The Scoop

Tim Darragh and Christopher Schnaars of the Allentown Morning Call used state restaurant inspection data to show that Pennsylvania’s “patchwork of food safety laws and public health agencies often fails to provide even minimal monitoring of restaurants and food retailers.” The investigation includes a side bar explaining how the paper got the data, a process [...]

John Hill of the Sacramento Bee found that a $2.1 billion bond California voters approved to provide affordable housing hasn’t delivered. “With the pot more than half gone, a Bee investigation has found that what taxpayers are getting falls far short of those promises - a reality that takes on added importance as California officials [...]

David Madrid of the Arizona Republic reports on the results of a public records request the paper made asking council members in Surprise, Ariz., “to verify the miles and percentage of driving they do for city business” since the council was set to approve a 289% increase in car allowances. The paper’s request “was denied [...]

Debra Erdley of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that police agencies in Western Pennsylvania don’t always comply with the state’s public records laws: “About 40 percent of 217 police agencies surveyed declined to provide access to daily call sheets or police blotters.” Police usually cite ongoing investigations or confidentiality concerns when withholding access, but “the law [...]

Brad Schrade of the Tennessean asked state officials to provide documentation on their response to claims of sexual harassment, identified by Gov. Phil Bredesen as a problem. “When Bredesen’s office becomes involved in a complaint, as it did when the governor’s top lobbyist was demoted last month, notes are purposely not taken or are shredded, [...]