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 "perks" ...
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Green Inc., Environmentalism for Profit
With the groundbreaking series Green Inc., USA Today for the first time uncovers the truth behind the soaring movement toward constructing buildings that are certified as environmentally friendly. The series shows how "green" buildings often are barely different from their supposedly conventional counterparts -- except that green-building designers and owners often win huge tax breaks, zoning waivers and other valuable perks from government agencies. The series involves an unprecedented analysis of records for 7,100 green-certified buildings to show how the designers follow the easiest and cheapest steps to get certified. Numerous freedom-of-information requests revealed the enormous tax breaks awards to the building designers and owners, and also show how some buildings are falling far short of their environmental promise.
Tags: Environmental friendly; taxes; green buildings; certificated
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Connecticut Superintendents
Viktoria Sundqvist, investigations editor at The Middletown Press, submitted FOI requests for all school superintendent contracts in Connecticut and gathered these contracts into a searchable database. The contracts were analyzed and salaries, mileage, vacation days and other perks were analyzed and made available to the public, in addition to links to the contracts.
Tags: Schools; school superintendents; salaries; public records
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C-HIT: Pharma Perks
The Affordable Care Act requires pharmaceutical companies to publicly report all payments to physicians by September 2013. Some drug companies have already compiled, but few consumers know that the information is available or how to access it. What this story did is disclose for the first time for CT consumers: 1) how many doctors in Connecticut are high-prescribers of certain psychotropic and pain medications, (108) 2) the cost of written prescriptions (hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases) 3) how many of these doctors received payments from drug companies (at least 43) 4) and the amounts that the doctors received from the drug companies ($30,000 - $99,000) It also reported that only 3 doctors on the high-prescribing drug list have been disciplined by the state Medical Examining Board.
Tags: Affordable Care Act; pharmacy; physicians; prescriptions; drugs; Medical Examining Board
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Public Pension Perks
The series details how state elected officials nationwide have passed obscure laws to inflate the pensions paid to special groups of workers and to themselves.
Tags: pension; David Thomas; legislative pension; retire
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Landing Electrolux
When Swedish company Electrolux announced plans to build a kitchen appliance factory in Memphis, many in the region hailed it as an economic development triumph. But it didn't come cheap. Government officials approved a massive package of money and perks for a company that has a history of leaving communities to cut costs and has made no guarantee to stay in Memphis for the long term. Officials performed minimal due diligence and signed away rights to recover most of the money if the company falls short of job-creation goals.
Tags: Electrolux; Memphis; job creation
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Pension Games
"The Tribune and WGN-Chicago teamed up in the series to uncover lucrative pension perks for union officials and in the process exposed how for decades lawmakers used the pension system for personal and political gain."
Tags: pensions
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Inside the RSOs
Boozer examined the perks afforded undergraduate administration - from paid tuition, parking and stipends for six full-time students totally almost $70,000. The fees came from the University of Memphis' Student Activity Fee. The follow-ups included coverage of a freshman senator who was dismissed for being quoted in the story.
Tags: higher education; student fees; undergraduate administration; tuition
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"Paying for Perks"
Fairfax County fire department officials were frequently using taxpayer funded take-home vehicles for personal use. The vehicles were often used for commuting instead of emergencies, and were often taken out of the county leading to high gas costs paid for by the public. The investigation also shows fire officials lied when filling out "logs and other public records."
Tags: Fairfax County; Sharon Bulova; John J. Adair; Fairfax County Fire Department; Ron Mastin; Pat Herrity; Daryl Louder
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"Buffalo economic development agency scandal"
The News exposed numerous economic blunders by members of Buffalo's economic development agency. The use of anti-poverty funds for employee health insurance perks and BlackBerry devices are just some of the misuses of city finances. The city also financed a failed restaurant that was owned by a "former pro basketball player" with the anti-poverty funds.
Tags: Leonard Stokes; Michelle Barron; Buffalo Economic Renaissance Corp.; Byron W. Brown; Brian C. Davis; Brian Reilly
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County Hall: The Perks of Public Office
The series looks at local politicians and their spending habits. These habits were rather lavish for a local government which had to cut spending on certain programs. The stories focus on “everything from how commissioners were using aides as personal chauffeurs to the global travel the commissioners took with no benefit to taxpayers”. Further, advisors of the mayor were receiving “double digit” pay raises, while the budget was crumbling.
Tags: politics; public; officials; Miami-Dade County Hall; corruption; taxes; budget hearings; salary