Stories

Details of Deals Between Banks and Colleges Spur Reaction

For nearly two decades, Princeton University has been able to count on Donna Riley—and her money.

Every year since she graduated, Riley has donated to her school’s annual alumni fundraising drive.

“I happen to have a perfect giving record 17 years out from graduation,” she said.

This year, she’s thinking differently. “I told them I won't give again until they stop this practice of making money off of student credit card debt.”

By Ben Protess14 July 2010

Congressman, University Deny Earmark Abuse

A $6.2 million federal spending request by U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks is intended solely for the University of Washington – and no money will be shared with business partner Intellicheck Mobilisa, a university spokesman said.

By David Heath14 July 2010

Weighing Safety of Weed Killer in Drinking Water, EPA Relies Heavily on Industry-Backed Studies

Companies with a financial interest in a weed-killer sometimes found in drinking water paid for thousands of studies federal regulators are using to assess the herbicide’s health risks, records of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show. Many of these industry-funded studies, which largely support atrazine’s safety, have never been published or subjected to an independent scientific peer review.

By Danielle Ivory8 July 2010

Follow-up: Baltimore Lawmakers Seek Overhaul of Tax Lien Sale

It’s too late to help Vicki Valentine—the Baltimore woman who lost her family’s mortgage-free home over an unpaid water bill of $362—but city officials are trying to prevent others from suffering the same fate.

By Fred Schulte, Ben Protess and Lagan Sebert
7 July 2010

MAP: A View of the Projects

A view of the 15 projects across the country that the federal government is funding as part of a $220 million experiment to show whether digital records technology can improve health and cut costs. (Click to learn about individual projects)

 

 

By Emma Schwartz6 July 2010

Despite Pledge to Curtail Corporate Earmarks, Politicians Pursue Them

Editor’s Note: A chart involving an earmark request by Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., has been removed pending further review. Dicks has challenged some of the reporting, as has a spokesman at the University of Washington. More information

By David Heath5 July 2010

VIDEO: A New Prescription for the Delta's Poor

 

By Emma Schwartz2 July 2010

Are New Digital Networks Part of the Cure?

GREENVILLE, Miss.—These days, Debra Richardson, a 53-year-old former schoolteacher with diabetes and other chronic diseases, spends a lot of time thinking about how to turn around her deteriorating health.

She monitors her blood sugar every day. She watches the time so she won’t miss taking her pills. And she regularly attends meetings on how to eat more nutritious foods—all of which her doctors can track with a computerized medical records system.  

By Emma Schwartz and Fred Schulte
2 July 2010

This Candidate Doesn't Just Run - He Oversaw the Company Managing Elections

BOGOTÁ, Colombia - The man most likely to become Colombia’s next president this Sunday has played a previously undisclosed role as a corporate officer of the company hired to run the nation’s elections over the last decade, while he was a political leader, business records obtained by the Huffington Post Investigative Fund show.

By Nadja Drost18 June 2010

As Student Credit Card Debt Rises, Banks Quietly Reward Schools

A version of this story was published in the San Francisco Chronicle. The story is one in a series of articles on student debt produced by the Investigative Fund.

By Ben Protess8 June 2010