post Intelligencer used FOI to show the costs of the lawsuit against the group that owns the Sonics.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/377035_sonics29.html
One in three recent Atlanta Police Academy graduates have criminal records
By Tim Eberly
October 12, 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution used FOI to obtain the job applications for the graduates of the Atlanta Police Academy and to show that more than a third of graduates have criminal records, a relatively new trend across the country.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/10/12/atlanta_police_academy.html
Follow the Money: How the feds spend billions right here
By Dan Stockman
October 5, 2008
Fort Wayne’s Journal Gazette used FOI to trace over $5 billion in federal funds to northeast Indiana in purchases, tax credits and grants.
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081005/LOCAL10/810050457/0/LOCAL08
Law lets DHS stall
By John C. Williams
August 28, 2008
The Arkansas Times used FOI to find out that four Arkansas foster children have died within a couple of months in 2008. No foster children have died since 2003. The Department of Human Services has refused to release other information related to the deaths however.
http://www.arktimes.com/Articles/ArticleViewer.aspx?ArticleID=fb522802-e480-4b78-bee5-2484ea015f91
Editorial: Families need access to information
July 27, 2008
Milwaukee’s Journal Sentinel used FOI to show that many nursing homes in Wisconsin are failing to properly care for their residents. The paper assembled a database of more than 20,000 pages of nursing home regulatory records and inspection records.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/29549189.html
Urbana mayor, city clerk join those getting bonuses from city
By Mike Monson
July 23, 2008
Employees of the city of Urbana receive bonuses when overall worker compensation payments are lower than usual. The News-Gazette of Urbana-Champaign, Ill., used FOI to obtain the pay records for the mayor and city clerk who also received the bonuses.
Analysis: What are your kids eating: A sample of 10 LI districts
October 26, 2008
Newsday used FOI to obtain the menus of 47 schools in 10 Long Island school districts. They had a registered dietician analyze the contents.
http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-listud265897640oct26,0,2230718.story
Claims of medals amount to stolen valor
By John Crewdson
October 26, 2008
The Chicago Tribune obtained official military records through FOI to prove that more than half of the medals claimed to have been earned in obituaries or profiles on Who’s Who that were examined by the newspaper were not actually given.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-valor-oct25,0,4301227.story
Attorney general’s private trips have cost taxpayers
By Marisa Taylor
October 31, 2008
McClatchy Newspapers obtained the Justice Department and Federal Aviation Administration travel records to show the personal trips of U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey have cost taxpayers more than $155,800 in less than a year.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/marisa_taylor/story/55052.html
15 UNT football players fail drug test
By Brett Vito
October 28, 2008
The Denton Record-Chronicle of Denton, Texas, used FOI to discover that 15 football players out of 86 tested at the University of North Texas failed a drug test conducted at the request of the head coach.
http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/localnews/stories/DRC_UNT_1028.15688d2eb.html
Police officers laid off while taxpayers paid for keys
By Gabe Gutierrez
October 30, 2008
Mid-Michigan’s ABC12 used FOI to discover that the city of Flint has bought at least 200 ceremonial keys to the city in the past year at $30 apiece from a pawnshop owned by the mayor’s family. This happened amid a budget problem where nearly 50 police officers were laid off.
http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/local&id=6479412
Isiah Thomas was not breathing when police arrived at home
By Wayne Coffey and Michael O’Keeffe
October 30, 2008
New York’s Daily News used the police incident report to provide an account of what happened when the police discovered former Knicks coach and president Isiah Thomas on his kitchen floor.
Board knew of nurses’ criminal records but took years to act
By Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein
November 2, 2008
The Los Angeles Times used FOI to provide a timeline of California’s action concerning nurses with criminal records. Through an example of a sex offender who molested two patients in one night, the paper showed it took two years after first being alerted to the problem, the California Bureau of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians took the first formal steps to revoke his license.
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-nurse2-2008nov02,0,5441571.story
Top state university leaders often go without written performance evaluations
November 5, 2008
The Associated Press used a survey of documents obtained by journalism students at three Texas state universities through FOI and found out that administrators are evaluated unevenly and often out of the public eye.
http://www.star-telegram.com/state_news/story/1018796.html
Report: FBI kept file on writer David Halberstam
November 6, 2008
The Associated Press used FBI documents acquired by New York journalism graduate students to report that the FBI tracked journalist and author David Halberstam for more than two decades.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gHBk0Wtol8FN8SMpFQIYL5CPxXfwD94AF32O0
DWI cases can end in paper chase
By Nancy West
October 27, 2008
New Hampshire’s Union Leader used redacted reports from 2006 to 2008 about DWI cases from the New Hampshire attorney general’s office to provide reasons why DWI charges are being dropped or reduced and to show that some reports aren’t being filed at all.
SPIA professor quits: Documents detail ‘alcohol problem’
By Melissa Weinman
March 24, 2008
The Red & Black, the University of Georgia student newspaper, used FOI to obtain documents that show a professor, who resigned earlier that month, admitted to having an alcohol problem and was under investigation for “inappropriate contact with a student.”
Government Probes at Least 7 Defense Contracts for Charities
By Robert O’Harrow Jr.
June 7, 2008
The Washington Post obtained documents through FOI that show the Pentagon had deals with a couple tax-exempt defense firms in Pennsylvania involved more money than previously known.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/06/AR2008060603810_pf.html
Records show foreign students who come to America to work still owed pay
April 4, 2008
The Associated Press used Labor Department documents obtained through New York’s FOIA show that businesses owe foreign students money.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/04/america/NA-FEA-GEN-US-The-Price-of-Labor.php
Currie linked to mall plan
By Laura Smitherman and Gadi Dechter
July 3, 2008
The Baltimore Sun used records to show that Maryland State Sen. Ulysses Currie intervened several times in recent years on behalf of Shoppers Food and Pharmacy when the company sought public financing and other concessions in the redevelopment of a mall in West Baltimore.
Special prosecutors have earned $180,000 since 2005
By Jose Borjon
March 22, 2008
The Brownsville Herald obtained copies of the contracts and records of payment from the Cameron county auditor to show how much the county has had to pay for special prosecutors to handle cases the district attorney cannot due to conflict from his former role as a public defender.
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/district_85368___article.html/special_prosecutors.html
DA to review voting case
By Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe
July 27, 2008
The Denton Record-Chronicle obtained documents concerning election officials’ investigation of a Bartonville couple illegally voting in May by using a commercial address for their residential address.
http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/localnews/stories/DRC_vote_0727.7af4017.html
Hart grand jury indicts man and woman days before woman was killed
By Pearce Adams
March 5, 2008
The Independent Mail of Anderson, South Carolina, obtained records from the Hart County Sheriff and the County Clerk of Court’s Office to show a couple indicted for identity fraud and theft are now being charged in connection with a homicide.
http://www.independentmail.com/news/2008/mar/05/hart-grand-jury-indicts-man-and-woman-days-man-all/
Major’s travels draw criticism
By Terri Hardy
February 24, 2008
The Sacramento Bee analyzed hundreds of documents, most obtained through FOI, to put together a list of where Heather Fargo, the major of Sacramento, goes and what those trips have contributed to the city.
