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 "governor's office" ...
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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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Cover-Up at the Governor's Mansion
The investigative team exposed Ohio's most powerful state officials using their offices to interfere with a criminal investigation for political reasons.
Tags: governor's mansion; politicians; elected officials; corruption; law enforcement
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"Political misuse of a public database, a collection of stories by Harford Courant staff writer Jon Lender"
Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz exploited an extensive yet recondite database of "36,000 Connecticut citizens" by submitting a FOI request within her office. By using her own staff and a "taxpayer-funded budget," she tracked and documented citizen's "political and personal information" and created the database to boost her aspiration of reaching higher office.
Tags: Susan Bysiewicz; FOI; Richard Blumenthal; campaign; taxpayers; Democrat; state attorney general; governor
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DMN Investigates/Rick Perry
The Dallas Morning News investigated the background of Texas governor,Rick Perry, as he sought re-election for a third term. The reporters showed that the state had given more than $16 million taxpayer dollars to high tech companies with investors or officers who were large campaign donors to Perry.
Tags: corruption; elections; re-election; campaign; campaign contributions
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Oregon Radio System Failures
In 2005, Oregon launched a $414 million project to build an emergency radio network that would allow public safety officers to communicate to each other in a crisis. This investigation shows that project officials had misled lawmakers and the public about the tremendous cost to the state and falsified progress reports given to the legislature and governor.
Tags: radio; budgets; cost; public safety; whistleblower
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A Political Crime Spree
Reporters worked for years to expose the corruption within the administration of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who rode into office on promises of reform and transparency. Tribune stories unraveled the complex inner workings of the governor and his closest advisers, showing how they rewarded friends and political contributors with state work, how people who did business with the governor's wife got benefits from state government and how politics infiltrated law enforcement and regulatory agencies. These stories helped lay the foundation for a massive federal investigation that eventually led to the governor's arrest.
Tags: Blagojevich; government investigation; FOIA; search warrants; fraud; ethics legislation; Chicago governor arrested; shoe-leather reporting; administrative cover up;
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The Governor's Database
This story revealed that Texas Governor Rick Perry was compiling a massive database on Texas residents. A private contractor had been hired to collect personal information about millions of people. While the stated purpose of the database was homeland security, it was controlled by a political appointee working within the Governor's office, not by a law enforcement agency.
Tags: state government; privacy; public records; FOIA; homeland security
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Corruption in Illinois
Though the state administration of Illinois promised reform and transparency, it has "worked to secretly to reward friends with unprecedented control over state hiring, millions of dollars in state contracts, and a shield from scrutiny through an assault on public access." Nearly a year's worth of stories exposed the problems affecting major offices, including that of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.
Tags: Richard Daley; Rod Blagojevich; nepotism; political favors
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Expressway Authority Investigation
This series investigated the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority, which prompted an investigation by Governor Jeb Bush's office, an investigation by the Florida Legislature's Auditor General and an ongoing investigation by the FBI.
Tags: transportation; highway; political scandal; politicians; lobbyists; special interests; state government; Hillsborough County Florida
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No Ex-Councilman Left Behind
After concern over the pensions crisis in San Diego, the author investigated the circumstances regarding a 48 percent increase in the pension check of a long-gone former councilman, Mike Gotch. It was found that the pension increase could be viewed as a bargaining tool between a current city councilman, Jim Madaffer and the former employee who was working at the time in the governor's office.
Tags: San Diego; Mike Gotch; Jim Madaffer; governor's office; pension; state park funding; lobbying; city councilman