The Social Security Administration each month falsely reports that nearly 1,200 living Americans have died. These clerical errors, found in a federal database ominously titled the "Death Master File," might be darkly humorous -- evoking Mark Twain's famous quip that death reports can be greatly exaggerated -- were not the consequences so severe.
Scripps reporters investigated conditions at 30 markets in 10 states and the District of Columbia and found a hodge-podge of regulations, spotty inspection records and some questionable sanitation practices.
Thousands of nonprofit organizations in the United States misreport how they solicit billions of dollars in donations, making it impossible for Americans to know how their gifts are used, according to a Scripps Howard News Service analysis.
Roughly 1,200 of the nation's 6,700 animal shelters and rescue groups -- more than one in five -- identify themselves as no-kill, suggesting they subscribe to the ideal of euthanizing only those creatures suffering from terminal illness or injury or too vicious to live among humans. But no matter how shelters label themselves, their performances and policies are as mixed as a mutt's pedigree, SHNS reporter Lee Bowman has found. The stark reality is that half of the estimated 8 million dogs and cats entering U.S. shelters of all kinds last year were put down. Still, the no-kill movement is making a positive impact.
An SHNS investigation has found records indicating that dozens of individuals who had been banned as food-stamp vendors nonetheless remained in business in communities across the country. The federal government has opened investigations into alleged violators identified by Scripps.
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 An SHNS investigation has found records indicating that dozens of individuals who had been banned as food-stamp vendors nonetheless remained in business in communities across the country. The federal government has opened investigations into alleged violators identified by Scripps. |
 On the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, Scripps Howard News Service examines the life and legacy of America's World War II veterans. |
