Resource Center

Stories

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 "Capital" ...

  • Grim Reapers

    Maricopa County, Arizona, has faced economic hurdles in paying for representation of indigent defendants charged with capital crimes. In recent years, the county supplanted other jurisdictions as the unofficial “death penalty capital” of the United States. “Grim Reaper” describes how a prominent capital criminal-defense attorney committed serious ethical and potentially criminal violations over a period of five years, during which time he collected more than $2.4 million from the county, including payment for work that he never had performed. in the wake of publication, law enforcement initiated a still-ongoing criminal investigation (as did the State Bar of Arizona), and the county's presiding judge announced sweeping and immediate changes in how criminal-defense attorneys representing indigent clients would be vetted, selected and paid.

    Tags: Crimes; charges; criminal justice system; capital crimes

    By Paul Rubin

    Phoenix New Times

    2012

  • Are EMS Companies Taking Medicare For A Ride?

    The Houston Chronicle published stories detailing how Houston was the nation's private ambulance capital and how it was connected to questionable Medicare payments and unregulated for-profit mental health clinics.

    Tags: private ambulance; medicare; mental health clinics

    By Terri Langford, Yang Wang

    Houston Chronicle

    2011

  • Education for Sale

    Education Management Corp. was already a swiftly growing player in the lucrative world of for-profit higher education, with annual revenues topping $1 billion, but it had its sights set on industry domination. So, five years ago, the Pittsburgh company's executives agreed to sell its portfolio of more than 70 colleges to a trio of investment partnerships for $3.4 billion, securing the needed capital for an aggressive national expansion.

    Tags: Education Industry; For-Profit; Goldman Sachs

    By Chris Kirkham

    Huffington Post

    2011

  • UDC

    The 16-part investigative series exposed out-of-control spending by the president of the University of District of Columbia, the only publicly-funded university in the nation's capital. The story shows how the university president used taxpayer dollars on first-class travel, a luxury automobile and home renovations... all when he was doubling student tuition.

    Tags: student tuition; unversity president; University of the District of Columbia; UDC

    By Tisha Thompson; Rick Yarborough; Steve Jones

    WRC-TV (Washington, D.C.)

    2011

  • UDC

    An exposure of out-of-control spending by the president of the University of District of Columbia, the only publicly-funded university in the nation's capital. The investigation showed how President Allen Sessoms used taxpayer dollars on first-class travel, a luxury automobile and home renovations, all while he was doubling student tuition.

    Tags: udc; fraud; washington; taxpayer; dollars;

    By Tisha Thompson; Rick Yarborough; Steve Jones

    WTTG-TV (Washington

    2011

  • Phoenix Kidnappings: Uncovering the truth

    "For years Phoenix has been called the kidnapping capital of the U.S. Police, city leaders and politicians blamed it on the border, citing 2008 statistics that claimed there were 358 kidnappings that occurred in the city. However, KNXV's investigation uncovered the statistics used were inaccurate."

    Tags: kidnapping; border control; crime; broadcast

    By Gerard Watson; David Biscobing

    KNXV-TV (Phoenix)

    2011

  • UDC

    WTTG's 16-part investigation exposed out-of-control spending by the president of the University of DC, the only publicly-funded university in the nation's capital.

    Tags: UDC; false records; broadcast

    By Tisha Thompson; Rick Yarborough; Steve Jones

    WTTG-TV (Washington, D.C.)

    2011

  • Florida's Insurance Nightmare

    The Herald-Tribune's series about the Florida property insurance market gives Floridians their first look at the risk of the insurance companies on which they rely. "In print and online, readers can see detailed financial information of more than 100 insurance carriers, the capital they have to weather a disaster, the degree to which they are overexposed, and the extent to which they are leveraged. It is the only public source to alert consumers whose homes might be in danger."

    Tags: property insurance; fraud; hurricane; Florida; insurance fraud; National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Florida Office of Insurance Information;

    By Paige St. John

    Herald-Tribune (Sarasota, Fla.)

    2010

  • Cracked

    Fetlz's investigation "exposes how junk science has allowed Texas to keep mentally retarded inmates on death row - and execute several of them - despite a 2002 Supreme Court decision, Atkins v. Virginia, that bans such punishment for these defendants.

    Tags: capital punishment; criminal justice; mental retardation; death row; execution; Texas; Atkins v. Virginia

    By Renee Feltz

    The Nation Institute (New York, N.Y.)

    2010

  • "DWI Death Capital"

    KHOU-TV set out to answer a frightening question: Why is Harris County, Texas "the DWI death capital of the country?" Employees of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission revealed "little-known amendments" that offer immunity to bars and bartenders "from civil liability" or "state administrative action" that could result from the state law that prevents over-serving alcohol.

    Tags: Safe Harbor; TABC; Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission; dram shop; liquor distributors; drunk driving; bartender; public records; Texas Public Information Act; Harris County

    By Jeremy Rogalski; Keith Tomshe; David Raziq; Eddie Lozano

    KHOU-TV (Houston)

    2010