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 "San Diego" ...
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Port Authority: Battle at the Waterfront
This investigation was about lies and obfuscation, and the stakes were enormous: A mayor’s election, a growing media empire and potentially billions of dollars in development. Our reporting revealed how within months of purchasing the largest media operation in San Diego County, the new owners of U-T San Diego were using their power and status to influence -- and even threaten -- government officials into helping them realize lucrative plans for developing the downtown waterfront. It also illuminated an insidious practice suspected nationwide: use of private electronic accounts to conduct the public’s business. Our reporting defined much of the discussion around the mayor’s race in the weeks before the election. In the end, the candidate at the heart of the probed was defeated.
Tags: Mayoral election; fraud; government officials; San Diego
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Pacific Steel Recycling Pollution
KGTV 10News revealed toxic waste piles behind the gates of a San Diego County recycling yard- Pacific Steel Inc.
Tags: Pollution
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A Staggering Swindle
A real estate scam involving rented identities to purchase properties could cost the U.S. taxpayers millions. 81 bogus condos face foreclosure thanks to the scam artist Jim McConville.
Tags: real estate; condos; McConville; boom; mortgage; foreclosure; scam; San Diego;
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Backyard Bombs
In 1983, two boys were killed in San Diego as a result of old munitions explosion in a nearby canyon. San Diego County has a long military history of training camps and defense sites which have been turned into residential neighborhoods, but traces of that past are still seen today as some explosives were never removed.
Tags: weapons; shell; shell shock; debris; Department of Defense; obstacle course; practice field;
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Tons of Questions
After wildfires destroyed 365 homes in San Diego, the city rushed to enter contracts with two companies to haul away mounds of potentially toxic debris. The Union-Tribune investigated and found that the contractors, A.J. Diani Construction C. of Santa Maria and Watsonville-based Granite Construction Co., claimed to haul far more rubble than privately hired companies did from comparable lots, failed to provide accurate documentation of how many tons they removed and billed the city millions more than stated in their contracts.
Tags: contractors; natural disasters; restoration; fraud; overcharging; demolition permit applications
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The Redevelopment Investigation
This investigation came in several installments throughout the year. The city of San Diego, unlike any other government in California, operates two redevelopment agencies outside of the traditional City Hall structure and with little oversight, running them as separate nonprofit corporations with their own presidents, boards, offices and identities. An investigation into those two public agencies, which have combined annual budgets of nearly $300 million, uncovered a rogue system of forgotten government, which was underscored by a clandestine bonus system. The president of one agency used to pay herself and her aides more than $1 million over 5 years and numerous conflicts of interests between developers and top officials.
Tags: San Diego; city government; corruption; redevelopment agencies; new media; nonprofit corporations
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Boom for McMillin, Bust for City
"A four-month investigation into the redevelopment of a 235-acre Navy boot camp in the heart of San Diego revealed a lopsided deal that put cash in the pockets of developer Corky McMillin Cos. executives and left taxpayers footing the bill. The City of San Diego probably won't see any money from a promised 50-50 profits split, the investigation showed."
Tags: development; investments; land acquisitions; redevelopment; insider deal; contract; real estate; homeowners;
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No Child Left Behind: A closer look
"'No Child Left Behind: A Closer Look' examines three little-known aspects of the No Child Left Behind Act, President Bush's signature education law." The three part series looks at race, failing schools, and the impact it has had on the "nation's best teachers."
Tags: No Child Left Behind Act; race; San Diego; teachers; schools; education; test scores; loopholes; school boards;
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The Life and Business of Aaron Feldman
The stories explored the “fascinating and complex life of Aaron Feldman, businessman and Mexican immigrant who had been thrust into the public eye after his company, Sunroad Enterprises, had been allowed by the city of San Diego to build a 12-story office toward that was 20 feet taller than the Federal Aviation Administration allowed.†They revealed a “powerful, but intensely private man,†and offered “exclusive details of his ups and downs in the business world and his aggressive, hard-nosed reputation.â€
Tags: Aaron Feldman; Sunroad Enterprises; president; business profile; Federal Aviation Administration;
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Getting the Numbers Wrong; Police Chief Has History of Inaccuracies
"Over the course of three years, San Diego's police chief made a series of inaccurate statements to the public and the San Diego City Council both on television programs and in council committee meetings. The inaccurate statements included misquoting statistics and making misleading proclamations about response times in San Diego."
Tags: government; city; police; statistics; San Diego