kstp.com - Investigative

Hennepin Co. Error Erases $5.9M in Owed Child Support

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 04:11:43 GMT

Imagine being owed tens of thousands of dollars and having that debt erased. It happened to one Twin Cities mother, who contacted 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. Her child support case was closed by mistake - a mistake that could cost the state millions of dollars in federal funding and lead to lawsuits from affected families, state officials have warned...

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Investigates: Case Closed

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 01:57:22 GMT

Imagine being owed tens of thousands of dollars and having that debt erased. It happened to one Twin Cities mother, whose child support case was closed by mistake - a mistake that, if caught in a federal audit or repeated, could cost the state millions of dollars in funding, state officials have warned...

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Investigates: U of M Payouts Top $27M

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:32:56 GMT

For some, it could be a golden parachute - and you're paying for it. In all, $86 million in unused vacation pay, sick time, and bonuses have been paid to departing state workers in the past three years...

Prosecutors: 'Brazen' Welfare Fraud Cost Taxpayers More than $3 Million

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:50:44 GMT

Prosecutors are asking a federal judge to sentence a former grocery store owner profiled in the 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Welfare Waste investigation to four years in prison for running a "brazen" scheme to defraud taxpayers of more than $3 million in welfare benefits...

Senator to MnSCU: Reform Contracts to Cap Payouts

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:11:33 GMT

The lawmaker who will hold hearings in the Minnesota Senate in January about the appropriateness of millions of dollars in payouts to departing state workers has sent a letter to the chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System (MnSCU) warning that "if reforms and improvements are not made," to employee contracts, "in the interest of protecting the taxpayers," lawmakers may act instead...

Legislative Auditor to Conduct Review of MnSCU Payouts

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:36:48 GMT

The state's Legislative Auditor will conduct a "special review" of millions of dollars in payouts to departing workers in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, prompted by the request of a House lawmaker in response to a 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation.

Employee Payouts Focus of Hearings in Senate, not House

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:24:21 GMT

The chairman of the House Higher Education Committee on Monday declined a lawmaker's request to hold hearings on the $32 million in payouts to departing employees by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Investigates: Case Closed

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 23:05:14 GMT

Lawmaker Orders Hearing After KSTP Investigation

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:22:34 GMT

The chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Employee Relations on Monday announced legislative hearings into the payouts of retiring state workers, a day after a 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Investigation found Minnesota paid departing employees $86 million in unused vacation pay, sick time, and other severance...

Rep. Wants Hearing After 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Investigation

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:10:07 GMT

A member of the Minnesota House of Representatives is calling for a legislative hearing prompted by a 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation that's due to air on Sunday about millions of dollars in severance payments to retiring state workers...

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Investigates: Blueprint of a Bust

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:35:44 GMT

It's a multi-million dollar state construction project that's sitting half-finished, wasting your tax money by the day...

Report: Wisconsin Union Changes Saving Schools Millions

Fri, 5 Aug 2011 04:36:18 GMT

Just days before recall elections, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker sent out a news release saying the union reforms he pushed are already saving school districts millions.

From Madison to Hudson, angry protesters promised dire consequences if Wisconsin lawmakers voted to strip government union members of some of their collective bargaining rights. The reforms did pass and a Madison think tank says they're already having an impact...

Door-to-Door Plea for Troops Questioned

Fri, 8 Jul 2011 04:37:03 GMT

We know Minnesotans love to give, especially to help support Americans serving oversees...

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Investigation Prompts Changes to MN Welfare Laws

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:38:02 GMT

An on-going 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation into Welfare Waste, led by reporter Mark Albert, examines how taxpayer money is being spent on public assistance programs...

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Accepts Prestigious Peabody Award

Thu, 26 May 2011 19:31:25 GMT

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Investigation earned a prestigious Peabody Award and KSTP-TV accepted the honor at a New York City ceremony on April 24, 2011. "Who Killed Doc," a series reported by Mark Albert, won the Award...

Researchers Aim to Make Roadsides Safer for Officers

Fri, 13 May 2011 22:04:05 GMT

Researchers with the University of Minnesota are trying to figure out why so many law enforcement personnel and their vehicles are being hit on the side of the road...

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Investigates: Secret Security

Wed, 11 May 2011 04:34:03 GMT

It seemed to be a secret security force: guards patrolling downtown Minneapolis, telling cops and bar owners they worked for the city. But a 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation has uncovered it was an intricate lie...

