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 "historic preservation" ...
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The Hunley: Government by Stealth
The Confederate submarine the Hunley has earned a storied place in South Carolina history, and has received a lot of attention since being raised in 2000. The State investigated the money spent for the preservation and promotion of the Hunley, and revealed the amounts of money spent in the name of this historic artifact, including $10.3 million earmarked to Clemson University to "build a remote campus around the conservation lab that is home to the Hunley submarine."
Tags: The Hunley; submarine; Civil War-era submarine; Confederate submarine; government funds; Clemson University
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Hacker Hunters
The authors investigated a battle of wits between the U.S. secret service and a cyber-crime gang known as the ShadowCrew. The story covers a rare victory by law enforcement to shut down a web-based crime outfit. It gave a face to the ShadowCrew, a network of over 4,000 people run by a part time college student and gave a reminder to internet users to be wary of doing business on the Web.
Tags: Internet; cyber-crime; web-based crime outfit; ShadowCrew; the U.S. Secret Service; e-business; Internet security
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Rich with history: Profiting from preservation
The Post examined the rise in the abuse of "facade easement donations," which provide tax breaks for homeowners who promise to not change the outward appearance of their historic homes. The Post found that preservation laws in most cities already forbade unapproved changes to the exterior of these homes, so the owners were receiving six-figure tax breaks for something they could not change anyway. Furthermore, the Post found that this tax windfall was benefiting the wealthiest homeowners and was being fueled by for-profit promoters who took a cut of the tax breaks. The investigation prompted calls for reform from Congress before the stories were even published.
Tags: charity; facade easement donation; tax break; tax write-off; tax deductions; historic preservation
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Were warning signs ignored?
The first modern suspension bridge in Maine and chosen as the world's most beautiful bridge in 1931, the Waldo-Hancock bridge now faces demolition. The Herald and the Maine Sunday Telegram detail this 2040-feet long bridge's history, its safety problems and their causes. Their investigation reveals that engineers had predicted structural problems with the suspension bridge's main cable as early as 1959. Furthermore, various state documents reveal confusion by state engineers over safety issues and also, the mistrust between state engineers and consultants who were hired.
Tags: MDOT; Gov.John Baldacci; Maine Historic Preservation Commission; bridge weight
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Preserving Wealth -- And History
The Philadelphia Inquirer examined the public policy that encourages granting special tax breaks in exchange for arcane deed restrictions known as "preservation easements." "Among other things, the restrictions ban changes to historic building or limit development of open space. While easements may do much to preserve history and valuable property, (the Inquirer learned) they also could have great financial significance... The series shed new light on unexplored and rarely debated policy issues associated with the preservation movement."
Tags: preservation easements; deed restrictions; tax breaks; history
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Anatomy of a Deal
"'Anatomy of a deal' and the series that followed covered the operation of the Fort McClellan Joint Powers Authority (JPA) in its mission to transform the former Fort McClellan Army base into part of the city of Anniston. The title story examined the specifics of the sale of the fort's prime real estate, the Buckner Circle area, to a group of developers with inside connections at the JPA. The story revealed the JPA gave the groups favorable treatment especially in neglecting to have the property appraised. The series that followed covered the JPA's response to the public fallout over the deal. Most residents of the area consider the redevelopment of the Fort McClellan of premier import, and the backlash over the deal reflected their concerns. Eventually the JPA was forces to open its meetings and records to the public."
Tags: real estate; historic preservation; former military base; development; option to buy; loophole of unincorporated nonprofit not subject to fair market value; property appraisal; cronyism; conflict of interest
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The High Cost of Historic Preservation
The Vermont town of Brandon is trying to draw visitors and revenue by playing up its historical heritage. Preservation isn't just about saving history, but economic viability. The town is in discussions for the civic game plan on making Main Street aesthetically pleasing, limiting development, and raising money for new projects.
Tags: historic sites; tourism; preservation; downtown revitalization; Act 250; Vermont; National Register of Historic Sites; Preservation Trust of Vermont
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Mapping Every Structure in an Enormous Park
The New York Times reports that "... staff members from Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust, a nonprofit agency dedicated to preservation and planning, began working with employees of the Fairmount Park Commission, a governing body that oversees the park operations, and the city to create a comprehensive inventory of everything with a roof (or that should have a roof) in the park system by using Geographic Information System software made by ERSI..... Technology is now mixing with history to address some of the problems the park system presents..."
Tags: GIS; historical preservation; grants