Posts by hdcoadmin
IRE Membership Drive prize winners announced
Thanks to everyone who joined or renewed their memberships during the recently completed membership drive. IRE has seen strong increases in membership, and we greatly appreciate your support. We also hope that you’ll take advantage of the many resources IRE offers, both online and through our regional and national training sessions and conferences. For the…
Read MoreGrounded pilots promoted to key California National Guard positions
A report by the Sacramento Bee shows revealed that “four pilots who are under criminal investigation for receiving possibly illegal payments of public funds have been appointed to key leadership posts in the California National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing based in Fresno. Two former commanders, also targeted in the probe, previously were relieved of their…
Read MoreInvestigation shows Phoenix kidnapping statistics are skewed
Using Arizona’s Open Records Law, Dave Biscobing of KNXV-TV in Phoenix recently uncovered discrepancies in kidnapping statistics used by the Phoenix Police Department to obtain more than $2 million in federal grant money. City leaders and Arizona Senator John McCain repeatedly cited the statistics, calling Phoenix the “Kidnapping Capital of the US.” However, Biscobing’s research…
Read MoreHead of Emerging Technology Fund profited off of private deals
The Dallas Morning News investigated Alan Kirchhoff, the former director of Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s prized economic development program, the Emerging Technology Fund. The story traced the rapid rise of Kirchhoff and his friendship with a powerful member of the tech fund’s advisory committee, William E. Morrow. The News obtained a Texas Ranger investigation that…
Read MoreAsthma strikes more young people in certain Utah ZIP codes
A report by the Salt Lake Tribune reveals that children living on the west side of Salt Lake City take more trips to the emergency room and are more likely to “be hospitalized for asthma than those living in the rest of the state.” An analysis of data from the Utah Department of Health that…
Read MoreSearching for the Truth
In this three-part series, Brandon Stahl of the Duluth News Tribune reports on a rape case that remains unsolved. In a classic case of “he said, she said,” a 34-year-old woman accused a 17-year-old male of coming into her home and raping her while holding a gun to her throat. Andrew Lawrence, the accused, maintains…
Read MoreThe New Mafia
The Daily investigates the increasing number of Mexican drug cartels in American suburbs. The team was led by reporter Josh Bernstein and “spent six months traveling” through Mexico to document how the “drug cartels are becoming ‘The New Mafia’ in America.” Smugglers bring illegal immigrants into the country and hold them in “drop houses,” which…
Read MoreFood stamp fraud runs rampant in King County
Food stamp fraud has been a problem in the business district of Seattle for years. The problem was so bad, in fact, that a three-year investigation by federal agents could not clean up the mess. Chris Ingalls and KING 5 News have uncovered new “information that may explain why: Our analysis of government data shows…
Read MoreTaking CAR 2011 home
There is plenty to take home from the CAR Conference, whether or not you made it to Raleigh, N.C. The four-day conference offered hands-on training of new analytical resources, along with dozens of other tips for journalists. With so much information, it’s good to take the next few weeks to process it all. IRE staff…
Read MoreNatural-gas drilling poses risks, regulation is lax
“Drilling Down,” a series by The New York Times, explores the the risks of natural-gas drilling, along with efforts to regulate the industry. “The relatively new drilling method — known as high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking — carries significant environmental risks.” For each well the process can create over a million gallons of wastewater…
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