The IRE office will be closed from December 25th to January 5th.
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A report by Jennifer Kay of the Associated Press shows a statewide audit of Florida’s public records law found that the vast majority of agencies in the state were in compliance with with the law. The audit was conducted as part of Sunshine Week. 201 agencies were initially contacted. Of the 148 who responded, 86.5…
Read MoreThanks 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 MoreA 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 MoreUsing 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 MoreThe 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 MoreA 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 MoreIn 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 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 MoreThere 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…
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