Small children were rushed to emergency rooms an estimated 23,628 times because of shopping cart injuries in the U.S. in 2007 alone. Since so many plummet head-first to the floor, sidewalk or parking lot, two-thirds of those children had head injuries. Click for full-sized version. Shopping Cart Dangers Team: Lead investigative blogger: Kelby Carr Chief investigative bloggers: Amy Lupold Bair, Mary Davis, Shannan Powell Field investigators: Kristile Cain, Genna Cockerham, Edna Cohen, Julia Gregory, Connie Kallavig-Munson, Mishelle Lane, Jen Reeves, Angel Rodrigues,... [Read more]

The Center for Public Integrity has taken a hard look at what hasn’t worked in government, with a look at dozens of examples of government breakdown. Here is an excerpt: In a comprehensive assessment of systematic failures over the past eight years, the Center found more than 125 examples of government breakdown. The failures occurred in areas as diverse as education, energy, the environment, justice and security, the military and veterans’ affairs, health care, transportation, financial management, consumer and worker safety, and more. This report also gets extra... [Read more]

The Investigative Reporters’ and Editors recently highlighted an investigation by The Columbus Dispatch in its Extra! Extra! news feed. Here is an excerpt from the newspaper’s investigative report: An investigation by The Dispatch found that 87 of the 234 children who succumbed to abuse and neglect from 2002 to 2007 died on the watch of Ohio’s children services agencies. Their families or caregivers were being assisted and monitored by county children-services workers at the time of, or within a year before their deaths. They’ve been kicked, strangled,... [Read more]

Our fine group of mom bloggers is in the midst of our first investigation, and this is all very exciting. I have been asked for an update, so I thought I would post one here. We have 25 Investigative Mommy Bloggers, and some are working feverishly to get report number 1 finished. I don’t want to give too much away, but believe me when I say it is a subject that will interest all moms. It is also a major (yet overlooked) issue of public safety. The vision I have of Investigative Mommy Blogger is to take things to a new level, to evolve to Web 3.0. The main idea is... [Read more]

Hello. This is an idea I have had rattling around in my head. I am disappointed, dare I say disgusted, with what has happened to real newspaper journalism. Then it dawned on me. With the power of the blogosphere, I could create a team of investigative mommy bloggers who, as a group, could put in a small time investment many times… but result in real journalism, real hard-hitting stuff, the stories that readers need and deserve. Right now, this is just an idea and a very basic Wordpress install. I am looking for moms who might be interested in being investigative mommy... [Read more]