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Reality Check

When YOU need a voice, we're there! LOCAL 15's Reality Check follows the money trail, making sure OUR tax dollars are being put to good use. We are holding local government and politicians accountable. Asking questions that affect us all and GETTING ANSWERS! Honest reporting in every newscast. Click inside the story to find the video and other helpful links and information. If you have a story you'd like to share please e-mail it to LOCAL 15 News.

Reality Check Stories

	Reality Check: What's Being Done To Cut Down Wait Times At the Driver's License Office If you've ever had to make a trip to the the driver's license office in Mobile on Demetropolis Road, you probably had to wait three or four hours and may have wondered why the state is wasting so much of your time. Video
	Shelter's High Euthanization Rate Criticized In January, a woman's pet cat was accidentally euthanized within nine minutes of being dropped off at the shelter. That same month, 49 dogs were put down in one day. Video
	County vs. Cattle and Fair - Who Gets the $2 Million Rebate? A battle over $2 million dollars is brewing in Baldwin County. It's all because the the federal government is giving back money that helped build the hurricane shelter in Robertsdale. Video
	What's Being Done to Ease Beach Traffic All this week, we've been taking a look at some of the busiest roads in our area and asking what is being done to alleviate congestion ahead of anticipated growth with Airbus. In our last installment, we're taking a look at Highway 59 in Baldwin County. If you've driven to the beach, then you know how bad it can get. Video
	What's Been Done to Ease Congestion on the Eastern Shore's Busiest Road It's the busiest road on the Eastern Shore. If you drive it, you're familiar with the stop and go traffic. Unlike many of the roads we've featured in this series, improvement projects on Highway 98 have actually been funded, and drivers are seeing the results. Video
	Traffic Nightmare: What's Being Done to Alleviate Congestion on Airport? All this week, we're taking a look at some of the busiest roads in our area and asking what is being done to alleviate congestion ahead of anticipated growth with Airbus? Tonight, we're looking at Mobile's commercial corridor: Airport Boulevard. It's hard to get around Mobile without traveling down it, but the trek can be treacherous, especially when you consider 58,000 drivers travel on it near 1-65 daily. Video
	Tackling Traffic Nightmares: Highway 31 Highway 31 in Spanish Fort is the main corridor in this growing community and mostly two lanes. Some say two lanes isn't cutting it. Video
	Tackling Traffic Nightmares: Bayway and Wallace Tunnel This week we're taking a look at some of the busiest, congested roads in our area and asking what is being done to alleviate congestion ahead of anticipated growth with Airbus? One out of three days, drivers sit in traffic for an hour or more either in the Wallace Tunnel or on the Bayway. Video
	Reality Check: The Cost of Justice The process of Lam Luong's first trial is in question. The evidence is not. But it could cost an estimated $100,000 to re-try a convicted killer. Video
	Family Says Ambulance Driver Couldn't Find Home Imagine dialing 911 for help, only to have the ambulance driver not find you because your address isn't showing up in their GPS. That's what one family says happened to them when their two-year-old stopped breathing last February. Video
	Reality Check: Ala. Tax Refunds May be Delayed The government requires you to meet an April 15th deadline for taxes, but what about a deadline for the government to give you your refund. In Alabama if you're just now filing your taxes and you're due a refund, you may have to wait with no definite date in sight. Video
	No-Show Legislators Still Get Paid Imagine getting a job, but you decide not to show up for work, and during it all you still get your full pay. It's apparently an option for our elected officials in the Alabama legislature. Local 15 News dug deeper to find out what is being done to stop this practice. Video
	Reality Check: Loopholes Allow Double Dipping In March we told you how much food stamp fraud costs Alabama taxpayers. In a Local 15 follow-up investigation, we found out the problem goes beyond food assistance. Some clients know how to take advantage of the system to double dip in multiple entitlement programs. Video
	Reality Check: Arming Resource Officers, Could it Happen & What it Would Cost Taxpayers Glover is a history teacher at Mary G. Montgomery High School. He's also a state senator pushing a bill to allow the Mobile County School Board the chance to decide if resource officers should carry guns. Video
	Reality Check: Baldwin County Mega Site Over the last couple of months, the county has closed on quite a purchase--three thousand acres of timberland south of I-65. The Baldwin County Commission has taken a big gamble, betting on the future. Video
	Reality Check: The Cost of Food Stamp Fraud More than 47 million Americans receive supplemental nutrition assistance, formerly known as food stamps. That's a record high, and many of those people truly need the help. But a select few are milking the system-- getting federal money they don't need or deserve. In a Local 15 Reality Check, we investigate how much food stamp fraud costs taxpayers. Video
	Keeping Our Kids Safe: Hidden Playground Dangers Playgrounds provide children places to grow physically and mentally, while taking fun, healthy risks. But parents, have you ever thought about the dangers associated with them? Local 15's Christian Jennings spent some time investigating our area's playgrounds, how they're inspected and how many children have in fact been injured on playgrounds in our area Video
	Reality Check: Discretionary Funds Elected officials are sworn to represent the citizens of their community. When you vote, you trust the person will do just that. What about city officials who lose their re-election bid, but still have access to money the new officials are suppose to use to keep the community operational? If they spend all the money, is it legal? Video
	Reality Check: How Leaders are Trying to Put an End to Senseless Red Snapper Killing It is called Idle Iron, and a byproduct is tens of thousands of dead fish, mainly red snapper. Video
	Money Spent on Afghanistan Reconstruction Being Reconsidered The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spent almost 7.5 million dollars constructing the compound for 175 officers and staff. Only a dozen Afgans were on site during a recent inspection. Video
	"Money Watchers" Help City Council Members Make Sound Fiscal Decisions The Mobile Citizens and Budget Finance Advisory Board was formed to help the city council sort through financial information from the city. Video
	Congressman Bonner Demands a Stop to Rig Demolitions, Fish Kills “It made me sick to my stomach,” Representative Bonner told Local 15 in a sit-down interview Monday. “It was explosive, no pun intended. I can’t say enough of thanks to Channel 15 for bringing this story to the surface.” Video
	Rep. Jo Bonner Calls for Action for Gulf Wildlife After Local 15 Investigation Congressman Jo Bonner demands Interior Secretary Salazar immediately halt federal policy destroying large numbers of gulf red snapper. Video \| Idle Iron Letter (351.5KB)
	Reality Check: Gulfquest Maritime Museum The Gulfquest Maritime Museum is expected to open by the end of 2013. The city has invested upwards of $38 million in the project, all the while struggling to cover a multi-million dollar budget shortfall. So now that the money is spent, how will the museum stay afloat once it's open for business? We take a look. Video
	MSCO Bought $340K Plane During Budget Crunch Despite a budget crunch and not having enough money to promote deputies, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office still managed to buy a $340,000 plane last year. Video

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