The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "Durham" ...
-
Prognosis: Profits
In their quest for growth and profits, large nonprofit hospitals in North Carolina have pushed up healthcare costs, paid executives millions and left thousands with bills they struggle to pay. In a joint investigation, the Charlotte Observer and the News & Observer of Raleigh found that urban hospitals in North Carolina have generated some of the nation’s largest profit margins and have amassed billions of dollars in reserves. Hospitals in the Charlotte area have sued thousands of needy patients they could afford to help, frequently putting liens on their homes and damaging their credit. Raleigh-Durham hospitals, meanwhile, have sent collection agencies after thousands of patients, ruining the credit ratings of many in the process.
Tags: Healthcare; nonprofit hospitals; patients
-
Who's Watching the Cops?
This article looks into the usefulness of civilian oversight of the police and allegations against them due to excessive force are handled by two towns in the area of coverage. Additionally, everyone agrees public oversight of the police is necessary, but not sure if it the most effective. Further, the public oversight group only has so much power and is often left without taking corrective action.
Tags: law enforcement; civilian; Durham; Chapel Hill; Police Review Board; volunteers; police department
-
Durham insider loans pile up
Tim Durham “is one of Indiana’s highest-profile businesspeople” and appeared to be rising to the top of the super rich. But behind his image, a story of deception and lies is revealed. After an investigation of his company, Fair Finance Co., revealed this deception and he was accused of securities fraud. Also, he was alleged to be using a Ponzi scheme, “using money from new investors to pay off previous purchasers of investment certificates”. Now, Durham and his company face a number of lawsuits.
Tags: financial; finances; economy; Ohio; securities regulators; business; wealth; investors
-
Rush to Judgment
Without using anonymous or unnamed sources the News & Observer looks at the "phony rape charges" brought against the three Duke lacrosse players. The paper specifically looked at the "prosecutorial and police misconduct"
Tags: Duke; lacrosse; sexual assault; rape; police department; Mike Nifong; Durham; misconduct
-
Rural Gangs Series
This investigation showed the spread of big-city gang activity into rural areas and small towns. After 9/11, many local anti-gang units were cut in favor of counter-terrorism forces. Consequently, gangs are growing and there is little resistance. The investigation focuses specifically on gang activity in Durham, North Carolina.
Tags: gangs; bloods; crips; drug running; arms sales; extortion; gang wars; North Carolina Gang Investigators Association
-
Miles of Mishaps
WTVD-TV wanted to know why there were so many accidents on a particular stretch of I-40 in Durham County. Every day, one hundred thousand vehicles travel through the 11 mile construction zone, the site of more than 11 hundred wrecks over the past three years. After submitting a Freedom of Information Act request, documents obtained revealed design mistakes, mismanagement, and other problems that cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
Tags: interstate construction zones; highway traffic accidents; North Carolina Department of Transportation; Interstate 40; Durham County
-
Made in the U.S.A.
Kaplan sheds light on the underground jihad movement in America. The story reveals that up to 2,000 Americans have fought in holy wars around the world - Afghanistan, the Balkans, Kashmir and Chechnya - since the early 1990s. "Most of the jihadists are Arab Americans, but other are as diverse as America itself, and include native-born whites, blacks, and at least one Puerto-Rican," according to the contest questionnaire.
Tags: jihad; islam; John Walker Lindh; Osama bin Laden; al Qaeda; jihadists; FBI; terrorist; terrorism; Afghanistan; Pakistan; Muslim
-
Defrauding Hispanic Immigrants in Durham
The Raleigh News & Observer tells the story of Narcisa "Natalie" Gonzalez, a woman who passed herself off as a lawyer to unsuspecting Hispanic immigrants. "Gonzalez defrauded dozens of Hispanics by charging for legal services she never performed. Her victims, mainly non-English-speaking illegal immigrants, lost thousands of dollars, acquired criminal records when their 'lawyer' didn't show in court, and lost precious chances to apply for legal status. The Durham police, district attorney and state Bar did nothing until the story came out..." Gonzalez fled the state after the first story came out and the police started investigating. She was eventually caught in Georgia, extradited, and tried in North Carolina, where she was found guilty of bilking her clients and sent to prison.
Tags: Raleigh News & Observer; Narcisa "Natalie" Gonzalez; Hispanics; lawyers; Durham; North Carolina; immigrants; illegal; court; bilking; fraud; money; justice; crime
-
Midnight Run
High school basketball coach Joel Hopkins knew "how to work people, especially young people. The more troubled they are, the more convincing he is." Hopkins talent for luring young players away from their high schools and into his program earned him the name "Coach Midnight." While working out of Durham, N.C., Hopkins would systematically "kidnap" young players from various high schools to join his program, promising them merchandising deals with the likes of Adidas and Nike, and prospects of going to schools like Kentucky or Alabama, or directly into the NBA. Prospects going into Hopkins program come with aspirations of emulating direct-to-NBA player Tracy McGrady, whom Hopkins coached at Durham's Mount Zion Christian Academy. When Hopkins felt he was done with one program he would move on to create another, taking all of his players with him. In this article Bruce Feldman examines the history of "Coach Midnight," and the problems he has left in his wake.
Tags: High School Basketball; sports; Durham; N.C.
-
Durham Grade Changes: A Step Too Far?
WRAL-TV examines whether "schools are lowering the standards for athletes ... just so they can play ball." The report details how a school principal has changed the grades of a student to keep him eligible for football. The report shows "that the student and the parents were part of the problem." It also discover that the grade change violates the state Educator code of ethics, but is allowed under the state law.