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 "Mike Battles" ...
-
Behind Closed Doors, Kentucky City Buys Controversial Building For $1.3 Million
Danville, Kentucky’s purchase of the former Boyle County Industrial Storage Facility, better known as the BISCO building, drew a lot of controversy along with legal battles during the second half of 2012. During its Aug. 13 meeting, Danville City Commission unanimously voted to buy the building at auction for $1,237,550. However, a bidder hired by the city had already won the property in auction three days before. Also, on the day of the auction city officials had cut a check for 10 percent of the BISCO building’s purchase price. Residents raised concerns about the secretive nature of the purchase, especially since then-Commissioner Ryan Montgomery’s father, Mike, had a long-standing business relationship with the building’s former owner Mitchell Barnes. After being publicly prodded, Mayor Bernie Hunstad also acknowledged that his wife, Susan, worked for the bidder the city hired to handle the auction process.
Tags: City officials; city government; auction
-
Virgina Tech Shootings Raise Alarms About Gun Control and Mental Health
These stories investigate a number of issues raised by the April 16th, 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech. They reveal shortcomings in the state's mental health system and a gaping loophole in the process used to screen mentally ill people seeking to purchase guns. The stories go into great detail about how the shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, battled mental illness and then was allowed to purchase guns because his illness was not reported databases used to screen gun buyers.
Tags: education; higher education; university; college; violence; school shooting; state government; gun control; mental health
-
War Profiteers?
This CBS 60 Minutes segment uses the story of two men with no experience who were awarded multi-million dollar contracts from the Provisional Coalition Authority in Iraq as a lead into the allegations of war profiteering by larger companies like Halliburton and Kellogg, Brown and Root.
Tags: Iraq; Afghanistan; Middle East; Green Zone; corruption; graft; fraud; kickbacks; bribery; waste; Army Rangers; breach of contract; Custer Battles; Scott Custer; Mike Battles; Ambassador Paul Bremer; Colonel Richard Ballard; Frank Willis; procurement; war profiteers; Coalition Provisional Authority; Coalition Authority's Ministry of Finance; Colonel Philip Wilkinson; Robert Isaacson; Cayman Islands; Justice Department; whistleblower lawsuit; Halliburton; Kellogg, Brown and Root; KBR; Senator Byron Dorgan; Special Inspector General Stuart Bowen;
-
"The Fight in the Forest: The Battle Over Virginia's Logging Boom
The Roanoke Times reveals that rapid growth in Virginia's logging industry has led to increased environmental and economic problems in a region of the state already suffering from the effects of decades of coal mining.
-
Law and Disorder: Legal Aid's Latest Battle
Conservatives have long attacked the poverty law agency, which in the 60s sought to help the poor find justice. But Mike Weiss reports that the worst enemies of Santa Clara County's Legal Aid Society now include old supporters and former employees who say the group is poorly managed and doesn't meet the needs of the disadvantaged.