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 "free agency" ...
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Tax-free agencies get little scrutiny
The state of South Dakota depends on sales tax for a large portion of its revenue. But the state has also issued thousands of tax-exempt licenses to nonprofit organizations. The question about these organizations is whether they are actually providing relief to others and if they even still exist. But these questions might not be answered because the state doesn’t track the transactions, even though they are losing revenue.
Tags: sales tax; revenue; South Dakota; tax system; nonprofit organizations; tax-exempt; tax laws; state tax
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Chamber of Commerce series
Reporter Josh Harkinson details how the US Chamber of Commerce represents far fewer business interests than it claims, possesses an undemocratic leadership structure and sets policies beneficial to the most powerful members of the organization.
Tags: chamber of commerce; lobby; josh harkinson; mother jones; main street; businesses; lobbying; employee free choice act; Consumer Financial Protection Agency; corporate; Donohue;
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"Under Attack, Credit Raters Turn to the First Amendment"
Credit rating agencies claim they are protected by the First Amendment right of free speech and therefore cannot be held accountable for their mistakes. Huffington Post Investigative Fund reporters looked deeply into credit raters' claims and found a "potential crack" in their argument.
Tags: free speech; credit rating agency; SEC; Charles E. Schumer; Christopher Cox
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Ghost Drivers
"For years, Indiana has suffered the embarrassment and dubious distinction as a "fraud Friendly" state when it comes to obtaining bogus licenses and identification cards. A new administration vowed to put a stop to it. But 13 investigates discovered the state's top agencies for prosecuting fraud weren't following through on the legal end. Investigative Reporter Sandra Chapman began tracking the case of an accused Bureau of Motor Vehicles worker accused of fraud. What she found instead was a system allowing known illegal drivers using social security numbers from decreased residents to operate free and clear of Indiana law."
Tags: identification cards; identity fraud; fake credentials; drivers licenses; driving records
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Protecting the Doctors
KMGH-TV found that when Colorado doctors are accused of sexual assault and/or improper conduct investigations are handled by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies. The administrative investigation reports all criminal acts and findings to the state's attorney general who represents the agency. Because the A.G. represents the agency, it has no obligation under the law to notify or counsel the victim. The result is many doctors simply surrender their license and then are free because no charges are pressed before statute of limitations runs out. Doctors are then able to file for a reinstatement of medical license anywhere, because files are sealed. After this report legislation was passed to close this loop hole.
Tags: medicine; doctors; sexual assault; investigation; medical license; Colorado; victim rights; statute of limitation; Kim Nagel; Attorney General
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The Wrong Suspect
Kevin Wehner was announced as the prime suspect for the deaths of four Miami-Dade cops after Shawn LaBeet, a violent felon, had stolen his identity four years before. CBS4's investigation revealed that "a combination of both poor police work and lack of communication among local, state and federal agencies allowed Shawn LaBeet to remain free.
Tags: police; identity theft; local agency; state; federal; communication; assault weapons; drivers license; Florida; DMV; Department of Motor Vehicles;
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"U.S. accused of torture flights," "American Gulag"
This investigation by Grey, a free-lance writer, reveals how U.S. intelligence agencies are flying terrorist suspects to countries with poor human rights records to interrogate them. Though the American government denies allegations of using such "torture by proxy" tactics, confidential travel logs detail trips to Egypt, Syria and Uzbekistan where witnesses say the prisoners are tortured.
Tags: terrorism; terror; torture; interrogation; CIA; Central Intelligence Agency
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"Without a trace: People go missing, killers go free"
A 10-part series revealed that "because of ignorance, indifference or poor training, police in Washington state and around the nation routinely fumble missing-person reports." In its investigation, the newspaper built its own database of missing persons cases using reports from more than 270 police agencies statewide. The newspaper also built a second database of unidentified bodies through autopsy records and other reports.
Tags: missing persons reports; missing children; cold case; police; police records; National Crime Information Center; CAR; computer-assisted reporting; unsolved murder; homicide; unidentified body; Freedom of Information Act
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Close Connections
The Asbury Park Press' investigations of municipal officials found that politically powerful attorneys had almost free reign to double bill and over bill the agencies they were supposed to serve. An investigation of the township attorney, who is the top elected Republican in the state, found that he double billed the city by more than $8,000. He initially said the double-billing was not his responsibility, but later admitted it was an accident. The Press found that the project in which the double-billing occurred was part of an unfinished seven-year effort to rewrite the city's ordinances. The senator charged more than $100,000 for the incomplete work, although similar projects cost a quarter as much and can take months, not years, to finish. Close examination of these billing records for the ordinance re-writing project showed his bills included rewrites of ordinances that don't exist, and repeated rewrites of ordinances that were little more than a paragraph or two long.
Tags: Marlboro Township-New Jersey; Council Members; Mayor Matthew V. Scannapieco; developers; Anthony Spalliero; Senator John O. Bennett III; political contributions; double-billing; town budget; ordinances; legal invoice; Monmouth County; campaign contributions; Center for Responsive Politics Marlboro Cultural and Improvement Fund; Keansburg Board of Education; New Jersey State Commission of Investigation; reform bill; elected officials
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Inside Edge: The Councilman and the Crooked Building Consultant
According to the article, "In a scheme that fit the dismal pattern of past scandals, prosecutors said city employees took free trips, meals, and tickets to sporting events from a corrupt, private buildings consultant who went unnamed in the indictments. In this case, the suspects went as high as the agency's well-liked number two executive, veteran bureaucrat Barry Cox."
Tags: building code regulations; building code violations; inspectors; Barry Cox; scandals; city employees; buildings consultant