http://www.sacbee.com/101/v-print/story/734633.html
New storm hits ousted Oakland official
By Chip Johnson
July 11, 2008
The San Francisco Chronicle used FOI documents to show former Oakland City Administrator Deborah Edgerly got summer jobs with the city for her own children, who were paid even when they didn’t show up for work.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/10/MN2K11NDM1.DTL&tsp=1
Father, son fall from grace breaking law they once served
By Tim Eberly
April 13, 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution used FOI to obtain the personnel file from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation of James Garmon, a former special agent who pleaded guilty to taking bribes.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/04/12/garmon_0413.html
Guantanamo and the betrayal of American values
By Almerindo Ojeda
June 17, 2008
The San Francisco Chronicle used reports and documents from the U.S. Defense Department to describe conditions at Guantanamo Bay and the prisons therein.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/17/EDOQ11A397.DTL&feed=rss.opinion
Milwaukee man faces foreclosure because he didn’t pay parking fine
By Raquel Rutledge
August 3, 2008
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel acquired documents from the Social Security Administration that detail the psychological disorders of a man who failed to pay a parking fine and subsequently had his house foreclosed.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/29417414.html
Mo. House member indicted on sex assault charge
By Tony Messenger
August 7, 2008
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch used police reports, court documents and other documents from the Missouri Children’s Services division to piece together the claims that Rep. Scott Muschany, R-Frontenac, sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl.
Complaining about illegal dumping – and then waiting
By Robert J. Lopez
June 26, 2008
The Los Angeles Times used city records to show that it sometimes take months for the Department of Public Works to clear garbage from alleys.
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/26/local/me-dumping26
‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Hits Women Much Moe
By Thom Shanker
June 23, 2008
The New York Times used information gathered by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network to show that the U.S. army and air force discharged a disproportionate number of women in 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/washington/23pentagon.html?_r=2&ref=us&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Curry’s Georgia State salary: $350K per year
By Jenna Marina
June 18, 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution used FOI to find out that Georgia State has offered their new football coach Bill Curry an annual salary of $350,000.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2008/06/18/curry_0619.html
Few Details on Immigrants Who Died in Custody
By Nina Bernstein
May 5, 2008
The New York Times used a list of people who have died in custody from 2004 to 2007 from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to show what happens for some of those on the list.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/05/nyregion/05detain.html
Public agency, private benefit
By Brian Joseph
May 22, 2008
The Orange County Register used records like campaign finance records and documents from the League of California Cities to show that an obscure California agency is financing its members’ special interests.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/california-communities-public-2049595-league-agency
Air Marshals: Undercover and Under Arrest
By Michael Grabell
November 13, 2008
In an examination of police reports, court records, government reports, memos and e-mails, ProPublica discovered 18 air marshals have been charged with felonies, including three who were hired despite prior criminal records or being fired from law enforcement jobs.
http://www.propublica.org/feature/air-marshals-undercover-and-under-arrest-1113/
Jet-setting Kilpatrick charged $286,000 to city credit card
By Christine MacDonald, Paul Egan, Darren A Nichols and Steve Pardo
October 24, 2008
The Detroit News used FOI to obtain records that show Detroit’s former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick spent at least $286,000 on things like trips to the Bahamas, South Africa and France was charged to the mayor’s city card since 2002.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081024/METRO/810240399
High crash rate troubles road in City of Pewaukee
By Mike Johnson and Jacqueline Seibel
July 15, 2008
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel related a recent crash that killed a 6-year-old boy to at least 280 collisions on the same road using records from the state and Waukesha County highway records.
http://www2.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=773002
Support staff lacked all facts
By Brian Landman
February 20, 2008
The St. Petersburg Times of Florida used public records to supplement an article about Florida State where a majority of student-athletes are receiving an A in a music class, which is not “representative” of many of their grades in other classes.
Obama has ties to lobbyists despite boats of not taking their money; Some at their law firms raising millions for him
By Ken Dilanian
April 16, 2008
USA Today used records from the Senate Office of Public Records and other public records to show then Democratic nominee for president Obama’s fundraising team includes 38 members of law firms that were paid $138 million last year to lobby the federal government.
FOIAs Reveal How Bush Administration Made Complete Immunity for Negligent Corporations a Top Priority
By American Association for Justice
October 31, 2008
In a Drug Week article prepared by its editors and staff, the American Association for Justice used FOI to obtain documents that show federal agencies were repeatedly ordered to bypass state laws and undermine consumer protections to help corporations escape accountability for dangerous products.
http://www.justice.org/cps/rde/xchg/justice/hs.xsl/3672.htm
State was warned on securities But individual investors surprised by failure of auction-rate market
By Beth Healy
July 3, 2008
The Boston Globe obtained state documents that prove at least five major Wall Street firms warned the Massachusetts treasurer’s office that the auction-rate market was faltering while they did not warn individual investors of the same thing.
http://www.boston.com/business/markets/articles/2008/07/03/state_was_warned_on_securities/
New scandal shows flaws in screening
By: Kathleen Lucadamo
April 18, 2008
New York’s Daily News used a documents request to show a gap in New York City’s vendor exchange system. The gap allowed a group with city employees to receive funding from the city without disclosing those ties. They simply left the question blank, which signals “no.” The article also includes a list of council members and their sponsored or co-sponsored “discretionary funds.”
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/04/18/2008-04-18_new_scandal_shows_flaws_in_screening.html
Feds: Vick Personally Killed 7 Dogs By Hanging, Drowning
November 24, 2008
WSB-TV received records from federal investigators that reveal Michael Vick personally killed at least seven of his fight dogs. He also failed a polygraph test and started his dog-fighting ring a few days after being drafted to the Atlanta Falcons in 2001.
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/18048882/detail.html
Like FBI, CIA Has Used Secret ‘Letters’
By Joby Warrick
January 25, 2008
The Washington Post used documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by the American Civil Liberties Union that show the CIA also issued warrant-like request used to obtain financial information about U.S. residents.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/24/AR2008012403109_pf.html
Execution nurse had criminal past
By Jeremy Kohler
January 12, 2008
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch used FOI to obtain memos and other documents from the Missouri Corrections Department that prove an execution nurse had a criminal record that officials knew about.
Navajo travel tally could top $1 million
By Cory Frolik
January 13, 2008
The New Mexico Daily Times submitted almost 150 FOI requests to various federal, Navajo and education agencies. They found out the Navajo Nation Department of Diné Education spent at least $70,820 to send 27 people to a Hawaii conference. This is in addition to as many as 400 other tribal representatives that were sent on taxpayer money.
http://www.daily-times.com/ci_7956604
University of Michigan athletes steered to professor
By Jim Carty, John Heuser and Nathan Fenno
March 16, 2008
The Ann Arbor News of Michigan used internal university documents and interviews to discover athletes were being steered toward independent courses with professor John Hagen. In some of these classes, students earned three or four credits for meeting with Hagen for as little as 15 minutes every two weeks.
