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 "Utah" ...
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Salt Lake Tribune reporting, editorial stance, lobbying efforts to help keep Utah's open record law intact
In the waning days of the 2011 Utah Legislature, lawmakers quietly introduced House Bill 477, a measure designed to dramatically weaken the state's open records law, the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA), in effect for the past two decades. Work done by The Salt Lake Tribune led the way to the recall of HB477.
Tags: Utah; legislation; bill; house; lawmakers; open; records; law; public; records;
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Salt Lake Tribune, editorial stance, Lobbying keeps Utah's open record laws intact
"After a significant change in Utah's open records laws passed legislation without typical due process. The paper's editorial and government relations staff aggressively reported on the claims from both supporters and opponents of the bill."
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"Logan Canal Collapse Investigation"
A massive mudslide that destroyed numerous residential homes and killed a mother and her two children could have been prevented. According to an investigation by The Salt Lake Tribune, the owners of the irrigation canal that collapsed and caused the mudslide neglected to fix existing problems with the waterway, or warn residents of the potential danger. Meanwhile, Logan city received warnings that the canal posed a threat to residents, but did not act upon them.
Tags: Logan Utah; mudslide; bluff; landslide; waterway; irrigation canal; Logan City
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Felons Working in Higher Education
After Weber State University implemented a background check policy for current and incoming faculty and staff, The Signpost uncovered at least eight employees who were convicted of a felony or had "serious misdemeanors" on their records. Since the investigation started, three WSU employees are no longer employed at the university.
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Police relying on Taser as a fix-all on the force
Stettler investigates the use of Tasers by police and whether the weapon is truly safe or if it threatens the lives of people on which it is used. Two deaths were linked to Tasers over the past three years in Utah's largest law enforcement agencies.
Tags: law enforcement; stun gun; force, brutality; cop;
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Too much time, Too few answers
The Crandall Canyon min in Huntington, Utah collapsed, killing six miners and a subsequent cave-ion took the lives of three rescuers. The event was blamed on a mine bounce, when pressure from the roof causes the thick coal pillars supporting the roof to explode. Several months earlier in March a major bounce occurred 900 feet from where the collapse in August happened, and it was never reported to federal mine regulators. Mining experts wondered why the federal regulators approved the original mine plan to begin with.
Tags: accident; mine; land management; coal; mine safety; Robert Murray; Richard Stickler; MSHA
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Whose Children Are They?
"Focus on Children, a Utah-based adoption agency, is accused by the U.S. government of tricking Samoan parents into giving up their children for adoption and falsely telling American parents they are orphans." The reporter traveled to Samoa to track down families that were affected; she found adoption agency recruiters exploited the families' religious faith, as well as bribed them with cars.
Tags: foreign relations; adoption; kidnapping; Latter Day Saints
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A matter of safety: Utah's Coal Mines
"Despite a long history of mine disasters, Utah coal mines still consistently and repeatedly break even the most essential of safety rules."
Tags: mining; coal mines; mine safety; safety violations; mine evacuation; cave-in;
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7.0 - Utah's Big One
The state of Utah has 700 earthquakes a year, and "scientists say Utah has a one-in-five chance of suffering such a large quake within the next 50 years." This story examines the possible effects on Salt Lake City and the surrounding area if an earthquake "measuring 7.0 on the richter scale" were to hit. The death toll is estimated at 6,500, with 90,000 more injured, while damage to buildings and infrastructure would be so severe that "it would overwhelm emergency responders."
Tags: Disasters; earthquake; speculation; projected deaths, damage from disasters
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Rough Love
Tranquility Bay, a "behavior modification school" in Jamaica, is a boarding school where parents send their troubled teenagers. But what parents get for their $40,000 yearly tuition is often overly harsh discipline that results in the children being injured and abused. The reported conditions include "no running water, beatings by staff, and being forced to lie in silence, face-down on the floor for hours at a time - over a period of several months." At least six other schools which like Tranquility Bay are affiliated with the Utah-based World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools "have been raided and/or closed during the past decade, following allegations of abuse or questionable practices."
Tags: Tranquility Bay; boarding schools; at-risk youths; troubled teens; child abuse; inmate abuse; World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools