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 "Mason" ...
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Who Killed Doc?
KSTP found that "commanders ignored warnings, botched investigations, and failed to protect service members on their own base - where they should have been the safest. As a result, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner says it has changed the way the remains of service members killed worldwide are tracked, to ensure that families of the fallen are notified of changes to their love one's autopsy or cause of death."
Tags: military; military deaths; service members; death examination; military bases
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A Question of Values
The series revealed rampant problems within the powerful county boards in Ohio that make sure property values set by the country are fair. Findings from the series include board members routinely skipping workdays, decisions being made without public hearings, and tax breaks given to friends of board members.
Tags: city government; county boards; corruption; property taxes; ethics
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Conscientious Objector: School Vaccination Investigation
A large number of parents are refusing to get their kids vaccinated for some of the most deadly diseases. State health experts didn’t know of the serve problem until the numbers told them. The numbers revealed that a “71% spike in the number of conscientious objections in the past five years”. This has left the administrative and parents asking questions that don’t have answers.
Tags: immunization records; school district; health; public; vaccine; wellness; swine flu; H1N1; outbreak
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Making Mistakes: Absentee Ballot Investigation
The story reveals problems with the counting of absentee ballots for the 2008 US Senate election recount. Apparently, absentee ballots were being accepted and counted, even though they didn’t follow the strict rules of the state. The final margin of victory was “312 votes”. Not a large number and leads to suspicion, which has made way for changes in the way future votes will be counted.
Tags: Al Franken; Norm Coleman; Senator; state government; general elections; senate seat; election judge
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Biggest Nonprofit Fraud of our Time
Sandy Frost uncovers a network of prostitution, human trafficking and child sex tourism in the secret Masonic subgroup, the Royal Order of Jesters (ROJ). Frost found that Jester groups paid for prostitution rooms and the society was linked to Richard Schair, a former fishing tour operator who brought North American into the Amazon for sex with minor, Indigenous girls.
Tags: Richard Schair; Royal Order of Jesters; Jesters; Mason; Sandy Frost; prostitution; child abuse; human trafficking; sex;
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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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City councilman forced to resign over double billing
Acting on a tip from an anonymous source, the newspaper began an investigation of travel and meal expenses by members of the Roanoke City Council. The focus quickly shifted to councilman Alfred Dowe. Travel expense forms, receipts, credit card statements and other documents showed Dowe spent nearly $15,000 on city-related meals, lodging and travel in 2007 - almost as much as the other six council members.
Tags: city council; city government; travel expenses; Virginia; reimbursement; expenditure
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Infant Mortality in the South
In 2005 Mississippi infant mortality has "shot up" by 18 percent. Despite the large increase, "the only substantial change that affected public health in Mississippi in 2005 was Governor Haley Barbour cutting the Medicaid roles by 19 percent when he implemented restrictive eligibility guidelines."
Tags: Medicaid; infant mortality; Mississippi; Katrina; health care
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Shriners Hospitals for Children Investigation Series
Freelance reporter Sandy Frost investigated a tip from Shriner Vernon Hill that there were irregularities in the way the fraternal Shriners organization and the charitable Shriners organizations were handling their money and not complying with Standards For Charitable Accountability.
Tags: Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine AKA Shriners; Standards for Charity Accountability; 2001 Criminal Tax Manual; Hershel Gober; Philanthropic Research, Inc. AKA Guidestar.org; Second Avenue Partners; Mike Slade; Aquantive; Nick Hanauer; Shriners; Masons; Knights Templar; Royal Order of Jesters; National Sojourners Order of Quetzacoatl; Mike Severe, Imperial Officer, Shrine of America; compensation; real estate transactions; excessive benefit transactions; charitable donation fraud; HIPPA; Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; Vernon Hill; Suite101.com; Paul Dolnier; 501c10 non profit fraternal corporation; 501c3 non profit charity; Better Business Bureau; Charity Watch Center; Pennsylvania's Charitable Special Investigation Unit; Internal Revenue Service; IRS; good old boy system; U.S. Senate Committee on Finance; whistleblower retaliation; Charles G. Cumpstone Jr., Potentate Stewart W. Lewis; Charities Review Council of Minnesota; Generally Accepted Accounting Principles; GAAP; Independent Sector; SLAPP: strategic lawsuits against public participation; Cabiri Royal Order of Scotland; International Order of Demolay
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A Stunning Toll
Fort Worth Weekly partnered with University of North Texas students who made open records requests of all Texas law enforcement agencies to obtain data on deaths and injuries in Texas resulting form law enforcement agency individual's Taser use.
Tags: Distributed Reporting Project; FOI; Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas; University of North Texas; UNT; Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism; Tasers; law enforcement; Texas Public Information Act; police; sheriffs; Taser International; American Civil Liberties Union; Live Music Capitol of the World; Austin; use-of-force policy; bean hole; stun gun; product safety; wrongful death; Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas; Those Disgruntled Motherfuckers That Have Been Tased; TDMTHBT; Light of Day Project; IRE Student Entry