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 "flaws in construction" ...
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KOMO TV: Under the Bridge
Our ongoing investigation “Under the Bridge” began with a tip about workers drinking on the job and ultimately uncovered a pattern of design flaws, construction mistakes and contract violations made in the building of the largest floating bridge in the world.
Tags: Bridge; design; construction; contract; flaw
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UConn 2000
This series investigated the construction program at the University of Connecticut, exposing significant flaws, safety violations and cost overruns in the $2.5 billion program, the largest public building project in state history. The Courant found that the university ignored recommendations from auditors on construction and budgeting issues, resulting in cost overruns and safety violations that will cost millions to correct. The university withheld critical audit findings from the state legislature even as it was requesting more than $1 billion in additional public funding. The university changed the dimensions of a student-housing complex to bypass state fire inspections that would have delayed construction. The university handed out no-bid contracts, in some cases to contractors who increased their donations at the time they received the work.
Tags: University of Connecticut; UCONN; safety violations; cost overruns; public construction; auditors; budget; Connecticut state legislature; public funding; contractors
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An Expose of New Jersey's $8.6 billion Public School Construction Program
In response to the news that Schools Construction Corporation, an agency responsible for New Jersey's statewide school construction program, was running out of money, the Star-Ledger launched an investigation into how the program depleted its $8.6 billion budget. Their investigation revealed a number of flaws in the program including costly mid-project changes, top-dollar construction firms miscalculating the cost of equipment for the school projects, and "political interference" from then-Governor James E. McGreevey.
Tags: school districts; urban building program; cost overruns; renovation projects; political backers; unions
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Alluvial Amnesia: How Officials Imperil Communities by Downplaying Flood Risks
Floodplain development, flood prediction and inter-agency coordination are the main themes of this investigation. "We uncovered documents proving that in their haste to approve plans for two public schools in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., state education officials ignored state emergency managers from another agency who cautioned that no adequate evacuation plans existed and that constriction should be halted. We also exposed flawed reasoning the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used to argue that flood risks in the area were minimal. Reputable flood experts say as many as 20,000 homes have been constructed on flood-prone lands located near high mountain canyons.
Tags: flood; natural disaster; construction
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Building Homes: Building Problems
This set of 14 stories examines recent construction in over 400 central Florida homes. The findings reveal that many of these houses have major flaws in their construction. As WESH-TV reports, these problems are due to subcontractors who hire untrained labor and illegal immigrants.
Tags: Housing; flaws in construction; housing subcontractors; illegal immigrants; tapes; transcript
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Flawed Homes, Even Now
On the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew, The Miami Herald took a look at the state of new home construction in South Florida. "We found many improvements compared to 1992, but also a major flaw in suburban Broward County's system of enforcement. Unlike Miami-Dade County, Broward had no mechanism for enforcing new rules requiring new homes to withstand 140-mph gusts.
Tags: Broward County; Florida; South Florida; housing; Hurricane Andrew; new home construction; building inspections
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Florida's Troubled Bridges
WFLA-TV reports on the "premature corrosion of the Sunshine Skyway and other post-tensioned concrete bridges in Florida." The stories describe how the state Department of transportation tried to hide the flawed construction methods, and uncovers a "series of near calamities affecting several major bridges in rapid succession across the state." The coverage triggered reforms in the national bridge code.
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; engineering; construction; corrosion; maintenance; transportation; safety
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"Examining School Construction"
For this three-part series examining school construction, reporters conducted hundreds of interviews and sifted through "thousands of pages of school and court records" on procurement, contracts, state laws, and the backgrounds of the officials in the school construction business. The report that uncovered a virtual monopoly in area contracts helped make school construction one of the top issues in upcoming school board elections.
Tags: Tarrant; TPM; asbestos; audit; Hurst; construction; building flaws
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No title (id: 10901)
The Seattle Times investigates faulty construction at the Seattle Mariner's King Dome. Concrete ceiling tiles came loose in 1988, but stadium officials ignored the problem and covered it up. In 1994, four heavy ceiling tiles crashed into the stands almost hurting some fans, 1994.
Tags: WA Nalder Guillen CHA Construction Flaw Cover-up at Mariner's King Dome; 25 pgs.
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No title (id: 6343)
Asbury Park Press reveals how county-hired building inspectors failed to spot fundamental construction flaws in about 75 homes that later sold for as much as $300,000; during the building boom, inspectors were rushed and local officials did little to ease the workload, Feb. 19, 1989.
Tags: NJ