Kudos

October 21, 2008 - Scott Reeder statehouse bureau chief for The Daily Journal and its sister newspapers in Moline, Rock Island and Ottawa, is to receive top national honors for investigative reporting from the Inland Press Association.

He was awarded first place for his series "Hidden Violations," which examined deficiencies in how Illinois deals with problem teachers.

Key findings of the investigation were:
* Of the 50 states, only Virginia revokes or suspends fewer teaching certificates than Illinois.
* No investigators are employed by the Illinois State Board of Education so reports of teacher misconduct are often not investigated or acted upon.
* Teachers hired before 2004 have not had to undergo a state-mandated national criminal background check
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TT - Congratulations. See Jan/Feb 2008 article he wrote about the series for Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. The IRE Journal

At present, we can't link to the articles. Hopefully, they will fix that soon.