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 "St. Paul" ...
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Airport Security
"On several occasion, Fox2 discovered open and unattended perimeter gates that appeared to lead to the runways of Lambert St. Louis International Airport. When we alerted security, the Airport Police Chief said it was not a problem because of 'layered security.' Several months later, a homeless man reportedly walked through one of those gates and boarded an airplane. An airline employee found him sleeping on a plane."
Tags: security breach; airline; public parking; Paul Mason;
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Toxic Traces Revisted
The first story in the series shows that the Minnesota Dept. of Health knew about the contaminated drinking water in the Twin Cities almost a year before releasing the information to the public. The second story reported that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency ignored the fact that perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in the soil near the 3M Company building were spilling into the Mississippi River and ground water. Last in the series, MPR News reported on how pressure from the public drove the investigation in regulating the flow of PFCs into the city's water.
Tags: contamination; Minneapolis; St. Paul; PFBA
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Lost Voters
This investigation reveals how Florida's new, $23 million computer-driven voter registration system actually disenfranchised more than 65,000 would be voters. The story documented how these voters were "lost" by the state, quantified who they were and told their stories.
Tags: elections; voters; voter registration; demographics; race; politicians; state government
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NWA Collision
A year of asking federal agencies for access culminated in this report, in which KSTP showed security footage of a collision between two commercial airliners at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. The Transportation Security Administration finally agreed to provide the tape after the station filed many requests and contacted members of Congress.
Tags: Airline; crash; collision; plane; Transportation Security Administration; TSA; airport
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Suburban money fuels mayor's race in St. Paul
The authors used computer assisted reporting to map out where campaign donations for the 2005 St. Paul mayoral election were coming from. They found that the largest proportion of contributions came from people in the suburbs rather than the city.
Tags: elections; campaign donations; mapping; GIS; CAR; data analysis; voters; city government
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Borrowing Trouble
This series looks at how corporations like Payday America use payday loans to target the poor and charge phenomenal interest fees. These stories also look at how traditional banks have helped to keep these businesses going, acting as the main source for business loans for payday lenders. At the same time, these banks are pulling their own branches out of lower income areas and violating the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 by not "serving the credit needs of all communities where they operate, including low- and moderate-income communities." Another story looks at RALs, or Refund Anticipation Loans from places like H&R Block, which also rack up interest rates and fees of 70-700 percent.
Tags: refund anticipation loans; loans; payday loans; Payday America; check-cashing businesses; Community Reinvestment Act; H&R Block
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Seeds of Change
This story looks at the Frogtown neighborhood in St. Paul. Federal funds were pumped in to keep a check on the growing crime and drug deals in this area. In the summer of 2002 police filmed drug deals and as a result many were arrested. As this story reveals, in spite of the efforts by the police over the past 10 years, the Frogtown area still has the highest crime rate in the St. Paul area.
Tags: crime; crime rate; drugs; drug dealers; Frogtown; St. Paul; Seattle; 911 calls; police undercover; drugs in schools
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No Tow Zone
An in-depth investigation using Computer Assisted Reporting showed that during snow emergencies, tow trucks rarely showed up to certain parts of St. Paul. The story examines the ramifications for poorer communities as far as selective enforcement and unequal municipal services are concerned.
Tags: Snow; tow; city services
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Twin City Terror Connection
A KMSP-TV investigation uncovered evidence of "a possible 'terror cell' in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. (KMSP-TV traced) the steps of a convicted felon, an illegal alien from Pakistan who swindled thousands of dollars from Minnesota banks in a very short period of time in early 2001. ... (KMSP-TV) found evidence of possible connections to Al Qaida."
Tags: terrorism; September 11; Al Qaida; Al Qaeda; Osama bin Laden; Minneapolis; St. Paul; Minnesota; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT
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Behind the Pine Curtain
"This article shows "how a sexually charged atmosphere was allowed to flourish over decades at St. John's Abbey, the largest Benedictine institution in the world, located in Collegeville, Minnesota." McEnroe and Louwagle "traced back four decades, and showed how one of the early abusers worked his way into a leadership role as the sexual subculture continued."
Tags: Catholic Church; sexual abuse; St. John's Abbey; Benedictine; priest; Official Catholic Directory