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 "department of transportation" ...
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Fraud on the Job
KING 5 dedicated nearly a year to dig into the complex world of the federal minority contracting program. The program is intended to remedy past and current discrimination against minority and women-owned contracting businesses who want a shot at working on federal highway projects. But instead of fostering equal opportunity, KING found staggering fraud and abuse in the taxpayer-funded program. The investigative series titled “Fraud on the Job" was born. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is responsible for administering the program. WSDOT contracts with a small state agency, the Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises (OMWBE) to certify which contractors qualify as "disadvantaged business enterprises" or DBEs. They also make sure that once in, the companies aren’t cheating or becoming too big to qualify. The state’s share of billions of federal highway funds comes with some strings attached, including a requirement that a certain percentage of money spent on transportation projects be reserved for minority-owned firms. The results of the “Fraud on the Job” series were swift and extraordinary. Two days after the first story aired, the governor ordered the Washington State Patrol to conduct a criminal fraud investigation. She also ordered a top-to- bottom review of OMWBE. Two weeks later, the governor asked the director of OMWBE to resign. Another top manager quit and another was fired. Two of the companies KING exposed as defrauding the government were removed from the DBE program by the state. State and federal legislation is now being drafted to stop the cheating. And now the FBI and the Inspector General of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation are investigating.
Tags: fraud; government; tax; taxpayer; fund
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"Killer Roads"
Reporter Thomas Hargrove analyzed road segments across the United States to identify dangerous and potentially fatal flaws in the highways. He found that highway fatalities are on the rise, and the cause of these deaths is becoming more and more unclear. Some of the most dangerous roads can be found in California, Arizona and Nevada.
Tags: US Department of Transportation; Scripps Howard; Pacific Coast Highway; San Bernardino
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Trip to nowhere
“At least seven college sports teams, along with parents and boosters, lost a combined $544,000 in payments to a travel company”. This company scheduled a number of trips for these teams, which they never took because the company either cancelled or never booked the trip. The owner of the company denies any wrong doings and would not give an explanation to the teams, parents, and boosters as to where their money went.
Tags: Transports Athletics; Dale Brannan; transportation; financial; schools; universities; athletic departments; sports; athletic director
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Risky business; Bus safety an issue for colleges
The investigation found that "at least 85 Division I universities used charter bus companies during 2007 and 2008 with deficient federal safety ratings." Further, "about 35 have used companies with an overall conditional rating, which mean they have a more serious record of infractions." A number of things contributed to account for the companies’ bad safety records, these includes crashes, speeding tickets, unqualified drivers, and worn out vehicles.
Tags: FOIA; athletics; athletic department; transportation; sports; teams; travel; inspections; operations
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"Minority Contractors in Illinois Get Few Stimulus Dollars"
WBEZ Radio "analyzed contract documents" from the Illinois Department of Transportation to investigate where the money awarded from the Recovery Act is actually going. The analysis revealed that minority- and female-owned businesses are not getting their fair share of the funds.
Tags: Recovery Act; Illinois Department of Transportation; Federal Transportation Secretary; Ray LaHood; American Reinvestment and Recovery Act; stimulus act
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"State 7th in U.S. in boat mishaps accidents"
Arizona has one of the highest boating accident rates in the country. It is also one of the only states to not have boater education laws or require boat operators to take any type of education course before going out on the water. The National Transportation Safety Board has been urging Arizona to create and enforce such safety laws to decrease the number of accidents.
Tags: National Transportation Safety Board; boating accidents; personal watercraft; Arizona State Parks Department; Sen. Linda Gray; Game and Fish
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The Stimulus Debate
This series examined the effectiveness of the nearly $800 billion federal stimulus package. Reporters explored several issues related to the package, such as whether the money was going to contractors with problems in their past and whether money was going to places allowed under the legislation.
Tags: stimulus; economy; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; Recovery.gov; Department of Transportation; Federal Aviation Administration;
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Fatal Freeway Design: HOV Lanes in North texas
"Despite official claims of success, WFAA-TV showed the design of the newly opened HOV carpool lanes in the Dallas area lead to a 40% spike in serious car crashes and directly contributed to three deaths."
Tags: hov; carpool; dallas; accidents; safety; highway; Texas; department of transportation;
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9/11 Redux: Thousands of Aliens' in U.S. Flight School Illegally
This investigation exposed the fact that thousands of foreign national were still obtaining U.S. pilot training and U.S pilot licenses illegally without the required security background checks implemented after the 9-11 terrorists attacks. The story exposed serious flaws in the TSA and FAA system of insuring pilots had successfully done in obtaining piloting skills in the USA prior to the September 11 attacks of 2001.
Tags: September 11, 2001; terrorism; flight schools; Department of Homeland Security; DHS; Transportation Security Administration; TSA; Federal Aviation Administration; FAA; pilot licenses
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Leonard Lawson
State taxes payers were forced to pay tens of millions of dollars because of the influence of blacktop contractors over the Kentucky Department of Highways. The man who headed the largest blacktop monopoly was Leonard Lawson who was indicted on charges of bribery, conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
Tags: contract; asphalt; Elmo Greer & Sons; transportation; roads; Phillip Dufour;