Big bucks are being spread in California in the campaign over whether the limit on court awards in medical malpractice claims should be quadrupled.

California law caps the amount that a court could award for non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases to $250,000. Proposition 46, which is on the ballot this  November, seeks to link that cap to inflation  -- a ceiling that would immediatly raise the  cap  to $1.1 million. The ceiling is on non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, only. It does not affect economic damages, such as the cost of future medical care.

Opponents to Proposition 46 started running television and radio ads this week, the Los Angeles Times reports. | Aug. 21, 2014  »Read Full Blog Post(3)

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore says she was surprised by the lack of serious punishment for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents responsible for Operation Fearless -- the botched storefront sting run in Milwaukee in 2012.

Moore (D-Wis.) issued a statement in response to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigative update that revealed the ATF gave four agents involved in the operation what is known as a "memorandum of caution" -- the most mild punishment for an agent. Veterans called it a "slap on the wrist."

Moore said in her statement: “I was surprised to learn of the seemingly light nature of the disciplinary action taken against those ATF special agents involved in Operation Fearless. I am not privy to the internal personnel matters of the Bureau, but I do think it is important to ensure that those responsible for any wrongdoings in the operation are held fully accountable. I continue to look forward to learning the results of the Department of Justice Inspector General’s investigation and I will continue to monitor this issue carefully.” | Aug. 4, 2014  »Read Full Blog Post(11)

Dozens of inmates in solitary confinement at Waupun Correctional Institution have accused guards of abuse since 2011, according to the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. The allegations include psychological and physical abuse, including being beaten and stomped while handcuffed.

Corrections officer Joseph Beahm is named in 28 of the 40 complaints, the news organization reports. The state Department of Corrections defended the officer, saying the inmates were lying.

The Wisconsin report of inmate abuse isn't the only one to make headlines this month. A New York Times story documented 129 serious injuries that resulted from altercations between inmates and guards during an 11-month period at Rikers Island. | July 22, 2014(1)

States throughout the country have been trying to fix delays in their newborn screening programs so babies with deadly genetic disorders are treated before it's too late.

Such efforts were stalled in Missouri last month when Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed a bill that would allot $191,400 to keep the state's newborn screening lab open on Saturdays and expand a courier service to Sundays and holidays. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Rep. Sheila Solon is hoping the Legislature will override Nixon.

"I can't imagine anyone who would not want to save babies' lives," Solon told the newspaper. | July 11, 2014  »Read Full Blog Post

Guns are doing a booming business, with the industry manufacturing, selling and importing firearms at a 27-year high, according to a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The report also shows the ATF inspected just 7.6% of the roughly 140,000 Federal Firearms Licensees, a seven-year low, as the agency struggles a fulfill a promise to inspect all gun dealers every five years.

Firearms Commerce in the United States, released Thursday, shows there were 8.6 million guns manufactured in 2012, a 31% increase over 2011. In 1986, there were 3 million guns manufactured. Figures for 2013 were not included. | April 24, 2014  »Read Full Blog Post(43)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigative reporter Meg Kissinger has been investigating the mental health system for decades. Her first piece on the subject ran 27 years ago. Her work in the past couple years has resulted in substantial mental health reforms enacted by state legislators. 

Kissinger did part of that work as a Diederich Fellow in Marquette University's O'Brien Fellowship. Kissinger discusses the story behind the Chronic Crisis series, which won a 2013 George Polk Award for Medical Reporting, in this piece by the Solutions Journalism workshop. | April 23, 2014

An FBI agent in Milwaukee who refused to provide false testimony about a wounded combat veteran trying to become an agent – as he felt  pressured to do by his supervisor – has been honored by a federal officers association.

Special Agent Mark Crider was honored by the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association for “demonstrating moral courage and personal integrity for his actions in support of a wounded warrior.”

Crider said that FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Teresa Carlson urged him in a private meeting to testify that former Army Ranger Justin Slaby was not qualified to be an agent. | April 14, 2014  »Read Full Blog Post(2)

Attorney General Eric Holder vowed in congressional testimony this week that there will be accountability for those in the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responsible for tattooing a mentally disabled man and other tactics.

But the very storefront sting Holder highlighted – Operation Kraken in Portland where the man was convinced to get a tattoo by an agent with taxpayer money – is not among those being investigated by the Department of Justice’s Inspector General.

In an animated answer regarding the ATF tactics uncovered by a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation, Holder told Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.): “The notion that you would use mentally unstable people, you would tattoo them, that you would do ridiculous things like that. It's absurd and people will be held accountable. I don’t support that at all. It's crazy.” (ed note: exchange on ATF stings is at 3:24:55 of video) | April 9, 2014  »Read Full Blog Post(2)

ATF director B. Todd Jones will testify this week before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on the agency's botched storefront operations, in Milwaukee and across the country, committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) announced Monday.

It will be first time Jones, who was confirmed as permanent director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in July, speaks publicly about a series of problems in the undercover storefront gun and drug stings. 

Jones was invited to attend a hearing in February before a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee. Instead, Jones sent his number two, Deputy Director Thomas Brandon.  | March 31, 2014  »Read Full Blog Post(2)

A top ATF official who oversaw the disastrous "Operation Fast and Furious" took a high-paying private sector job while still collecting his government check.

The move by William McMahon in 2012 "would have clearly constituted fraud," according to the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General.

But the OIG throws in this caveat: It was not fraud because McMahon had permission for the arrangement, according to the inspector general report obtained by the Journal Sentinel last week. CNN and Townhall.com first reported on the OIG memo. | March 31, 2014  »Read Full Blog Post(18)

Milwaukee County pension woes are back in the news this week with the death of Tom Ament, the former county executive.