http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/academics/stories/index.ssf/2008/03/athletes_steered_to_prof.html
Cities rarely release water test results
March 10, 2008
The Associated Press used FOI to obtain the results of water tests in 24 major metropolitan areas that tested positive for trace amounts of pharmaceuticals.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-03-10-cities-water_N.htm
Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand
By David Barstow
April 20, 2008
The New York Times obtained documents that show most “military analysts” used by many TV news networks have business ties to military contractors and are given carefully controlled information by the Pentagon.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/washington/20generals.html
Smithsonian Official Resigned In Wake of Ethics Probe
By James V Grimaldi and Jacqueline Trescott
April 15, 2008
The Washington Post made a FOI request that resulted in an investigation by the Smithsonian Institution into the expense account, contracting and soliciting free tickets to a variety of non-work related functions of the head of the Smithsonian Latino Center. She ended up resigning due to the probe.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/14/ST2008041402353.html
At One University, Tobacco Money Is a Secret
By Alan Finder
May 22, 2008
The New York Times used Virginia’s FOIA to obtain a copy of a contract between the tobacco company Philip Morris USA and Virginia Commonwealth University, a public college. The contract has very restrictive terms and bars professors from publishing or even talking about their results without Phillip Morris’s permission.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/22/us/22tobacco.html
The FBI Files
Fox 5 in Washington D.C. complied the FBI files of local activists, politicians and celebrities. They also provided instructions on how to procure your own FBI file, to obtain one of someone else and to decode what it means.
http://media.myfoxdc.com/fbifiles/main/index.html
Perry bypassed business people for transit post
By Kelley Shannon
June 29, 2008
The Associated Press obtained records through the Texas Public Information Act that show Gov. Rick Perry picked his former political aide to head the Texas Transportation Commission, overlooking other qualified individuals.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5862700.html
Kalamazoo Public Safety releases video showing officer injuring handcuffed teen
By Kathy Jessup
June 18, 2008
The Kalamazoo Gazette obtained the video of the struggle between a handcuffed teenager and a Public Safety officer, in which the officer shoves the teenager into a wall, injuring his face.
http://blog.mlive.com/kzgazette/2008/06/kalamazoo_department_of_public_4.html
How to Get Away With Torture
By Dan Froomkin
July 25, 2008
The Washington Post used documents, such as memos, obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union through FOI, in a story showing the official policy on torture, which pretty much boils down to a guide of how to torture and get away with it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2008/07/25/BL2008072501405.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Terrorism Funds May Let Brass Fly in Style
By R Jeffrey Smith
July 18, 2008
The Washington Post obtained internal Air Force e-mails and budget documents that show the Air Force’s top leadership wanted to spend counterterrorism funds on “comfort capsules.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/17/AR2008071703161.html
Police Spied on Activists In Md.
By Lisa Rein
July 18, 2008
The Washington Post used FOI to obtain detailed intelligence reports logged by at least two agents in the Maryland state police’s Homeland Security and Intelligence Division. They conducted surveillance on war protestors and death penalty opponents for more than a year.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/17/AR2008071701287.html
UCA president’s $300,000 bonus not revealed for 2 months
By Debra Hale-Shelton
July 2, 2008
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette used FOI to discover University of Central Arkansas President received an extra $300,000 in private funds as an incentive to stay – during a year when professors had been told not to expect bonuses.
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/230252/
Mary Easley trips cost state $109,000
By Benjamin Niolet
July 1, 2008
The News and Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina obtained expense reports and other documents that show North Carolina’s first lady, Mary Easley, without her husband, the governor, traveled to France, Russia and Estonia on the taxpayers money.
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1126322.html
Hospital death rates unveiled for first-time comparison
By Steve Sternberg and Anthony De Barros
August 21, 2008
USA Today used FOI to obtain a government analysis concerning hospitals’ death rates. In addition to an article relating the information, USA Today also provided an interactive graphic that allows users to compare hospitals in states across the country in death rates for heart attacks, heart failures and pneumonia.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-08-20-hospital-death-rates_N.htm
US regulators acknowledge Obama plane ‘emergency’
August 15, 2008
ABC News obtained control tower tapes that show the pilot of Obama’s plane said he had less than 100 percent control of the plane before the aircraft made an unscheduled stop in St. Louis. The Federal Aviation Administration previously said there was no emergency.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Politics/story?id=5581453&page=1
Spy service files are secret no more
By Greg Miller
August 15, 2008
The Los Angeles Times acquired newly public documents from the Office of Strategic Services – the precursor to the CIA – that show Julia Child, Sterling Hayden and thousands of other Americans worked for the office.
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/15/nation/na-archives15
‘Safe’ Pesticides Now First in Poisonings
By M.B. Pell and Jim Morris
July 30, 2008
The Center for Public Integrity used EPA data and lawsuit records to provide a series on pesticides. There are a series of additional and supplemental articles.
http://www.publicintegrity.org/investigations/pesticides/
U.S. segregates violent Iraqi prisoners in crates
By Barbara Starr
August 7, 2008
CNN used photos obtained after a blogger filed a FOI request in 2005 that show “segregation boxes.” The wooden boxes, as small as 3 feet by 3 feet by 6 feet, were used to hold violent inmates.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/07/segregation.boxes/index.html
Daniels treads fine line in state travel
By Niki Kelly
August 31, 2008
Fort Wayne’s Journal Gazette obtained Indiana state records that show Gov. Mitch Daniels used the state aircraft 61 times in 2007 and in 2008 – an election year – the first seven months are 48 percent higher than 2007. He used the aircrafts to perform official duties but mixed in were events more aimed at getting reelected.
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080831/NEWS07/808310390
Where does Gibbons work? Apparently not at his desk
By David McGrath Schwartz and Cy Ryan
October 5, 2008
When the Nevada governor’s office would not provide Gov. Jim Gibbons’ full schedule, the Las Vegas Sun complied firsthand accounts of reporters and state employees and the official schedule of public appearances. They discovered in nine weeks, Gibbons was at the Capitol office five days.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/oct/05/where-does-gibbons-work-apparently-not-his-desk/
States’ Actions to Block Voters Appear Illegal
By Ian Urbina
October 8, 2008
The New York Times obtained state records and Social Security data and discovered tens of thousands of eligible voters in at least six swing states have been unregistered or blocked from registering.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/us/politics/09voting.html
Big business, lobbyists had Sarah Palin’s ear
By Stephen Braun, Tom Hamburger and Chuck Neubauer
October 11, 2008
The Los Angeles Times used Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s official calendar to show she had at least three dozen meetings with big business representatives while rarely meeting with those that presented alternative views, such as environmentalists or unions.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-palincalendar11-2008oct11,0,4359943.story
Detroit spends millions on outside legal help
November 7, 2008
The Associated Press used FOI to obtain records that show the city of Detroit has 81 lawyers already on its payroll but spent nearly $3 million on outside legal aid since 2002.
http://www.fox28.com/Global/story.asp?S=9313532
Calls for national infant formula recall spread
By Martha Mendoza and Justin Pritchard
November 26, 2008
The Associated Press obtained a spreadsheet from the Food and Drug Administration through FOI that state that a baby formula contained traces of melamine. This record opened up other formulas that had traces of other hazardous substances.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j7SAbhJj3By_isZUoRAgTOPHzwkQD94MVD4G0
Hinckley crisis fuels lawsuit
By Bryon Ackerman
February 9, 2008
Through court documents, e-mails and other records, the Utica Observer-Dispatch of New York explained how the 2007 water crisis at Hinckley Reservoir is connected to a lawsuit over access to the water supply.
http://www.uticaod.com/homepage/x1703684909
Dowe trip raises new spending questions
By Laurence Hammack
May 24, 2008
The Roanoke Times obtained the paperwork submitted with former councilman Alfred Dowe’s expense forms. The records point to a conference, which doesn’t appear to exist.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/163133
Texas A&M football assistants better paid under Sherman
By Brian Davis
January 30, 2008
The Dallas Morning News obtained the contract information of new Texas A&M football coach Mike Sherman and proved the coach did take less money than the previous coach and more money is slated to spend on assistant coaches.
