It's a big accomplishment for InvestigateWest. Our Olympic gold.
We're happy to announce we've been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation to continue to do the hard-hitting, regional investigative work we're becoming known for. It's gold, and of Olympic quality, because in this economic climate, it's that hard to come by. And it recognizes true accomplishment in the field of independent, nonprofit journalism. So forgive us for being a little self-congratulatory before we get back to our hard work. Congratulations to the journalists of InvestigateWest who brought us this far -- Robert McClure and Carol Smith, Kristen Millares Young and Daniel Lathrop. Nice job, everyone! And thanks to the many folks who have supported us out of the goodness of their hearts and wallets over this first 10 months of our lives. And to the good folks at the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation -- to CEO and President Bob Ross and Senior Program Officer Nancy Hodgkinson, and to Sue Hale, who provided valuable insight at the early stages of this long process when we met way back at an Investigative Reporters and Editors conference in June 2009. The Foundation, based in Oklahoma City and founded in 1982 by journalist Edith Kinney Gaylord to improve the quality and ethical standards of journalism, has long invested in improving the quality of journalism and journalism education nationwide. This year, it dedicated a portion of its funds specifically to investigative journalism. “The watchdog role of legacy media is in jeopardy due to the economic crisis facing the journalism industry,” Ross said. “We’re working to secure the future of watchdog journalism by funding investigative reporting models of innovation, sustainability and collaboration.” InvestigateWest is part of that future. We're wearing Journalistic Gold around our necks this week. -- Rita Hibbard
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In other parts of the country, the welfare checks have resulted in children being taken out of their homes and put back into government custody
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