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 "garbage" ...
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The Baghdad Job: Iraq's Missing Billions
Revealing that every one of the billion dollar cash airlifts the NY Fed sent to Baghdad was met by the same man. He handled as much as 40 billion dollars in cash in the war zone between 2003 and 2008. On one occasion -- to dupe the insurgents who frequently attacked his currency convoys -- the courier placed a billion dollars in the back of a garbage truck and rolled it down "Route Irish," the unnamed military designation for what was the most dangerous road in the world. The courier accused unnamed Iraqi officials of being involved in theft of millions of dollars of the cash that he delivered into their vaults.
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Meadowlands for Sale
"The stories examined how a $1-billion plan to clean up and reclaim a large swath of the Meadowlands -- New Jersey's infamous toxic swamps and trash dumps -- lead to an environmental disaster underwritten by the state's taxpayers." The reporters found that the plan was plagued with corruption. For example, the developers who were supposed to be cleaning the area made $30 million by opening it up to dumpers. The Meadowlands site is now more polluted than when the project began.
Tags: development; developers; EnCap; toxic waste; garbage; environment; EPA; state government
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MBI Heavy Trucks
WSMV-TV examined MBI trucking, “the nation's largest garbage hauler,†which hauls ordinary household trash across Tennessee. Their analysis of "a single trucker's daily weigh tickets for a period of more than 3 years" showed that he only "followed the federal weight law just 21 times." As a result of the investigation the company's safety and compliance record has caught the interest of the federal government.
Tags: waste management; trucking; highways; roads; U.S. Attorney; FBI; Congress; federal government; MBI; landfill;
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Hidden Government
It was found that the Long Island taxpayers' money is being used to fund new cars, trips, and health benefits for officials. Examination of certain districts that provided special services from water to garbage pickup, found that the officials are misusing tax funds.
Tags: Michael Kalnik; Katuria D'Amato; Lester Siems; Karen Wilutis; Stephen Mahler; Michael Norman; Patrick E. Byrne Jr.
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Our Tax Dollars at Work
A look at how the tax money in Kansas City is spent on street maintenance, police, fire/ambulance, water, sewer, parks and recreation, municipal courts, and solid waste removal.
Tags: Utilities; tax money; city spending; taxes; streets; emergency services; municipal courts; garbage pickup; solid waste removal
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Handouts for the Homeland
The 60 Minutes team investigated how different localities spent Homeland Security grant money. They found numerous instances of frivolous or questionable purchases, ranging from bulletproof dog vests to garbage trucks. Congress overhauled the Homeland Security dispersal system shortly after the story aired.
Tags: None
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Free ride: While schools suffer, hundreds get free city cars and fill-ups
In this ongoing series that exposes mismanagement, incompetence and corruption inside Yonkers City Hall, the newspaper examined the city's car-lease program for employees, questionable ethics among officials, and a handshake deal for garbage service that allowed businesses to pay their bills in cash. The investigation found the city spent more than $820,000 on 54 car leases -- far more than similarly sized cities -- including leases for SUVs and other expensive cars. Council members were awarded lucrative contracts while in office, and they had failed to file financial disclosure forms for five years as required by law. The garbage deal defied a city code and cost taxpayers $175,000 annually.
Tags: ethics; government leases; contracts; Freedom of Information; computer-assisted reporting; CAR; car-lease program; financial disclosure laws; trash service; city government
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Garbage In, Garbage Out
Siderius reports on flaws in the Dallas $17-million curbside recycling program, funded by taxpayers and operated by a private contractor, Community Waste Disposal. The story reveals that the city did not oversee the performance of the contractor; the company cheated about the number and weight of loads actually being recycled; and poor neighborhoods hardly received any service at all.
Tags: city government; city council; company records; public records; budget
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Pros or Cons?
WMAQ, in a joint project with the Daily Herald, investigates a secret ring of convicted felons who work at telemarketing companies and solicit funds for injured police officers and fire fighters. The report revealed that the criminals deceived people in donating money and then kept most of the donations. The investigation resulted in Illinois' Attorney General suing three telemarketing companies, their owners and the workers with criminal past. The reporters obtained many of the documents for the story by digging through the garbage of the telemarketing companies. The file includes transcript and clips from the investigation in the Daily Herald.
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; background checks; employment; drugs; crime; identity theft; credit card numbers
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The Immortal Landfill
Governing takes a look at landfills, such as Cedar Hills landfill near Seattle, and refutes the idea that landfills are obsolete. As long as burying trash remains the cheapest option for waste disposal, it will remain popular.
Tags: landfill; garbage; Cedar Hills landfill; waste disposals; recycling