Some Former Meth Houses Sold Without Being Cleaned
By Rick Sallinger
May 5, 2008
Denver’s CBS4 News used FOI to obtain governmental lists of properties that contained methamphetamine labs that were never cleaned and discovered governmental agencies never informed buyers of that fact.
http://cbs4denver.com/local/meth.labs.homes.2.716753.html
Gun checks may violate federal law
By Lee Williams
November 30, 2008
The News Journal used Delaware FOIA to obtain the results of nearly 4,000 background checks conducted by the state Firearms Transaction Approval Program from 1998 to 2008. They found that 10 percent of background-check requests were made by state troopers, not by gun dealers.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20081130/NEWS01/811300370
Sean Taylor autopsy released; gunshot wound detailed
February 8, 2008
The Associated Press obtained through FOI the autopsy report and the Miami-Dade police report. Through the reports the story details the bullet wound and the possible gun that caused it.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/redskins/2008-02-07-taylor-autopsy_N.htm
System failure: Domestic abuse victims frustrated by gaps in safety net
By Rob Perez
December 14, 2008
The Honolulu Advertiser used FOI to obtain data, statistics and court reports and documents that supplements interviews that speak about the lack of trust in Hawaii’s domestic violence system.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081214/SPECIALS02/312140006/-1/SPECIALS02
St. Louis police chief wears $5,900 badge; Kansas City’s is $48.75
By Jeremy Kohler
December 21, 2008
St. Louis Post-Dispatch obtained records that show the Board of Police Commissioners approved the purchases of five $1,987 and two $5,900 badges.
AJC investigation: Many athletes lag far behind on SAT scores
By Mike Knobler
December 28, 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution used the scores of athletes and non-athletes at public universities to show that football and men’s basketball players average hundreds of points lower than their peers.
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/sports/stories/2008/12/28/acadmain_1228_3DOT.html
Lottery’s burst of spending eats into aid for localities
By Donovan Slack
December 17, 2008
The Boston Globe reviewed Massachusetts’ records that show, while net profits from the lottery has grown in the past five years, administrative costs have risen more quickly. This limits how much money actually makes it to the cities and towns.
Kwame Kilpatrick’s jail stay: Long johns, granola and 32 visits
By George Hunter and David Josar
December 12, 2008
The Detroit News used FOI to obtain Wayne County documents concerning former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s stay in jail, including purchases, complaints and number of visitors.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081212/METRO/812120436/1409/METRO
Bernanke Talked to Obama Soon After Lehman Failure
By Scott Lanman
December 11, 2008
Bloomberg obtained the schedule and other records of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that show he spoke with Obama among others in September, the week the Lehman Brothers failed.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a9PZyBeseScg&refer=home
Petrino’s Contract Protects Against SEC West
By Alex Ambrams
December 8, 2008
The Morning News of Arkansas obtained a copy of Coach Bobby Petrino’s finalized contract, which shows that it would be difficult for Petrino to obtain another job, especially in the Southeastern Conference West Division.
http://arkansas.scout.com/2/819597.html
U.S. Moves Ahead on Oil, Gas Leases on Public Land
By Juliet Eilperin
November 29, 2008
The Washington Post used FOI to complete an analysis on energy versus environmental needs in the U.S. concerning permits and drilling.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/28/AR2008112802502.html
White House Blocked Rule Issued to Shield Whales
By Juliet Eilperin
May 1, 2008
The Washington Post obtained documents collected by the Union of Concerned Scientists via the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that show Bush administration officials have, for over a year, blocked a rule that serves to protect whales.
State budget gap could reach $41.8 billion by 2010
By Jordan Rau
December 11, 2008
The Los Angeles Times obtained documents that show some economists are projecting budget gaps as high as $41.8 billion by 2010 for California.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-me-budget11-2008dec11,0,3411363.story
U.S. is investigating LAPD officer
By Richard Winton and Scott Glover
December 21, 2008
The Los Angeles Times obtained documents from the Los Angeles Police Department that show an officer is under federal investigation for buying guns through the Police Academy and sending them to Belize where he runs a security firm.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-belize22-2008dec22,0,5001327.story
Spying risks Maryland police funds
By Tom LoBianco
August 8, 2008
The Washington Times obtained documents through the American Civil Liberties Union’s FOI request. The documents show Maryland state police spied on groups opposed to the death penalty and the Iraq war.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/08/spying-risks-police-funds/
Shady past no deal-breaker in student loan market
By Tom Marshall and Thomas Lake
May 18, 2008
The St. Petersburg Times obtained documents through FOI to show a serial debtor and convicted felon were still allowed to selling student loans backed by the federal government.
First AME pastor’s spending examined
By Teresa Watanabe
November 30, 2008
The Los Angeles Times obtained documents related the taxes and audits of the pastor of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church who had been using church credits to pay for personal expenses over a three-year period.
http://www.latimes.com/business/investing/la-me-fame30-2008nov30,0,1716697.story
A Good Name Dragged Down; Consumers Get Tangled In Terrorist Watchlist
By Ellen Nakashima
March 19, 2008
The Washington Post obtained e-mails to document the interaction between U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and individuals who have had their names put on terrorist watch lists.
McCain Finds A Thorny Path in Ethics Effort
By Barry Meier and Kate Zernike
May 20, 2008
The New York Times obtained documents that show some of the campaign advisors to GOP presidential candidate John McCain are former lobbyists. One aide told companies back in 2005 that he could ease the way for companies seeking federal contracts if he could partner.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/us/politics/20mccain.html
Huckabee office had a special events fund
By Seth Blomeley
January 23, 2008
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette obtained documents from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration that indicated then-Gov. Mike Huckabee’s office had a “special-events fund” financed by undisclosed donors that helped to pay his official portrait among other things.
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/214540/
Crandall Canyon bombshell: Months before deadly cave-ins, owners knew of structural woes
By Robert Gehrke
January 17, 2008
The Salt Lake Tribune obtained the minutes of four betweens in South Jordan, Utah, between the mine’s co-owners since the Los Angeles Division of Water and Power is a co-owner of the mine. The minutes reveal the co-owners were already dealing with serious structural problems almost four whole months before the cave-ins.
http://origin.sltrib.com/ci_7994785
NASA lists hundreds of risky flights in air study
By Rita Beamish
January 1, 2008
The Associated Press obtained the results of a study conducted by NASA, although the data is scrambled and cumbersome. The data reflects cases where pilots flew too close to each, plunged from altitude or landed without clearance.
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=19505
Quick and quiet: Speaker Richardson gets divorced
By Alan Judd
February 10, 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained the order sealing the case file concerning the divorce of Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson who got divorced from his wife and sealed the records all in one afternoon.
http://www.gafamilylawblog.com/2008/02/quick-and-quiet.html
Failure to Report
By Brendan Smith
April 9, 2008
The Washington City Paper obtained D.C. Department of Corrections reports that state two inmates committed suicide in their cells while security checks and official counts should have occurred, preventing the success of the suicides.
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=34890
Toxic Neighbors: The hidden dangers in your back yard
By Michael Grabell
June 2, 2008
The Dallas Morning News obtained documents to show where sites are that hold hazardous chemicals and found dozens are near residential areas.
http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/spe/2008/toxic/
Information from county available—if the price is right
By Michael Smith and Katie Powell
July 10, 2008
The Horry Independent filed FOI requests to see what different agencies are charging to fulfill FOI requests.
Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes
By Jo Becker, Peter S. Goodman and Michael Powell
September 13, 2008
The New York Times obtained e-mails and other documents that show that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin during her stints as mayor and governor valued secrecy, – often blantly lying about facts that disagreed with her policy – hired her friends and firing people who disagree with her.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/us/politics/14palin.html
Trains, bloggers are threats in U.S. drill
By Ted Bridis
January 31, 2008
The Associated Press obtained documents from the Homeland Security Department concerning its “Cyber Storm” war game. The instigators of potential crises, in the government’s eyes, are going to be hackers, bloggers and reporters.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-01-31-cyber-storm_N.htm
City denies data on workers’ take-home cars
By Len Maniace
September 15, 2008
The Journal News obtained a list of cars issued to Yonkers city officials. The city would not provide the amounts of gasoline used and the miles driven by employees.
http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008809150354
Advocates want information on detainees
By Karen Lee Ziner
July 20, 2008
The Providence Journal obtained documents concerning the arrests of 84 suspected illegal immigrants in Rhode Island. According to a lawyer who frequently deals with the federal bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the information they receive is often wrong.
http://www.projo.com/news/content/IMMIGRANT_ARRESTS_07-20-08_3MATP0S_v57.3bf02c4.html
Taking driving test? Some DMV offices are tough
By Serena Maria Daniels
January 7, 2009
The Orange County Register obtained the pass-fail rates of the behind-the-wheel tests at different Department of Motor Vehicle offices in Orange County.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/driving-test-santa-2275092-drivers-office
Hall Jail video records inmate’s injury
January 26, 2009
The Grand Island Independent obtained the tape of a 911 call and video and audio recordings from the jail that concern the fatal fall of an inmate.
http://www.theindependent.com/articles/2009/01/26/news/local/doc497e950f4e863882458596.txt
F.B.I. Kept Tabs on Geoge Carlin
January 22, 2009
The Associated Press obtained the F.B.I. file of George Carlin through Carlin’s FOI request prior to his death. This contradicts earlier requests when the F.B.I. said it had no file on Carlin.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/arts/23arts-FBIKEPTTABSO_BRF.html
Michigan football coach Rodriguez’s total compensation: $6.6 million
By John Heuser
January 22, 2009
The Ann Arbor News obtained records that show the University of Michigan’s athletic department paid $4.1 million to cover a portion of the buyout owed to another university in addition to a $2.5 million salary and compensation.
http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/football/index.ssf/2009/01/michigan_football_coach_rodrig.html
Toxic coal ash piling up in ponds in 32 states
January 9, 2009
The Associated Press analyzed documents obtained through the federal Energy Department that showed toxic coal ash is being stored in power plant ponds in 32 states.
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/Mining+the+Mountains/200901090215
Veterans exposed to incorrect drug doses
By Hope Yen
January 14, 2009
The Associated Press obtained internal memos and other documents to sort through a problem at Veteran Affairs health clinics after computer glitches led to incorrect drug doses being delivered.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hzWcaC_f76P1tpPibAn0aRA83TLQD95N3VOO2
BART’s shooting probe missteps
By Demian Bulwa
January 30, 2009
The San Francisco Chronicle obtained documents that showed the Bay Area Rapid Transit failed to secure witnesses or radio in that a shooting involving an officer had occurred.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/29/MNOP15JI6F.DTL
Interior Ignored Science When Limiting Water to Grand Canyon
By Juliet Eilperin
January 28, 2009
The Washington Post obtained memos and other documents from the federal Interior Department that showed officials ignored key scientific findings that could have risked damaging the ecology of the Grand Canyon.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012703283.html
Psychiatric clinic gets poor review
By Yvonne Wingett
January 27, 2009
The Arizona Republic obtained documents containing the findings of health officials when they conducted the review of the Urgent Psychiatric Care Center.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/01/27/20090127magellanclinic0127.html
Councilman Kelly helped probe of indicted aide, documents show
By Chris Brennan
January 13, 2009
The Philadelphia Daily News obtained documents that show a city councilman secretly recorded conversations with his chief of staff and a campaign contributor for federal investigators.
Dogs owe Felton $1,483,641
By Chip Towers
February 6, 2009
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained documents that show it will cost Georgia nearly a million and a half dollars to pay the Georgia University basketball team coach not to coach.
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/02/06/felton0206.html
Treatment of detainees inside U.S. jails detailed
October 7, 2008
The Associated Press obtained Pentagon documents that show military official warned the Pentagon that an American detainee was being driven nearly insane by isolation and sensory deprivation in a U.S. jail.
http://www.startribune.com/world/30600309.html
Bio-lab location political?
By Larry Margasak
October 11, 2008
The Associated Press obtained Homeland Security Department documents that show Mississippi has been chosen as the sight of a $451 million national laboratory despite low security ratings.
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_10160510
Calif. Tunnel was seen as dangerous long before deadly crash
By Michael R. Blood
April 25, 2008
The Associated Press obtained documents that show that more than a decade before a 34-vehivle crash took place, site was declared dangerous.
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Apr25/0,4670,TunnelInferno,00.html
New Baghdad embassy’s fire-fighting system is defective
By Warren P. Strobel
January 11, 2008
McClatchy Newspapers obtained documents that show the fire-fighting system in the new U.S. embassy in Baghdad is defective due to a rush to declare the complex completed.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/103/story/24626.html
Patti’s fundraising may not save 100-year-old shelter
By Carol Marin and Don Moseley
January 8, 2009
NBC Chicago obtained budget documents and Chicago City Hall memos that show the financial straits of the Christian Industrial League, which hired Illinois First Lady Patti Blagojevich to save a shelter.
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Pattis-Fundraising-May-Not-Save-100-Year-Old-Shelter.html
Blackwater Machine Gun Found in Raid on Iraqi Insurgents
By Brian Ross
October 2, 2008
ABC News obtained documents that show a machine gun sent to Iraq by the Blackwater security firm was found during a US operation against suspected insurgents.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5931528
Public left in the dark about teacher assaults
By Steven K. Paulson
March 18, 2008
The Associated Press obtained Michigan Board of Education records that detail the suspension or firing of teachers for serious crimes. The records were previously available online through minutes but now must be obtained at the headquarters in Denver.
http://cbs4denver.com/local/teacher.assaults.public.2.679851.html
Md. panel expected to OK Shore preservation deal
By Timothy B. Wheeler
January 7, 2009
The Baltimore Sun obtained the appraisals used in the consideration of a recent Maryland conservation land deal.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.land07jan07,0,4067750.story
Health Alliance projects $18 million loss
By Erin Smith
March 19, 2008
The Cambridge Chronicle obtained internal documents from the Cambridge Health Alliance, which, according to these documents, is set to lose more than $18 million this year and up to 300 workers may be let go.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/news/x39093180
Chance to save baby missed
By Craig Schneider
July 2, 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained documents from Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services that show a social worker suspected the mother was lying about her child’s injuries. The agency says that should have contacted the people about the incident.
