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 "public parking" ...
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Social network analysis of high-ranking officials in S. Korean government
It is a social network analysis-based investigative reporting on high ranking public officials in the Lee Myung-bak administration and his presidential office. Since its launch in 2008, the Lee administration has been criticized for the dark side of spoils system or cronyism in personnel affairs. The JoongAng Ilbo investigated on the "chain of relationships" among 944 high-ranking officials and President Lee for the last four years. We also used text-mining methodology on social media, such as Internet blogs and twitter, which showed the public's sentiments toward the cronyism of the Lee government.
Tags: Social network; public officials; presidential office; cronyism
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Addressing 911
It all started with a tip from people on the front lines, and quickly unraveled into a story that has sparked much needed oversight of Ingham County's new consolidated 911 center. The center merged two 911 dispatch centers into one back in June of 2012. In October, a group of first responders approached Reporter Ann Emmerich with alarming concerns about problems within the system. They believed at least two deaths could be connected to delayed response times because emergency crews were sent to the wrong address. They also believed county officials were trying to "cover up" the problems. Using the Freedom of Information Act, Ann Emmerich began digging into records from the 911 Dispatch Center. She obtained documented complaints from the Lansing Fire Department, call logs from the dispatch center, and time stamped recordings of 911 calls. Just days after Emmerich made those FOIA requests, Lansing's Mayor announced he would form a task force to investigate concerns with the County's 911 Center. At the time, there was no advisory board in place to oversee the center. Once officials went public with the formation of a task force, the original board that worked to establish the 911 center was brought back together to begin oversight.
Tags: broadcast; 911; FOIA; 911 center
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What Trinity Toll Road Backers Didn't Tell Us
In 2007, Dallas voters rendered a judgement on the largest public works project in city history, casting ballots in a referendum that had become a surprisingly close, all-in-battle between grassroots activists and the Dallas business and cultural establishment. The question- should the city's multi-billion plan to transform Dallas' long-neglected riverfront into a massive series of parks, forests, white-water rapids, and other natural wonders be built, as planned, with a $2 billion high-speed toll road running right through it?
Tags: Dallas; 2007; Toll Road; Grassroots Activist
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Structural Failures
A series of stories examined the potential causes for the failure of a parking garage fa�ade that fell, killing a teenager walking to a music festival.
Tags: parking garage; public works; construction; engineering
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Theme Park Lawsuits
This investigation looks at a secretive but very critical aspect of theme parks in Florida. This aspect is “how and how often people get hurt in theme parks, and what happens to them if they complain”. Private parks aren’t required to disclose or provide a description of non-fatal injuries and it has become a voluntary action to actually report these injuries.
Tags: federal; state; local; laws; regulations; safety; public; rides; lawsuits; inspections; memorandum of understanding; tourists
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Airport Security
"On several occasion, Fox2 discovered open and unattended perimeter gates that appeared to lead to the runways of Lambert St. Louis International Airport. When we alerted security, the Airport Police Chief said it was not a problem because of 'layered security.' Several months later, a homeless man reportedly walked through one of those gates and boarded an airplane. An airline employee found him sleeping on a plane."
Tags: security breach; airline; public parking; Paul Mason;
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Renegade Riders
Despite new state laws, extra enforcement and self-policing, off-road vehicles are tearing up public lands across the state. As the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources designated nearly 8,000 miles of motorized trails, top officials repeatedly ignored staff experts' recommendations on how to keep riders away from sensitive areas such as wetlands. A companion video reports on startribune.com used a hidden camera to capture illegal off-trail damage as it happened.
Tags: state parks; environmental destruction; Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; public safety; conservation; park trails
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The Protected
One million cars owned by California public employees have license plates that shield their information from prying eyes. That secrecy can enable them to run toll booths and red lights and avoid parking citations. They also signal police that the drivers are "one of their own" or related to someone who is, causing many to let these public employees off with a warning.
Tags: license plates; California; law enforcement; traffic violations; cronyism; red light cameras; speeding tickets
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Public Services Director Mismanagement
Cincinnati's Director of Public Services mismanaged his department, including firing or reprimanding some employees while giving others a slap on the wrist for the same offense. This unfairness led some employees to take pay cuts just to transfer out of his department. The reporters uncovered that those who received preferential treatment were often those who socialized with the director outside of work. The director was later demoted and transferred to the Parks Department in the wake of the investigation.
Tags: government; mismanagement; prefential treatment; malcontent
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Clean and Green
Taking advantage of a state program designed to limit suburban sprawl and preserve open space, Pennsylvania's Allegheny County has been providing tax breaks for country clubs, developers, and owners of million-dollar estates. Under the law, which allows for property assessment breaks, county assessment officials have approved hundreds of new applications since 2003, increasing the number of properties in the program by 50 percent. In return for the tax break, owners had agreed to open their properties to the public. But land owners interviewed for the story asserted their right to declare their homes private property. In addition, the investigation discovered that 60 properties - 5 percent of those in the program - have unpaid taxes totaling more than $100,000. In the wake of the initial story, a followup reported that the government declared the properties open to the public, since they received a tax break like public parks.
Tags: Property taxes; tax breaks; country clubs; government; Allegheny County