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 "delta" ...
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Broken Justice in Phillips County
A five-part series preceded by an initial investigation into dysfunction in the criminal justice system in an Arkansas Delta county known for corruption and poverty. The year-long investigation uncovered errors and archaic practices in the handling of fugitive warrants and speedy trials that allowed felony suspects to remain free for years without fear of answering to the charges against them. As a result, prosecutors had to drop hundreds of cases for failure to take them to trial in a timely manner. Since publication, the Phillips County sheriff has made changes in how his office handles failure-to-appear warrants, and court officials have reduced case backlogs. Nevertheless, problems persist.
Tags: Criminal justice system; corruption; poverty; fugitive warrants
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A My Lai a Month
"These articles chronicle the mass slaughter of civilians- up to 5,000 according to one U.S. official- by U.S. 9th Infantry Division troops in Vietnam's Mekong Delta during Operation Speedy Express, which lasted from December 1968 through May 1969."
Tags: Army Chief of Staff; whistleblower; Saigon; John Paul Vann; warfare;
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Losing Louisiana
The Times-Picayune found that over the next 100 years the natural sinking of soft marsh soils could result in making New Orleans an island. Hundreds of miles of Louisiana coastline would be wiped out and sea-level will rise over time as the soil falls.
Tags: flooding; marshes; delta; Mississippi River; Hurricane Katrina; wetland; sediment;
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Captain WOW: When is Mental State Of a Pilot Grounds for Grounding Him?
The Wall Street Journal reports on the case of a pilot, Capt. Witter, diagnosed with personal disorder. "The Witter case, offering a look inside the normally closed world of the cockpit shows just how difficult it can be to decide whether a pilot is mentally fit to fly. Of 5.066 pilot groundings for medical reasons in the past two years, 915 involved psychological or psychiatric disorders."
Tags: domestic violence aggression; alcohol abuse; FAA; NTSB; safety; Delta
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Airport security: Years of inaction left flawed system to fail
A Kansas City Star investigative packet examines lapses in aviation security, which allowed for the Sept. 11 terrorist attack to occur. Airlines have always fought against draft legislation for raising minimum security standards, the Star reports, in order to keep their attractiveness to customers and profit margins. One of the stories reveals that airlines have regularly sent congressmen on vacation and 'educational' trips for free, in exchange for favorable legislation. Despite constant warnings by the General Accounting Office, not only the Congress, but also the FAA failed to enforce rules to tighten airport security. Some of the findings are that screeners sometimes turned out to be felons, and bags were not scanned for bombs. The investigation focuses on problems detected specifically at the Kansas City International Airport, the nation's 35th busiest airport.
Tags: American Association of Airport Executives; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); TWA; United Airlines; Delta Air; screeners; security; lobbying; bombs; terrorism; bombs; check-in; X-rays; weapons
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The Delta Initiatives: a threadbare legacy
Since 1991 the government has poured more than $200 billion into the impovrished Mississippi River Delta, but programs have "failed to acheive their ambition goals," Jeff Porter reports. Goals set for reducing teen pregnancy to match the national average, providing accesss to adequate water, sewage disposal, fire protection and economically stabilizing minority and small family farms, were not met. The articles examine successes and faliures in small towns in the Delta.
Tags: poverty; Arkansas; delta; Delta Authority; Delta Initiatives report; literacy; teen pregnancy
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The Killing Fields
In fuel-rich Nigeria, the people and the environment pay for the harvest of gas and oil. Of the most deadly consequences are explosions brought on by leaking gas pipelines, sometimes sabotaged by Nigerians looking for gas to sell on the black market. Oil spills have also devastated certain communities with their polluted aftermath.
Tags: pipeline; environment; safety; gasoline; oil pollution; Niger Delta; fuel shortages; corruption; Shell Petroleum Development Corporation; Royal/Dutch Shell; oil spill; sabotage; Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
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Some Airlines Mishandle Food, Sewage Disposal
"Some of the country's biggest airlines and in-flight caterers have violated federal health regulations of food storage and sewage handling, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration records. So far this year, the agency has sent six 'warning letters' about violations to carriers including Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, AMR Corp.'s American Airlines and Continental Airlines - twice the number send during the same period in 1997." Trains and buses are also discussed.
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Foundations touch state with millions
Porter takes an in-depth look at the many foundations in Arkansas. The first of the three pieces provides an outline of the assests of many of the foundations as well as listing of the charities to which they donate. The second and third pieces look specifically at the how certain Arkansas foundations have helped communities.
Tags: Foundations; money; Arkansas; community; Arkansas Delta; CAR
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A defining battle
The Inquirer gives a thorough recount of Oct. 3, 1993, when 120 U.S. soldiers were dropped into Mogadishu, Somalia in order to abduct warlord Mohamed Aidid. When the operation went wrong and the soldiers were overtaken by mobs of angry Somalians, 18 U.S. soldiers were killed and 73 were wounded.
Tags: Mogadishu; Somalia; U.N.; Michael Durant; U.S. Army; Delta Force