The shadowy side of offshore industry

"Despite a stunning drop in homicides in D.C., murder remains a stubborn crime to solve and prosecute. The Washington Post has reviewed nearly 2,300 slayings in the city between 2000 and 2011 and found that less than a third have led to a conviction for murder or manslaughter, although the numbers have improved in the past few years."

"According to The Post’s investigation, more than 1,000 cases remain unsolved. In a 15-month study, Cheryl Thompson individually tracked every homicide in the District between 2000 and 2011 to learn what ultimately happened to each ensuing case."

A USA TODAY examination shows that thousands of "green" builders win tax breaks, exceed local restrictions and get expedited permitting under a system that often rewards minor, low-cost steps.

"According to a Washington Post analysis 73 members of Congress have sponsored or co-sponsored legislation in recent years that could have benefited businesses or industries in which either they or their family members are involved or invested in."

"The findings emerge from an examination by The Post of financial disclosure forms and public records for all 535 members of the House and Senate."

Working with Ipsos, Reuters has created such a database–the American Mosaic Polling Explorer –which can easily be searched by following the directions below."

"Want to know what white men in the South think about immigration policy? How African-American women older than 50 view gay marriage? Whether veterans and their families approve of the country's foreign policy? You can find the answers to those and many other questions by drilling down in this unprecedented trove of data."

"Every week since January Reuters reporters have polled about 2,500 people. By the time the election is held in November they will have reached well in excess of 150,000 people. But this is not a traditional telephone survey. The data is primarily drawn from online surveys using rigorous sampling methods developed in consultation with outside experts."

"Medicare has emerged as a potent campaign issue, with both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney vowing to tame its spending growth while protecting seniors. But there’s been little talk about some of the arcane factors that drive up costs, such as billing and coding practices, and what to do about them."

"The Center for Public Integrity's 21-month investigation documents, for the first time, how some medical professionals have billed at sharply higher rates than their peers and collected billions of dollars of questionable fees as a result." 

The illicit trafficking of Oregon medical marijuana is widespread and highly lucrative, according to The Oregonian's analysis of highway stops, police reports and federal and state court records. Exploitation of the 14-year-old program is made possible by lax state oversight and loose rules lead to the production of far more pot than a typical patient needs, the newspaper found. Nearly 40 percent of Oregon pot seized on the nation's most common drug-trafficking routes during the first three months of this year was tied to the medical marijuana program. Dozens of trafficking prosecutions involve medical marijuana cardholders with existing criminal histories, some extensive.

After a report was released by Spokane’s regional health district, the newspaper mapped life expectancy for each neighborhood in Spokane – showing the differences in well-being among its many neighborhoods: People in the county’s wealthy neighborhoods can expect to live longer than those in the poorer ones, by years and years.

"The Lansing (Mich.) State Journal spent more than two months gathering and reviewing public records to determine how city leaders in East Lansing handled construction of a downtown mixed-use building, not far from Michigan State University, after a portion of the unfinished building collapsed and it was discovered that the developer had started construction without a building permit and added an unauthorized fifth story."