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/stories/2008/07/02/amiyamet.html
County director leaves behind a pile of complaints
By Nick Budnick
August 22, 2008
The Portland Tribune obtained documents that show the sudden resignation of the Multnomah County emergency director after the county received complaints from the Portland mayor and county commissioner.
http://www.swcommconnection.com/news/story.php?story_id=121944438882418900
Evel Knievel’s FBI’s File Reveals Possible Crime Syndicate Connections
By Sarah Larimer
October 6, 2008
The Associated Press obtained federal documents that show the government was close to charging Evel Knievel in a string of beatings.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/06/evel-knievels-fbis-file-r_n_132244.html#
State estimates of student promoted after failing CRCT math test are … JUST GUESSWORK
By Alan Judd and Heather Vogell
May 25, 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained documents that show while the state keeps track of how many Georgia students fail the mandatory Criterion-Referenced Competency Test, they do not keep track of what happens to these students afterward as progression to the next grade are done on a school by school basis.
http://www.ajc.com/printedition/content/printedition/2008/05/25/crct.html
Rutgers settles suit, but not without cost
By Kelly Heyboer
March 2, 2008
The New Jersey Star-Ledger obtained documents that show Rutgers University spent more than $1.2 million to fight a nearly decade-long lawsuit filed by former students against school officials.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/03/rutgers_settles_suit_but_not_w.html
Nashville added to terror grant list
January 31, 2008
The Associated Press obtained the list of regions considered at high risk of a terrorist attacks from the Homeland Security Department and found that Nashville and Murfreesboro has been added to the list.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-01-31-security-grants_N.htm
Pentagon wants bigger Army, Marine Corps
By Lolita C. Baldor
February 1, 2008
The Associated Press obtained the Pentagon’s proposed 2009 budget, in which is shows the Pentagon is seeking more than $20 billion to increase the size of the army and marine corps.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-02-01-881182207_x.htm
Aaroné's sibling heard beating
By Carlos Illescas
May 1, 2008
The Denver Post obtained documents from social services in Arapahoe County that confirm “minor sexual abuse” by the ex-boyfriend of a woman accused of abusing and killing one of her foster children.
http://www.denverpost.com/society/ci_9113431
S.F. supes panel OKs limits on overtime
By Wyatt Buchanan
July 31, 2008
The San Francisco Chronicle obtained documents that show a San Francisco firefighter worked 19 consecutive 24-hour shifts in April and May of 2008.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/31/BA711229MA.DTL
’98 U.S. strike cemented bin Laden-Taliban ties
By Pamela Hess
August 20, 2008
The Associated Press obtained documents that show a U.S. attack on an al-Qaida training camp in Afghanistan in 1998 was meant to kill Osama bin Laden but apparently solidified an alliance with his Taliban protectors.
http://www.cleveland.com/world/index.ssf/2008/08/98_us_strike_cemented_bin_lade.html
Feds not addressing drugs in water
By Martha Mendoza
April 13, 2008
The Associated Press obtained documents that show a White House task force on pharmaceuticals in drinking water has not completed the mandated reports and other tasks by its deadline.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/04/13/feds_not_addressing_drugs_in_water/
Playing a numbers game: What JPS says vs. what the records reveal
By Darren Barbee and Anthony Spangler
February 14, 2009
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram obtained documents and compared the numbers to claims made by the JPS Health Network.
http://www.star-telegram.com/817/story/613503.html
CBS4 Investigates Parking Ticket Increase
By Brian Maass
January 30, 2009
Denver’s CBS4 used FOI to note a 6 percent increase in the number of parking tickets being written in the city and obtained memos that show quotas and time requirements.
http://cbs4denver.com/video/?id=52553@kcnc.dayport.com
Wis. Tax credits help pay for Depp’s entourage
By Scott Bauer
February 13, 2009
The Associated Press obtained records that show Wisconsin taxpayers contributed $450,000 toward director Michael Mann’s salary and a wide variety of tax credits that paid for a portion of his assistants’ salaries, entertainment, meals and stuntmen’s living expenses.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/02/13/ap6050767.html
Scores of city government workers racking up six-figure overtime
By Frank Lombardi
February 14, 2009
The New York Daily News obtained records of the salaries of city government workers and the overtime they make.
EPA wanted tougher C8 limit, memo says
By Ken Ward Jr.
February 15, 2009
The Charleston Gazette obtained an internal U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mem that shows federal government scientists originally wanted a much tougher standard for the toxic chemical C8 that was actually received.
http://wvgazette.com/News/200902140408
Feds shared info on peaceful protestors
February 17, 2009
United Press International obtained government documents that show the U.S. Department of Homeland Security tracked peaceful protestors and shared that information with the Maryland State Police.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/02/17/Feds_shared_info_on_peaceful_protesters/UPI-25511234903184/
New York bedbug complaints increase 34% in a year
By Adam Lisberg
February 17, 2009
The New York Daily News obtained documents that show New Yorkers called 311 with 33.7 percent more complaints about bedbugs than the previous year.
Records contain pollution portrait
By Tony Bartelme
February 17, 2009
The Charleston Post and Courier obtained documents that show South Carolina state health and environmental regulators have levied about $55 million in fines since 1991 for more than 6,100 violations.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2009/feb/17/records_contain_pollution_portrait71931/
Marvin Schur’s utility bills show history of late payments
By Ryan J. Stanton
February 18, 2009
The Michigan Bay City Times obtained public records that show a Michigan man received at least 6 shutoff notices in the last two years before he was found frozen to death in January.
Disgraced banker Stanford didn’t pay his own taxes
By Daniel Wagner
February 18, 2009
The Associated Press obtained documents that show banker R. Allen Stanford owes millions of dollars in federal taxes.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jtPO3T_qeLBwuFwF8cbkv6Mm7mmwD96EA1JO0
Valenti’s Sexuality Was Topic For FBI
By Joe Stephens
February 19, 2009
The Washington Post obtained previously confidential FBI files that show, back in 1964, the FBI investigated whether or not Jack Valenti, then top aide to President Lyndon B. Johnson, was gay.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021803819.html
His 13 days cost Schenectady plenty
By Paul Nelson
February 23, 2009
The Times Union used FOI to obtain city financial records that show Schenectady, New York, paid the police union president and police lieutenant more than $125,000 for 13 days of work.
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=772869
Auto team drives imports
By David Shepardson
February 23, 2009
The Detroit News used FOI to find out what cars the Obama administration’s task force on the auto industry drives, and most of the cars are imports.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090223/AUTO01/902230327
Who Is Suspected Hudson Killer Balfour?
By Luchina Fisher and Scott Michels
October 28, 2008
ABCNews.com obtained documents that show a person of interest in the investigation of the triple-homicide of members of Jennifer Hudson’s family was arrested in June for drug possession.
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Story?id=6132097&page=1
Whistle-blower settles case
By Mike Carter and Steve Miletich
July 11, 2008
The Seattle Times obtained documents that show hundreds of emails went between the Boeing company’s legal department and the King County prosecutor’s office concerning a former Boeing employee who leaked company documents to reporters about unsafe airplanes.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008046014_eastman11m0.html
WVU panelists stand by report
By Len Boselovic and Patricia Sabatini
June 1, 2008
While the Pittsburg Post Gazette obtained documents that show discrepancies in credit earned through West Virginia University’s MBA program, the school’s panel says there is no problem.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08153/886523-85.stm
AIG fiddles, Wall St. burns
By David Lazarus
October 8, 2008
The Los Angeles Times obtained documents that show insurance company AIG tried to hide negative information about its condition from auditors and held expensive conferences while the bailout was being drafted.