Under the deal, some county retirees got lucrative payouts and a handful got backdrops at or close to $1 million. Ament blamed the mess on ignorance rather than greed. Ament was driven from office by the fallout of the deal, that still hobbles the county's bottom line.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Dave Umhoefer's investigation into the pension found that the county, ignoring the law and federal tax rules, let employees change history by 'buying back' pension time from summer jobs in their youth. The investigation prompted the county to confess to the IRS.

Umhoefer was honored with the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. | March 12, 2014(9)

Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. dismissed criticism of his decision to put Capt. Nancy Evans in charge of airport security even though his own internal investigation found she had committed a "clear act" of misconduct in office just 18 months ago.

In a press release, Clarke accused the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel of continuing its "pattern of assault on women and minorities" with a story on Evans' move. Evans is African-American, as is the sheriff.

The veteran lawman also said the newspaper has a vendetta against him. | March 11, 2014  »Read Full Blog Post(93)

Advocates for people with intellectual disabilities praised the U.S. Department of Justice inspector general Saturday for his announcement earlier in the week that he would launch an investigation into undercover storefront stings run by the ATF.

“We hope that the results of the inquiry are the end to this practice across all operations conducted by the Department of Justice,” Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc, said in a written statement. “Because of the unique challenges people with intellectual and developmental disabilities face in the criminal justice system, as either suspects, offenders, or victims, they should not be used as pawns or informants by ATF agents or other law enforcement officials.”

The inspector general’s announcement followed a year-long investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel into the ATF’s tactics used in undercover storefronts. The news organization’s investigation found scores of problems including stings in least five cities where ATF agents befriended people with mental disabilities, used them to promote their fake storefronts and set up gun and drug deals and later had them arrested and criminally charged for their work. | Feb. 22, 2014  »Read Full Blog Post(1)

A long-stalled bill that would allow prosecutors to charge people who hide relatives on the run from the law or destroy evidence to protect them is slated to receive a vote before the full Assembly Thursday.

If the bill passes the Assembly, supporters are hoping for quick action in the Senate. One of the sponsors, Rep. Garey Bies (R-Sister Bay), said the bill is overdue.

"I think it is very valuable legislation," he said. "It will give comfort to victims' families and hold perpetrators accountable." | Feb. 11, 2014  »Read Full Blog Post(2)

A congressional hearing on botched ATF storefront stings in Milwaukee and across the county is set for later this month, as a bipartisan push for information about the operations continues.

The hearing will be held before the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations on Feb. 27, according to a congressional aide. It is not yet clear who will testify at the hearing. Leadership from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is expected to attend.

Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) is chairman of the crime subcommittee, which is part of the House Judiciary Committee. | Feb. 10, 2014  »Read Full Blog Post

An ATF sting in Portland, set up across the street from a middle school, resulted in probation for most of those charged in state court and recovery of no guns used in crimes, according to an article by The Oregonian published Saturday.

The findings come in the wake of a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation that revealed problems in that operation and others like it across the country.

The Journal Sentinel investigation found the ATF used mentally disabled people to promote operations and then arrested them for their work; opened storefronts close to schools and churches, increasing arrest numbers and penalties; and attracted juveniles with free video games and alcohol. | Jan. 25, 2014  »Read Full Blog Post(1)

The U.S. Justice Department inspector general is reviewing the findings of a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation revealing how ATF used rogue tactics in storefront sting operations nationwide and is considering how he will investigate them.

In a letter to Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) released Friday, Inspector General Michael Horowitz wrote that he will “update the scope” of an investigation he launched earlier this year into a flawed storefront sting in Milwaukee, uncovered by the Journal Sentinel in January 2013.

After examining the Journal Sentinel findings, Horowitz wrote, “we intend to expand the scope of our ongoing review, and we will determine the most effective way for the OIG to review the additional allegations. After we have updated the scope, we will keep you informed of our determination.” | Jan. 10, 2014  »Read Full Blog Post(4)

A bill that would allow prosecutors to charge people who hide relatives on the run from the law or destroy evidence to protect them passed an Assembly committee Thursday.

The bill passed the Committee on Criminal Justice, 7-4, with all Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed. It now will go to the full Assembly. The bill has made it out of a Senate committee that also is considering it.

Current Wisconsin law exempts a suspect’s spouse, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters from prosecution if they harbor the felon or hide, destroy or place false evidence. | Jan. 9, 2014  »Read Full Blog Post(10)

Eighty retired New York police officers and firefighters were charged Tuesday with claiming fake disabilities in order to collect Social Security payments, the New York Times reported Tuesday.

Many of them were coached by a former union official in their claims of mental distress, according to the article.

In Milwaukee, duty disability retirement has had some problems of its own. Officers under investigation for criminal and disciplinary violations have received the benefit after claiming mental stress, according to a Journal Sentinel investigation published in November. | Jan. 7, 2014  »Read Full Blog Post

The watchdog journalism in this blog and elsewhere on JSOnline.com has been getting the attention of other journalists. A story about the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel made this list of top read stories of 2013 from the Nieman Journalism Lab.

In case you missed it earlier, the article describes the Journal Sentinel’s effort to emphasize the investigative reporting that has had a long history with the city’s daily papers and adapt that reporting for a digital age.

You can check out Nieman’s list of other developments that caught the attention of the journalism industry in 2013, including news organizations that are experimenting with online commenting, crowdsourcing and making it easier for readers to customize the news they receive. | Dec. 31, 2013