Critics Say Millions of Tax Dollars Wasted on Computer Labs

Fri, 6 May 2011 04:50:22 GMT

It's called the "Broadband Access Project" and it's run on tax dollars funneled through the University of Minnesota...

Lawmakers Consider Bath Salt Ban; Latest Designer Drug

Wed, 4 May 2011 05:24:41 GMT

Lawmakers Work To Ban "Bath Salts", Latest Designer Drug Feared Deadly..

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Investigates: Speeding HotSpots

Tue, 3 May 2011 04:22:22 GMT

It's happened to a lot of us: we get pulled over by a police officer, sheriff's deputy, or a state trooper for going too fast. Now we can tell you where they write the most tickets in the Twin Cities.

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation, led by reporter Mark Albert, tracked every speeding citation in the metro for a year, analyzing speeding tickets where you live.

INVESTIGATION: Mt. Midway Piles Up Cost to Taxpayers

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 04:34:10 GMT

The City of St. Paul has an exepensive souvenir of this past winter. It's been called "Mt. Midway." We've found the city knew months ago that piling snow at Midway Stadium would be expensive to taxpayers, but kept piling it there anyway...

Inaccurate Flood Maps Costly to Minnesotans

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 12:28:50 GMT

Way above the Rum River in Isanti sits a house. To keep it, owner Mike Longbehn was forced to buy flood insurance. "Not only am I 300 feet from the water, I'm 40 feet above the water," said Longbehn...

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Receives National Investigative Honor

Wed, 2 Mar 2011 01:15:24 GMT

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS received a national investigative honor Monday in Washington, DC. The National Press Foundation recognized the station for its series ‘Who Killed Doc?’..

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Investigates: Unpunished Drivers Committed Nearly 900 Crimes

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:33:08 GMT

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation has uncovered a massive state failure that allowed convicted drivers to escape punishment and commit nearly 900 crimes when they shouldn't have been behind the wheel...

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Investigates: MPD Canine Unit Violated Policy, Dogs Uncertified

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 00:28:16 GMT

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation has uncovered that criminal cases could be put at risk because of a mistake made by the Minneapolis Police Department's Canine Unit...

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Investigates: MN sailor David Cedergren died in Iraq - not from combat, but while simply taking a shower

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:19:30 GMT

A nearly year-long investigation has found that commanders ignored warnings, botched investigations, and failed to protect service members on their own base - where they should have been the safest.

Metro grocers caught selling out-of-date food

Fri, 14 May 2010 20:47:20 GMT

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation found hundreds of foods being sold for full price at Twin Cities supermarkets that are weeks, months, even years old... Complete list of out-dated products
Interactive map: Foods by store location
Web Extra: See the smorgasbord we created

Minn. at center of ethanol debate

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 04:47:52 GMT

There's a showdown coming over the amount of ethanol that goes into gas tanks across the state; a fight over energy, money, and your safety...

INVESTIGATION: Who's At the Wheel of Metro Taxis?

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:21:20 GMT

You're catching a cab, but who's picking you up? A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation uncovered illegal cab drivers and their shocking court records...

Are Some MN Parents Putting Your Kids' Health at Risk?

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:18:13 GMT

Election Mistakes Lead to Changes in Vote Counting

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:18:33 GMT

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation has found that mistakes made with absentee ballots in the 2008 U.S. Senate recount are leading to changes...

Bedard death investigation ends, dash cam video released

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 21:14:23 GMT

The officers who hit Minneapolis Park Police Officer Mark Bedard while in pursuit in November of 2007 will not be disciplined for his death...

Do you have the only keys to your home?

Fri, 18 May 2007 17:26:00 GMT

For about $20--- 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS was able to buy keys to just about every home and business in the metro. Our investigation discovered an old locksmith's tool that's getting some new attention...

INVESTIGATION: Locks that will beat the bump

WI town upset about school cancer rates

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:55:16 GMT

Teachers, parents and students in New Richmond, Wisconsin are upset the state Department of Health has decided against investigating high incidences of cancer at a local elementary school. More than a quarter of West Elementary School's staff have been diagnosed with cancer.

More than 1/4 of staff at local school has cancer...Why? (Sunday)

Wisconsin town upset about school cancer rates (Monday)

EXCLUSIVE: Hear how officers saved two of their own

Tue, 8 Nov 2005 18:13:19 GMT

When two Twin Cities police officers were stabbed, fellow officers and dispatchers worked together to save two of their own. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS obtained audio tape that gives you rare access to what happened that morning back in August. It lets you hear what went on in the officers' and dispatchers' own words.

