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 "human development" ...
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Frac sand mining booms in Wisconsin
An ongoing series looking at the recent growth in Wisconsin’s sand mining industry to meet the increased demand from oil and gas drillers. The frac sand industry has created jobs and economic development in Western Wisconsin, but many residents worry that the industry is not properly regulated. Concerns remain about the impact of the mining on human and environmental health, transportation, and land use.
Tags: Sand mining; oil; gas; human health; environment; transportation; land use
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Watchdog website and its web pages
The Oklahoman/NewsOK.com started this project in 2008 with the Right to Know page, a collection of databases developed internally to go along with stories and links to relevant public information. That site became part of the Watchdog page in 2009. In 2010, the staff continued to evolve the Watchdog page with "mini-sites" of investigative topics, such as a political corruption case at the Oklahoma Legislature; the staff's FOI fight over the birth dates of public employees; and allegations of bid-rigging with a married lawmaker and lobbyist for a private company seeking a state juvenile justice contract. Other "mini-sites" under Watchdog include ongoing coverage of the state Department of Human Services and the federal stimulus package.
Tags: continuous coverage; online; watchdog; bid-rigging; Department of Human Services; federal stimulus; FOI; Right to Know
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The Robert Felner Investigation
Dr. Robert Felner was raided by federal agents his last day as the Dean of the College of Education and Human Development University of Louisville. He was to become Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin Parkside but was under question about a $500,000 grant.
Tags: Department of Education; No Child Left Behind; Curriculum Vitae; National Center for Public Education and Prevention; payroll
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In 2004, the Future of Affordable Housing in the Silk City was . . . SOLD!
Paterson, N.J. mayor Jose "Joey" Torres "sold liens in blighted neighborhoods to a favored developer at a cut rate." The developer (Glen Fishman) would then foreclose on the properties and "flip them for a profit." Non-profit groups like Habitat for Humanity, which had been attempting to construct affordable housing were thus priced out of the market, or had to pay marked-up prices to Fishman for land in the tough neighborhoods.
Tags: property liens; property flipping; blighted neighborhoods; Habitat for Humanity; foreclosure
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The Breaking Point: How Female Midlife Crisis is Transforming Today's Women
This book is the first to examine how and why the current generation of middle-aged women is having more midlife crisis than ever before. The book explains how the midlife crisis is being redefined through the popular vernacular, and also shows the effects of female midlife crisis on American culture. The book also maps out six psychological archetypes as "organizing principals for female midlife development."
Tags: women; gender studies; aging; psychology; middle age; human development; growth
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New York Slush Funds
The three men who run New York's state government have stuck state taxpayers with more than $1 billion in debt over the last seven years for a series of secretive slush funds under their tight control. State leaders use the money to reward political friends and punish enemies. They use the money to keep rank-and-file legislators obedient. The stories show many examples of millions spent on failed or dubious projects.
Tags: taxpayers; Gov. George Pataki; Sheldon Silver; Joseph Bruno; New York City Catholic art museum; debt; Empire State Development Corp.; State of New York; New York taxpayers; Carnegie Hall; National Baseball Hall of Fame; Carrier Dome; Roswell Park Cancer Institute; Centers for Excellence; Empire Opportunity Fund; Junior Museum; capital-improvement programs; Community Enhancement Facilities Assistance Program; Strategic Investment Program; Senate Majority leader; borrowing money; legislators; public money; Kraft Foods; Guardian Industries; Canadian American Transportation Systems; Division of Human Rights; National Museum of Catholic Art and History; New York Susquehanna and Western Railroad; Dormitory Authority; IRS; Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum; Bard College; YMCA; New York's Public Officers Law; Central New York Regional Market; campaign donations; borrowed-money grants
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Taken for a Ride
This story is about how non-profits sold clunker cars to welfare recipients while used-car dealers reaped millions. The non-profit Wheels-to-Work program managers set up exclusive deals with friends who sold used cars to the program. The state spent $10,700 per person, but bought cars that cost $2,300 on average, and twice as much as programs in other states. State officials didn't start to monitor the program until two years after it started, and overlooked suspected fraud and mismanagement.
Tags: car; nonprofit; welfare; welfare recipients; used-car dealers; West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources; Wheels-to-Work Program; Community Action of South Eastern West Virginia; CASE; Belcher's Auto Sales; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program; National Association of Social Workers; AFL-CIO; Human Resources Development Foundation; Good News Mountaineer Garage; DHHR; Legislative Oversight commission on Workforce Investment
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The Trials of an Artificial Heart
The quest for replacing a failing human heart with a mechanical device received a boost when a company named Abiomed developed AbioCor. The initial clinical trials of this grapefruit-sized plastic-and-titatnium machine were encouraging. However, it was later found that five of the seven persons on whom AbioCor was tried, died. Abiomed officials argue that the artificial heart is proving its worth, however, they also acknowledge that a flaw in the device's attachments to the body might have led to the formation of blood clots causing fatal heart strokes.
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A floor under foreign factories?
Bernstein reports on an antisweatshop plan that would set guidelines for companies to police their factories and suppliers. The plan, however, does not address the central issue of what wages should be in poor countries, Bernstein writes. He predicts that, in fact, "as the Asian crises batter developing countries, sweatshop abuses are likely to grow."
Tags: human rights; wages; unionization; developing countries; immigration; global economy
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Slaughterhouse ride
A WISH-TV undercover investigation reports on how horses are auctioned and slaughtered in Indiana. The horse meat is then sold in Europe at a good price, which has been skyrocketing after the mad cow, and the hoof and mouth diseases ravaged the beef industry. The majority of the horses sold to kill buyers are still ridable and in good shape but go to slaughterhouses "because the money 's right," WISH-TV reports. Another major finding is that many of the animals are "full of drugs that clearly state on the label "not intended for human consumption." A hidden-camera segment reveals that when the horses are loaded into double-deck trailers, and forced to kneel in pain for days before they get to the place to be butchered. The reporters examine the laws that forbid kill auctions in other states, and look at the possible legislative developments in Indiana.
Tags: animal lovers; horse races; racing horses; undercover videos; Humane Farming Association; legislation; Indiana Horse Rescue; Indiana Horse Council