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 "Montgomery County" ...
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Broken Justice in Phillips County
A five-part series preceded by an initial investigation into dysfunction in the criminal justice system in an Arkansas Delta county known for corruption and poverty. The year-long investigation uncovered errors and archaic practices in the handling of fugitive warrants and speedy trials that allowed felony suspects to remain free for years without fear of answering to the charges against them. As a result, prosecutors had to drop hundreds of cases for failure to take them to trial in a timely manner. Since publication, the Phillips County sheriff has made changes in how his office handles failure-to-appear warrants, and court officials have reduced case backlogs. Nevertheless, problems persist.
Tags: Criminal justice system; corruption; poverty; fugitive warrants
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Behind Closed Doors, Kentucky City Buys Controversial Building For $1.3 Million
Danville, Kentucky’s purchase of the former Boyle County Industrial Storage Facility, better known as the BISCO building, drew a lot of controversy along with legal battles during the second half of 2012. During its Aug. 13 meeting, Danville City Commission unanimously voted to buy the building at auction for $1,237,550. However, a bidder hired by the city had already won the property in auction three days before. Also, on the day of the auction city officials had cut a check for 10 percent of the BISCO building’s purchase price. Residents raised concerns about the secretive nature of the purchase, especially since then-Commissioner Ryan Montgomery’s father, Mike, had a long-standing business relationship with the building’s former owner Mitchell Barnes. After being publicly prodded, Mayor Bernie Hunstad also acknowledged that his wife, Susan, worked for the bidder the city hired to handle the auction process.
Tags: City officials; city government; auction
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Depreciating Values
Our seven month investigation revealed how a long time property assessor manipulated property values for a handful of wealthy citizens and political supporters, so they would pay less in property taxes. We also showed how some large apartment complexes disappeared from the county tax rolls. Now the state is seeking to collect back taxes from nearly 200 property owners going back three years and the FBI and IRS are investigating.
Tags: property taxes; tax rolls; property
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Montgomery County Police Make Overtime Millions in 911 Call Center
This story looks at the overtime pay in the 911 call center of the Montgomery County Police Department. Over the last five years, four officers made over a million dollars in overtime.
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Anti-Terror Funds Buy Wide Array of Pet Projects
The Washington Post traced the path of the region's first wave of homeland security aid from its distribution through its final use, a trail that has been largely unexamined by federal regulators. The reporters found that much of the $324 million directed to the Washington region after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks remained unspent or was funding projects with questionable connections to homeland security. The analysis included a review of contracts, grant proposals, and purchasing databases. Results showed millions were spent on items such as leather jackets for police officers.
Tags: anti-terrorism; anti-terrorism funds; terrorism; homeland security; Prince George's County prosecutors; Congress; The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments; World Trade Center; Pentagon; Department of Homeland Security; Bethesda-Chevy Chase Fire Squad; Tom Ridge; District of Columbia Hospital Association; Psychiatric Institute of Washington; Kroll Government Services; bioterrorism; Prince William County; D.C. Department of Mental Health; D.C. Emergency Management Agency; anthrax; Montgomery County; Fairfax County; Federal Communications Commission
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Money Matters: Contributions & Contracts
The Cleveland Plain Dealer investigated "the 'pay to play' practices of Ohio Treasurer Joe Deters and state attorney general Betty Montgomery. (The newspaper) tied two-thirds of the $4 million Deters has raised since 1998 to people who get work from his office. (The Plain Dealer) found that the treasurer was paying some brokers who gave him campaign contributions higher fees than they had requested. And their performance, overall, lagged behind the brokers used by other states. Deters also was using the powerful Hamilton County GOP, which he co-chaired, to launder campaign contributions. Private lawyers working from Attorney General Montgomery also felt it was necessary to give to her campaign to get work."
Tags: Ohio; Attorney General; Treasurer; Joe Deters; Betty Montgomery; conflicts of interest; campaign finance
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Small Time
A computer-assisted investigation, published by the Montgomery Journal, reveals that rural Montgomery county "judges send a disproportionate number of people to prison, as a percentage of population, when compared with much larger Maryland counties." The finding is based on the analysis of a database of prison population. The same trend, though to a smaller degree, applies to other small rural Maryland counties, known as the "wilds" of the state, where "tobacco still reigns king among crops, the Klan still Marches on and changes in septic tank regulations can create years-long furor." Rural counties have far less crime, but a higher desire to more seriously punish wrongdoers, the reporter finds.
Tags: Washington county; Dorchester; Wicomico; Talbot; Worcester; Charles; Caroline; Somerset; jail; women; incarceration; crime; courts; CAR
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One More for the Road: A County's High Tolerance
An investigation by The Washington Post reveals that drunken drivers in Maryland's Montgomery County often avoid jail time. The Post discovered that inexperienced prosecuting attorneys, lax judges and legal loopholes were often the cause.
Tags: drunk driving; courts; law; Maryland; Montgomery County; legal loopholes; attorneys
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Whites are more likely to get county's top jobs
The Daily News investigates the claims of a growing number of Montgomery County employees that they are being passed up on upper level positions in the county because of race. The Daily News finds that 11.6 percent of the county's supervisors are minorities, while 24.5 percent are white.
Tags: Employment; discrimination; labor; public works; state government
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No title (id: 13305)
The Washingtonian examines the life of Darlene Shephard, a one time drug addict and prostitute who has since turned her life around and testified against Montgomery county Judge Henry J. Monahan for committing ethical violations while on the bench. (May 1996)
Tags: Jaffe Going straight Heroin Cocaine Courts Families Now Prostitution 9 pgs.