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 "sidewalk" ...
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Snow Removal
After the storm in January 2009, Southern Illinois University Carbondale was left to cleanup. The job brought "complaints from students, faculty, and staff" and the conditions were "hardest on the disabled". This story looks at the "Americans with Disabilities Act" and whether the university violated it. Further, it examines the concerns from "disabled students, faculty, and staff that had a very tough time maneuvering around campus because the sidewalks were not properly cleaned up".
Tags: college; education; campuses; storms; snow; removal; winter; criticize; school
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A Slippery Slope
The series examines a Boston sidewalk that has led to accessibility issues for people with disabilities.
Tags: construction; road maintenance; wheel chair; handicap; public property
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"Sidewalk law shows its cracks,"; "Some worry sidewalks will vanish,"; "Varying walkway widths prompt county guidelines"
Sidewalk builders of both the city and county of Tennessee were found in residential neighborhoods pouring sidewalks in violation of local sidewalk ordinances during ongoing new construction. While 4-foot sidewalks in residential areas are required by ADA guidelines, local builders were pouring sidewalks in some neighborhoods that were under 3-feet wide.
Tags: sidewalks; construction; violation; residential area; ADA guidelines; neighborhoods
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Slippery Sidewalk Syndrome
Action News discovered and exposed a suspicious string of lawsuits. Attorney Richard Farber has been bringing slip and fall suits against hundreds of homeowners in Philadelphia. The suspicious element here is his clients' backgrounds. More than half of his clients have criminal histories and almost all of them claim to live in the same 10-block area in Frankford. None of the alleged victims fell in their immediate neighborhood but in another section of town, miles away and many have fallen more than once. In almost every case, there were no witnesses and most of the clients went to the same chiropractor's office for treatment. The attorney refuses to comment. This type of fraud serves as one of the reasons homeowners' insurance in the "City of Brotherly Love" is expensive when compared to other cities in the country.
Tags: TAPE; sidewalk; lawsuit; fraud; syndrome; slip; fall; chiropractor; attorney; lawyer; victim; homeowner; Richard Farber; Philadelphia; Frankford; criminal history; witness; property owner; insurance; claim
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Road Kill. In race to lay fiber, telecom firms wreak havoc on city streets. Crews rip sidewalks, clog traffic to feed craving for high-speed internet. Mr. Browns surprise tunnel.
According to the article, "As telecommunications companies race to build the information highway of their visions, they are wreaking real havoc on the nation's streets. All over America, crews are ripping out newly paved roads, clogging traffic and leaving plenty of potholes behind."
Tags: telecommunications companies; roads; internet; high speed; traffic; information superhighway; cable; internet access
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Just Deserts? Arizona's Rural Sprawl: Fast Growth Spans Wildcat' Subdivisions
The Wall Street Journal reports on rural sprawl in neighborhoods near Tucson, Arizona. The areas are known as 'wildcat' subdivisions-"sprawling tracts of land divided by a succession of owners in a way that leaves them exempt from basic county building requirements, such as putting in roads, sewers, and sidewalks . . . The problem has spread like cancer through Arizona, largely because of the tremendous demand for land here, and state law that prevents county officials from clamping down on wildcat growth." In addition, "while wildcat residents pay the same property tax rate as others in the county, the per-capita revenue from wildcat areas is far lower " due to the value of lots and the inequality of mobile homes versus Tucson houses. County officials in the area say that "bringing wildcat subdivisions up to code, including land surveys, roads, sewers and all the rest, could cost as much as $55 million a year. . . money the county doesn't have."
Tags: rural sprawl; subdivisions; neighborhoods; lot-splitting; homeowners; county requirements; developers
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Where the Sidewalk Ends
Westword investigates the phenomenon that's taking over Colorado's scenic areas: urban sprawl. According to this article, land developers are increasingly violating state law to build new houses and golf courses. "Even if one community turns them down, developers always know they can get what they want from another."
Tags: Urban sprawl; Eagle County
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In Street Vendors' Smorgasbord, Threat of Sickness Lurks
Along with their diverse fare, many New York vendors are serving up a heightened risk of sickness, according to safety experts, city health records and tests of sidewalk food.
Tags: None
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How Steed Cornered the Contract
This is a story about how the city of Atlanta leased its streets, sidewalks and public spaces to Munson Steed III, a politcally connected local businessman, during the 1996 Summer Olympics. Steed was supposed to manage an economic development program that would provide jobs for street vendors, sell corporate sponsorships on behalf of the city and guarantee the city would receive at least $2.5 million. The Chronicle's investigation revealed deep-rooted problems from the Steed's inability to fulfill his contract, to a bidding process rigged by top city officials. (October 18 - 24, 1996)
Tags: Hairston Hinkelman How Steed Cornered the contract Contest entry 9 pgs.
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Go to sleep, land in jail
San Francisco Bay Guardian finds that the city of San Francisco is using an archaic state law to crack down on homeless people for sleeping or simply resting in city parks, doorways, and on city sidewalks,
Tags: Homelessness; crime; California; Bielski Carlisle