Investigation helps inspire change

Mon, 17 Oct 2005 13:45:46 GMT

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation exposed the state ignoring evidence that could help put violent felons behind bars. They're not ignoring it anymore. After our story aired, state officials changed their minds. Investigative Reporter Kristin Stinar reveals why some say our story could save lives.

Inmate says he tried to have wife killed

Thu, 26 May 2005 13:35:38 GMT

A Minnesota inmate tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS he tried to get his wife killed from inside prison. But he's still about to get out. His wife is understandably very, very frightened.

Computers change accident reconstruction

Fri, 15 Apr 2005 13:34:45 GMT

Minnesota roadways are exceptionally dangerous this year. The State Patrol says more than 100 drivers have already died and the busy travel season hasn't even started. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS got an exclusive look at how the patrol is now responding to all these crashes.

Twin Cities attorney takes on Xcel Energy

Mon, 11 Apr 2005 16:55:57 GMT

With tax time fast approaching many of us feel the pain of having to write out a check to the government. But a 92-year-old Twin Cities attorney is fighting to get some tax money returned to you that you may not even know about.

INVESTIGATION: Local Shrine chapter accused of breaking the law

Mon, 28 Feb 2005 21:35:08 GMT

When you think of Shriners, images of parades and circuses come to mind. And of course there's the wonderful work for sick kids at the Shrine Hospital. But 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS News went undercover to reveal how one local chapter may have broken the law.

Your computer is spying on you

Fri, 25 Feb 2005 20:38:55 GMT

Hundreds of people could be watching what you do, sharing information about you with the entire world. An estimated 80 percent of all computers do it. Investigative Reporter Kristin Stinar shows us why most people don't even know it's happening and how you can protect yourself.

Attacked at school

Tue, 8 Feb 2005 21:11:36 GMT

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation reveals a brutal assault inside a Twin Cities high school. The victim's family says school administrators did not do enough to keep their daughter from being beaten up.

Cattle industry calling for change after shootings

Mon, 7 Feb 2005 17:01:07 GMT

People in the cattle industry are calling for change after seeing the 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS exclusive video of cops shooting and killing nine cows in the streets of South St. Paul.

Cattle gunned down by police in South St. Paul

Mon, 7 Feb 2005 17:00:44 GMT

Cows on the loose were gunned down in the streets, and police are the target with criticisms of excessive force.

Imitated but not flattered

Mon, 31 Jan 2005 19:05:33 GMT

Most of us carry around a lot of things with our name on them. Driver's license, movie rental card or work I.D. But the scary thing is, with all that proof of who we are, It doesn't protect us from someone pretending to be you. Sometimes all it takes is to say it.

Minnesota prisons fight meth with boot camp

Fri, 21 Jan 2005 15:58:37 GMT

Methamphetamine takes over lives and now it's taking over Minnesota prisons. Last year, the state locked up more than 800 people for meth crimes. Governor Pawlenty wants to expand a program that turns prison into boot camp but it's expensive. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS takes you inside the camp to see if it pays off.

Inside look at Stillwater prison's double bunking

Thu, 20 Jan 2005 18:00:25 GMT

A rare look inside a Minnesota prison and a look into a particular practice there called double bunking. The Department of Corrections is trying this in an effort to save money. But it's not without risks. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS gives you the first ever look inside Stillwater's double bunked cells.

Are violent felons hunting in our woods?

Mon, 17 Jan 2005 18:17:38 GMT

One branch of government says violent felons can't touch a gun and another one sends them off into the woods to shoot deer. A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation reveals what some say is a dangerous contradiction.

Is the state protecting our lakes and rivers?

Mon, 10 Jan 2005 16:21:07 GMT

Tonight a 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation takes a look at whether the state's doing all it can to protect Minnesota's lakes and rivers. There are pollution laws in place. But 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reveals how little the state is doing when it comes to one growing industry.

Still no permanent fix for St. Paul caves

Fri, 24 Dec 2004 19:53:54 GMT

The city of St. Paul still hasn't figured out what to do to make the caves along the river bluffs safer. Last spring, three teens died in the abandoned mines. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS takes a look back at the tragedy and the city's efforts to make sure it doesn't happen again.