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 "permit" ...
-
City Hall's Sway over Bridgeport Development
"Allegations that Mayor Richard Daley's friends controlled development in the mayor's native Bridgeport on Chicago's South Side have swirled below the surface for ears. The reporters pierced that veil of secrecy and provided a rare look into how the politically connected benefited from the city's building book at the expense of homeowners and taxpayers." The reporters looked into how insider dealing and lax regulations lead to poor construction jobs and how many people benefit from their personal connections in the Mayor's office.
Tags: city government; housing; development; construction; building permits
-
Pet Breeding in Central Minnesota
"The stories found that kennels often had repeated violations, their operators frequently failed to notify buyers of their rights, as required by law, and that local counties only recently began to require permits to operate a breeding operation. The stories found that some breeders don't have the permits required to operate their breeding facilities."
Tags: dog; breeding; permits; regulations; breeding operations; operators
-
Gun permits drop 25% in Bay State
"That gun ownership, especially in urban areas had dropped dramatically over the past six years, driven by more restrictive laws, higher licensing fees and cultural changes."
Tags: gun; ownership; urban; Public Safety;
-
Chronic Polluters, Tainted Water
"Nearly half of the Connecticut companies that discharge chemical-laden wastewater directly into rivers are doing so with expired permits.In some cases, they lapsed 10 years ago.The companies can legally continue to dump while applying for new permits, but the backlog means they're discharging under old toxin limits with no adjustment for diminishing water quality."
Tags: toxic; water; pollution; rivers; wastewater; permits; renewal; EPA; Clean Water Act; chemical waste; Toxic Release Inventory
-
South Dakotans No. 1 in permits to conceal guns
"The story was the culmination of a major First Amendment project that involved the collection of more than 41,000 state-issued permits to carry concealed weapons. Analysis showed that South Dakota had issued more concealed weapons permits per capita than any state."
Tags: guns; concealed weapon permit; fire arms
-
Would you pay $840,925 for this house?
Colorado Springs Utilities has spent over $6 million to purchase property for a reservoir that has yet to be granted a federal permit. The purchase prices were much higher than the appraised and market values, while including additional payments for "relocation costs."
Tags: realty; housing; over priced; reservoir; grant; permit; rent; auditor; jimmy camp creek
-
Gun Show Nation
This investigation explores how and why guns have entered national politics. The author traveled to gun shows, gun stores and gun rights meetings in order to chart America's attachment to guns. She shows how that attachment "affected our democracy by undermining our belief in collective solutions for human security."
Tags: guns; second amendment; gun shows; concealed weapons; gun permits; hunting
-
Too Close For Comfort
Known child sex offenders are not permitted to live within 500 feet of schools, playgrounds, or other facilities that provide programs for minors only. After an investigation, nine sex offenders were found to violate the 500 feet law.
Tags: sex offender; child molestation; sexual abuse; zoning law; Peoria Police; Bloomington
-
Hidden Hazards: A Legacy of Neglect
Robert McCabe unmasked a failed environmental protection system on the local, state and federal level in Chesapeake, Virginia, that permitted developers to build housing on lands with serious pollution problems. In his first report, McCabe explained how in one subdivision, the lead contamination is so high that home buyers in part of the neighborhood will be forbidden to grow vegetables or to water their lawns with groundwater. Furthermore, their homes sit over an old dump site with high levels of underground combustible gas.
Tags: pollution; Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ); River's Edge at Quailshire; environmental hazards; lead contamination
-
No Show County Job
The authors investigated a public employee who, because of his position as president of the union was not required to report to his job as a corrections officer. For over ten years this man was paid for a job he never performed. This is permitted under a collective bargaining agreement that dates back to the 1970's.
Tags: Public office; unions; Erie county; FOIA; full union release; county bankruptcy