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct/08/business/fi-lazarus8
Drought could force nuke-plant shutdowns
By Mitch Weiss
January 24, 2008
The Associated Press obtained documents through utility companies and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that show 24 plants are in areas that experienced droughts. Water is a vital part of the cooling system in nuclear plants.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-01-23-3701154767_x.htm
‘Jihadist’ booted from government lexicon
By Matthew Lee
April 27, 2008
The Associated Press obtained documents that show federal agencies such as the State Department and the National Counter Terrorism Center are telling their workers not to refer to Islamic extremists as “jihadists” or “mujahedeen” anymore.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/0/8d15ef84688a30d086257437001cb164
Organic farms unknowingly used a synthetic fertilizer
By Jim Downing
December 28, 2008
The Sacramento Bee obtained documents that show a fertilizer labeled as organic was under investigation for being falsely labeled in June 2004, the California Department of Food and Agriculture didn’t complete its investigation and remove the product from the organic market until January 2007.
http://www.sacbee.com/288/story/1501772.html
Officer who responded to bar fights is alleging he was pressured by superiors
By Sean Delaney
July 20, 2008
The Press & Guide Newspapers obtained reports detailing the circumstances surrounding and the complaints concerning a bar fight resulting in an allegation that a corporal violated the rights of a whistleblower.
http://www.pressandguide.com/stories/072008/loc_20080720003.shtml
N.M. paying $2.8M for right-of-way
March 25, 2008
The Associated Press obtained documents from the New Mexico Department of Transportation that show the state is paying $2.8 million to private landowners to route a commuter train through their properties.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2008/03/25/afx4813411.html
Mental health plan is big shift privatization
By Alan Judd and Andy Miller
November 30, 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained documents that show Georgia is escalating previous plans for limited privatization and that officials want to hire private, for-profit companies to build and operate three new psychiatric facilities to replace seven existing ones.
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/stories/2008/11/30/mental_health_privatization.html
Prison corruption cited
By Greg Garland
March 5, 2008
The Baltimore Sun obtained police reports that show 21 prison guards in Maryland were implicated contraband smuggling and other corrupt activities related to the killing of another corrections officer.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.mcguinn05mar05,0,3298715.story
Tax liability cut about $5,000: Gibbons tax break questioned
By Sandra Chereb
July 12, 2008
The Associated Press obtained documents that show Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons got tax breaks on properties he owns by designating it agricultural instead of residential.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/24623804.html
New hospital eyed for New Braunfels
By Tricia Lynn Silva
August 15, 2008
The San Antonio Business obtained the site plans filed with the city of New Braunfels for a new medical campus.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2008/08/18/story1.html
PVCC professor was investigated in 2002
By Mike Sakal
May 2, 2008
Phoenix’s East Valley Tribune obtained documents that show a Paradise Valley Community College professor was required by administrators to complete a sexual harassment course six years before a student was found comatose inside his home shortly before she died.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/115362
Mental health spending catch-up costly
By Alan Judd and Andy Miller
July 6, 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained documents that show Georgia’s spending on mental health care only reaches the national average if one includes two costly federal cases that have force a doubling of Georgia’s mental health budget.
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/stories/2008/07/05/mental_health_spending_georgia.html
DFCS chief who investigated official is ousted
By Craig Schneider
June 19, 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained documents that show some Fayette County child welfare workers were told by then-state Division of Family and Children Services to protect a former official who pled guilty to a felony child cruelty charge.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/fayette/stories/2008/06/19/dfcs_chief_ousted.html
Awendaw lacking audits
By Jessica Johnson
February 23, 2008
The Charleston Post and Courier obtained documents that show Awendaw’s mayor stopped hiring a private firm to perform audits after 2001, even though state law requires it.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/feb/23/awendaw_lacking_audits31604/
Court reporters investigated for “creative” billing
By Andria Simmons
February 15, 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained documents that show two Gwinnett court reporters are billing the county far more than other county court reporters, more than double in some cases.
http://www.ajc.com/gwinnett/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/02/15/recorder_0215.html
Report: Johnson Utilities’ rates 30% higher
By Jason Massad
June 16, 2008
Phoenix’s East Valley Tribune obtained documents that show a private utility company in the suburbs of Queen Creek charges 30 percent higher than the state average.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/118701
Ex-Tech offensive coordinator to join Curry’s staff
By Tony Barnhart
July 7, 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained documents that show Georgia State’s head coach will have a pool of $450,000 to hire six assistant coaches, a director of football operations and an administrative assistant.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2008/07/07/gsucoach_0708.html
Saban Shows His Value at Alabama
October 12, 2008
The Associated Press obtained documents that shows how much the University of Alabama’s football program brings in and that last year, it jumped up 19 percent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/sports/ncaafootball/12alabama.html
DNC lawsuit reveals black vs. gay rivalry
By Kevin Naff and Joshua Lynsen
January 25, 2008
The Washington Blade obtained documents show that there were plans to add gays to the Democrats’ affirmative action plan, but it was thwarted by DNC chair Howard Dean’s chief of staff.
http://www.washblade.com/2008/1-25/news/national/11924.cfm
Chesapeake says Southlake ordinance discourages drilling
By David Wethe
May 30, 2008
Fort Worth’s Star-Telegram obtained documents that show Chesapeake Energy offered notes on the proposed drilling ordinance it opposed.
http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/672816.html
Mayoral candidate addresses bankruptcies
By Patrick Johnston
August 15, 2008
Alabama’s Eufaula Tribune obtained documents that show a Eufaula mayoral candidate filed for bankruptcy twice in the last seven years.
No old rules for the new stadium
By Jeremy Redmon
March 30, 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained documents that show there was no open bid process or public review on the proposed minor-league Braves stadium that is to be built with taxpayer money.
http://www.ajc.com/stlucie/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/03/30/gwxstadium0330g.html
IRS latest to scrutinize conservation easements
By Margaret Jackson
June 29, 2008
The Denver Post obtained documents that show the IRS reviewed Colorado’s Division of Real Estate findings on real estate appraiser conduct.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_9725601
SFFD loses dominance over 911 ambulances
By Jim Doyle
September 13, 2008
The San Francisco Chronicle obtained documents that show state officials have revoked the San Francisco Fire Department monopoly on emergency ambulance services.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/12/MN6712SJ94.DTL
Budget proposal could hurt pupils
By Greg Gelpi
June 4, 2008
Georgia’s Augusta Chronicle obtained documents that show a budget cut proposal would weaken the school system’s Early Intervention Program.
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/060408/met_460965.shtml
Student guilty of assault loses lawsuit, but has chance to graduate (w/documents)
By Carolyn Crist
June 5, 2008
University of Georgia’s student newspaper the Red and Black obtained documents that show a student who pled guilty to a sex offense may get his diploma even though a district court judge allowed the university to suspend him.
