Charles Lane
Charles is a radio reporter, story teller, Excel ninja, database grasshopper and loves to FOIL records. He's worked for NPR, Deutche Welle, Radio Netherlands, Soundprint, Penthouse, the Religion News Service and the Catholic World Report. He's won three SPJ Public Service Awards, a National Murrow and was a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists. He once did 8Gs in a stunt plane, caught a 10-foot wave (briefly) and dove 40 meters on a single breath. Charles is extraordinarily friendly so don't hesitate to contact.
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As Sandy victims and FEMA work to resolve accusations of falsified damage estimates, some are questioning how the agency can be both a flood insurance provider and a regulator of flood insurance.
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Electronic messages can circle the globe in an instant, but electronic payments can still take days to complete. This often puts consumers at greater risk of getting hit with late fees.
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Over two years after Superstorm Sandy flooded homes in New Jersey and New York, legal battles still rage over insurance claims to repair damage. But insurance companies aren't playing by the rules.
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Shoppers are heading into the heavy-spending season with no new credit safeguards in place. Experts say it'll be at least another year before the U.S. system moves beyond technology from the 1970s.
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New York banking regulators are expected to release new rules this week governing Bitcoin and other virtual currencies. Industry experts both welcome the regulations and worry they could go too far.
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Saturday is the Belmont Stakes, the last race in the vaunted Triple Crown series of horse races. But as excitement builds, so does a bitter feud in the business of horse racing.
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Free-diving is a risky sport, involving swimming deep into the ocean without the aid of air tanks. But after a diver's death in November, some free-divers worry that the sport's governing body is still not doing enough to prevent common injuries and reel in overambitious competitors.
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Suffolk County, on Long Island, is giving enforcement authority to a victims' advocacy group. Lawmakers call it a cost-effective way to keep citizens safe. But a local attorney who often represents sex offenders calls it a "vigilante exercise."
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A lab in Chicago can produce particles called muons, but it needs an electromagnetic ring on Long Island to produce them. Since the 50-foot ring can't be taken apart or flown over houses, movers drove it to the shoreline and will sail it down the East Coast on a sea barge and up rivers to the Windy City.
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Kids may not like the idea of extending the average six-hour school day, but some educators and politicians do. They are experimenting with ways to increase enrichment classes and make it affordable for school districts.