Federal Eye: October 3, 2010 - October 9, 2010
Blackwater firm's embassy dogs not up to speed, audit says
Guard dogs deployed by two private security companies to protect American embassies in Afghanistan and Iraq are not being properly trained to detect bombs.
By
Jeff Stein
| October 8, 2010; 5:45 PM ET |
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Categories:
Contracting, Oversight
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Thousands of stimulus checks sent in error, report says
The federal government last year sent about 89,000 checks of $250 each to dead or incarcerated people through the Obama administration's economic stimulus program, according to a watchdog report.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 8, 2010; 8:30 AM ET |
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Categories:
From The Pages of The Post, Tracking the Stimulus
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Janet Napolitano voicing new Metro messages
Now airing at a Metro subway station near you: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, voicing a new public awareness message designed to encourage vigilance among transit customers.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 8, 2010; 6:00 AM ET |
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Categories:
Administration, Eye Opener
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Commerce Dept. workers excused Friday due to fire
Commerce Department employees who work in the Herbert C. Hoover Building in downtown Washington will be on administrative leave Friday and should telework, officials said early Friday.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 7, 2010; 11:15 PM ET |
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Comments (6)
Categories:
Agencies and Departments, Workplace Issues
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Letter carriers saving lives -- six days a week
If the U.S. Postal Service needs a reason to keep delivering the mail on Saturdays, it should consider the story of letter carrier Jim Dupont.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 7, 2010; 4:56 PM ET |
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Categories:
Postal Service
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U.S. lags other nations in global weather prediction
About 629 weather-related deaths occurred each year between 1999 and 2008, according to a new report. And 96 weather disasters between 1980 and 2009 caused at least $1 billion in damages.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 7, 2010; 2:00 PM ET |
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Comments (1)
Categories:
Agencies and Departments
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What happened to USAID's bedbugs?
The Ronald Reagan Building is bedbug-free, at least for now.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 7, 2010; 1:00 PM ET |
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Categories:
Agencies and Departments, Workplace Issues
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Officials tout telework at town hall meeting
The Obama administration is such a strong supporter of allowing federal employees to work from home that it even allowed a government official to be sworn in by telephone.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 7, 2010; 11:00 AM ET |
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Categories:
Administration, Workplace Issues
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What did OMB have to do with the oil spill?
A scathing series of presidentially-mandated reports about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill blames the Office of Management and Budget for denying a request by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to release "worst-case discharge figures" before the full extent of the oil spill was known.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 7, 2010; 8:30 AM ET |
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Comments (3)
Categories:
Administration, Nuts and Bolts
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Treasury IG to review allegations against Austan Goolsbee
Federal tax watchdogs plan to review allegations that Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Austan Goolsbee may have illegally accessed the confidential tax information of Koch Industries Inc., a privately-held firm owned and operated by brothers Charles and David Koch, who generously bankroll conservative causes.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 7, 2010; 6:00 AM ET |
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Categories:
Eye Opener
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Landrieu explains why she's blocking Lew
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) says her decision to block President Obama's pick to serve as White House budget director is "a last resort" after months of trying to convince his administration that a moratorium on deep-water oil drilling is a bad idea.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 6, 2010; 5:05 PM ET |
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Confirmation Hearings, From The Pages of The Post
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Gulf oil spill response ill-managed, presidential panel says
The Obama administration's response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill was marked by confusion over the spill rate and conflicts between agencies.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 6, 2010; 2:05 PM ET |
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Categories:
Administration
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Kaufman warns of federal workers' 'pent up demand' to retire
Outgoing Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) warned Wednesday that lawmakers need to act soon to address a delayed, but impending government brain drain as tens of thousands of experienced federal workers prepare to retire in the coming years as the economy improves.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 6, 2010; 12:40 PM ET |
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Comments (4)
Categories:
Congress, Workplace Issues
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NTSB: Transportation fatalities fall
Total transportation deaths dropped by about 9 percent from 2008 to 2009.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 6, 2010; 11:40 AM ET |
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Categories:
Agencies and Departments
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Deadlines for holiday mail to troops announced
Are you planning to mail holiday packages to troops in Afghanistan in Iraq? The U.S. Postal Service issued its holiday deadlines Wednesday, urging customers to plan ahead.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 6, 2010; 9:00 AM ET |
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Categories:
Military, Postal Service
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Beauty and the (White House science) Geek
Who says you can't get no satisfaction in Washington?
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 6, 2010; 6:00 AM ET |
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Categories:
Eye Opener
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Federal judge arrested for drug use (Video)
A federal judge in Georgia faces drug and firearms charges after an exotic dancer at an Atlanta strip club tipped off authorities to his illegal activities with her.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 5, 2010; 3:46 PM ET |
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Categories:
Public Service, Video Report
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Can the Pentagon keep classified information safe?
The Pentagon agency responsible for making sure contractors are properly handling classified information is having a tough time doing its job.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 5, 2010; 1:59 PM ET |
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Categories:
Contracting, Military
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Native American federal firefighters fighting for boot money
Hundreds of Native American firefighters are locked in a two-year battle with the Bureau of Indian Affairs regarding long-sought reimbursements for special fire boots required to fight the nation's wildfires.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 5, 2010; 1:17 PM ET |
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Comments (3)
Categories:
Agencies and Departments, Workplace Issues
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The White House is going solar
Solar panels and a solar hot water heater on the roof of the White House residence as part of a broader Energy Department solar demonstration project.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 5, 2010; 12:00 PM ET |
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Categories:
Administration
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'Lend a Hand' event to boost federal giving
The federal government's Combined Federal Campaign is the world's largest workplace giving campaign, but dozens of Washington-based charities are hoping to gin up new financial support among younger federal workers less likely to participate.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 5, 2010; 9:00 AM ET |
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Categories:
Workplace Issues
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Eye Opener: Mondale tells Obama to ditch 'idiot boards'; the Air Force wants to play chicken in Kabul
Happy Tuesday! Don't forget to follow The Federal Eye on Twitter if you don't already and submit your news tips here. • Cabinet and Staff News: Don't bet on Robert Gibbs for DNC chair. Days after hospitalization, Jimmy Carter...
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 5, 2010; 7:00 AM ET |
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Categories:
Eye Opener
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Federal workers urged to use BikeShare program (Video)
Three federal agencies are offering employees corporate memberships with the District's Capital Bikeshare Program to help promote the new citywide program and reduce the government's carbon footprint.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 4, 2010; 4:40 PM ET |
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Categories:
Workplace Issues
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Why did federal health-care costs increase?
Health insurance premiums for federal workers will increase next year, but would have been higher if not for the government's bargaining power, the Obama administration's personnel chief said Monday.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 4, 2010; 1:49 PM ET |
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Comments (42)
Categories:
Health Care, Workplace Issues
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Bedbugs found in the Reagan Building
Two areas of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center infiltrated by bedbugs will be treated by pest control experts on Tuesday, five days after the critters were found, according to officials.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 4, 2010; 10:16 AM ET |
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Categories:
Agencies and Departments, Workplace Issues
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Federal manager of the year awarded
The Federal Managers Association has named Carolyn D. Bohlen as the winner of the organization's Manager of the Year award.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 4, 2010; 8:38 AM ET |
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Categories:
Workplace Issues
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The Cabinet decamps to Camp David
President Obama hosted members of his Cabinet and their families at Camp David on Sunday, the first time he's hosted top appointees at the presidential retreat.
By
Ed O'Keefe
| October 4, 2010; 6:00 AM ET |
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Categories:
Administration, Eye Opener
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