State troopers buck hunting laws
By Sheri McWhirter
March 6, 2009
Traverse City’s Record-Eagle obtained documents from Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources that show a state trooper illegally shot a buck from a moving vehicle while on duty.
http://www.record-eagle.com/local/local_story_065101138.html
5 trustees for UCA got breaks on tuition
By Debra Hale-Shelton
February 27, 2009
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette obtained documents that show some trustees for the University of Central Arkansas received 80 percent off their children’s tuition.
http://www2.arkansasonline.com/news/2009/feb/27/5-trustees-uca-got-breaks-tuition-20090227/
Texas bars, restaurants running up alcohol tabs
By Karen Robinson-Jacobs
March 3, 2009
The Dallas Morning News obtained figures from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission that show the number of restaurants, bars and liquor stores late in payments to alcohol suppliers jumped to more than 18 percent.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/030309dnbustabc.3cdcf4b.html
3 schools await overhauls
By Ben Fischer
March 9, 2009
The Cincinnati Enquirer obtained documents that show the three elementary schools targeted for overhauls by the city school system were chosen in part due to their poor professional atmospheres.
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090309/NEWS0102/903090338
More than 40 city or school employees suspended last year
By Brian Sharp
March 8, 2009
New York’s Democrat and Chronicle obtained documents that show more than 40 Rochester city or school district employees who were suspended last year for suspected wrongdoing are still getting paid.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20090308/NEWS01/903080345/1002/NEWS
Arundel councilmen urge Leopold to address issue
By Tyeesha Dixon and Julie Scharper
March 5, 2009
The Baltimore Sun obtained the phone records of a county-issued cell phones to show a county executive almost exclusively called a county employees cell phone. This follows a report of possible sexual activity in a mall parking lot in which he is being questioned.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-md.ar.leopold05mar05,0,752245.story
Horse trainers’ names trickle out in track salary probe
By Mike Goodwin
March 9, 2009
The Times Union of Albany, New York, obtained records that name the trainers who are among those who allegedly failed to pay back-stretch workers.
http://blogs.timesunion.com/crime/?p=359
Lawmakers Deny Tax Problems
By Condace Pressley
March 5, 2009
The Associated Press obtained Department of Revenue documents that show thatE 22 lawmakers are listed as owing taxes.
http://wsbradio.com/localnews/2009/03/lawmakers-deny-tax-problems.html
Electronic message boards in county cost $600,000-plus
By Beata Mostafavi
March 2, 2009
Michigan’s Flint Journal obtained documents that show municipalities, school districts and other groups have spent more than $600,000 on electronic signs between 2005 and 2009.
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/03/post_32.html
Officials: Overtime pay is justified by services
By Brianna Bailey
February 12, 2009
California’s Daily Pilot obtained documents that show Newport Beach city workers earned more than $6.5 million in overtime pay last year, with some individual employees earning as much as $80,000 in overtime pay.
http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2009/02/12/topstory/dpt-overtime021309.txt
Mayor Richard Daley and wife flew aboard private jet to Singapore in 2006
By Dan Mihalopoulos
March 5, 2009
The Chicago Tribune obtained documents that show Mayor Daley took nine trips aboard in 2006 and 2007, which were paid for by the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Jewish United Fund and the not-for-profit Sister Cities program, which relies heavily on donations from businesses.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-daley-plane-05mar05,0,4109308.story
Slaying suspect denied gun permit 3 times before getting 2007 OK
By Brian sharp and Meaghan M. McDermott
February 19, 2009
The Democrat and Chronicle of New York obtained documents that show a man suspected of multiple murders had prior arrests on his record when he was denied a gun permit. The decision was later overturned.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20090219/NEWS01/902190347/1002/NEWS
RTD charges dinner cruise, beachfront hotel to taxpayers
February 19, 2009
Colorado’s Face the State obtained records that show board members of the Regional Transportation District spent more than $54,000 on travel in 2008, including a trip to China, nights in a beachfront hotel and a dinner cruise.
http://facethestate.com/articles/14292-rtd-charges-dinner-cruise-beachfront-hotel-taxpayers
Lottery vendor paid $132,000 to Cahill ally
By Frank Phillips
August 14, 2008
The Boston Globe obtained records that show the Massachusetts State Lottery's largest vendor paid in excess of $132,000 in consulting fees to one of state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill's closest friends, as Cahill directed tens of millions of dollars in contracts to that company.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/08/14/lottery_vendor_paid_132000_to_cahill_ally/
Injured inmate spent two days on cell floor
By Roma Khanna
January 24, 2008
The Houston Chronicle obtained documents that show a Texas inmate who died two weeks after a fight with guards said he was paralyzed.
http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2008_4500701
LaValle used work time to campaign for Veon
By Tracie Mauriello
August 16, 2008
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette obtained documents that show a charity director accused of embezzlement campaigned for a former Pennsylvania state House Democratic Whip while she was supposed to be working.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08229/904820-178.stm
NOPD admits clerical error
By Brendan McCarthy
March 26, 2008
The Times-Picayune of New Orleans obtained police records that shows a discrepancy between what is being said and what the records actually said.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-8/120650885163160.xml&coll=1
Similar cities, different costs
By David Scharfenberg
March 4, 2008
The Providence Journal did an analysis on records it obtained that shows the city of Warwick spends about $20 million more than a similar city on city and school employees.
Balancing punishment, treatment when crimes are committed
By Carol Smith
December 28, 2008
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer obtained documents that show an individual — who was charged with first-degree and has a history of mental illness– was under supervision but not taking medication. This was part of a larger story of how Washington deals with mentally ill individuals convicted with crimes.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/393944_mental29.html
Texas House members spend $140K to renovate lounge
November 19, 2008
The Associated Press obtained documents that show the estimated budget for a new House lounge in Texas is more than $140,000 and includes antique chandeliers and big screen televisions.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/19/america/Texas-Lawmaker-Lounge.php
County’s mentally ill fade into the system
By Carol Smith
November 16, 2008
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer obtained documents that show two homes for the mentally ill have been cited for violations, most of which are related to housekeeping and cleanliness.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/388071_boardinghomes17.html
Rescuers dispute response claim
By Nancy A. Fischer
June 15, 2008
The Buffalo News used obtained documents that clarify a situation in which the volunteer fire department was criticized for a response time in a letter to the editor in the Niagara Weekend.
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/niagaracounty/story/370833.html
Aide bills software, gadgets to county
By Glenn Blain and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon
June 1, 2008
The Lower Hudson Journal News obtained documents that show a top aide to Westchester County board chairman bought high-tech gadgets with taxpayer money and had them shipped to his home.
http://lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008806010347
Ritter tells Suthers to look into Newsome spending
By Dennis Huspeni
July 28, 2008
The Colorado Springs Gazette obtained documents that shows how much a district attorney has been charging the state.
http://www.gazette.com/articles/newsome_38709___article.html/district_suthers.html
Rodriguez used WVU cell phone to recruit for Michigan
By Mike Casazza
January 17, 2008
The Charleston Daily Mail obtained records that show the former West Virginia football coach made several calls from his University phone to recruiters within hours of his telling the team he was leaving the University.
http://www.dailymail.com/Sports/WVUSports/200801170675
Film-tax credit changes considered
By Katherine Gregg
April 12, 2008
The Providence Journal obtained records that show that while Rhode Island provided tax credits to a film being shot in the state, the film only spent 25 percent of what they said they spent within the state.
http://www.projo.com/news/stategovernment/content/film_tax_credit_04-12-08_PS9ODMP_v12.3666e34.html
Pelosi Made Repeated Requests for Military Aircraft, Documents Show
March 10, 2009
Fox News obtained documents from a conservative watchdog group that show House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly requested military aircrafts to fly her and her colleagues and family around the country.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/10/study-pelosi-repeated-requests-military-aircraft/