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 "sweetheart deals" ...
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Sweetheart Deals and Criminal Ties in Cicero
This series of stories exposed millions of dollars in questionable spending and waste, tainted by insider deals and nepotism, in the town government of Cicero, an inconic Chicago suburb.
Tags: Cicero; nepotism; waste; spending; city government
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Land Flips Sting Taxpayers
The Gwinett County school district is not only Georgia's largest, but arguably its most highly regarded after winning a prestigious award as the nation's top urban district. However, while the district celebrated its national acclaim, the Journal-Constitution began scrutinizing its unusually secretive land-purchasing program. After analyzing all the district's land purchases over the past 12 years, the Journal-Constitution focused on 11 mullti-million dollar transactions, many of them involving prominent and politically connected real estate developers.
Tags: Gwinett County; Georgia; School District; Land Purchasing; Sweetheart Deals
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Bail Bondsmen: Working the Numbers
A year-long investigation into the bail bond industry by the Dallas Morning News focused on the relationship between bail bondsmen, the judicial system, and the county government. The investigation uncovered corrupt practices, sweetheart deals, and dysfunctional oversight that cost taxpayers many millions of dollars.
Tags: Bail Bondsmen; County Government; Judicial System; Sweetheart Deals
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Follow the Money: Congress & TARP Oversight
This series of watchdog stories look at spending in Congress and use of TARP funds. They used FOIA requests to gain access to TARP contracts and called into questions some questionable charitable work, sweetheart deals, financial disclosures, fund-raising, earmarks and more.
Tags: TARP; congress; oversight; economy; earmarks; Recovery Act; FOIA
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Billboard Confidential
This story was an investigation into the billboard industry in the City of Los Angeles. They found a business blatantly breaking the law by placing thousands of illegal signs all over the city, and government officials doing nothing to stop it. The story revealed the Los Angeles City Council made sweetheart deals with certain sign companies, allowing them to break the city's own zoning laws. Some of these deals were done behind closed doors, with no input from the community. This relationship seemed to benefit both parties. The journalists revealed every single council member received campaign contributions from members of the billboard industry, who in turn made millions -- if not billions -- off of LA's streetscapes
Tags: Los Angeles; zoning; signs; billboards; campaign contributions; sweetheart deals; Los Angeles City Council
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The Mahoney Scandal: Fall from Grace
This story uncovered how Florida Rep. Tim Mahoney had secretly paid a former staffer - and one-time mistress - $120,000 and promised her a job at a Democratic media firm to stave off a sexual harassment lawsuit against him. Further reporting also found that Mahoney had gone to great lengths to help another former mistress - a county emergency response official in her district - win a grant from FEMA. The report shows how Democratic leadership was aware of problems with Mahoney's conduct as early as September and encouraged him to deal with the situation.
Tags: FEMA; government corruption; illicit affairs; illegal settlements; sweetheart deals; sex scandal
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The Secret University
Lu Hardin, popular president of the University of Central Arkansas , received a $3000,000 bonus, approved in secret by the college's board of trustees - a violation of Arkansas' Freedom of Information Act. Trustees told the reporter that the bonus came from private funds, but she discovered that the board had used public funds in violations of rules capping the amount of public funds that can be used for college presidents' salaries.
Tags: university fraud; sweetheart deals; improper use of funds; Lu Hardin; University of Central Arkansas; bonus; salaries;
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Sweetheart Deals
This investigation looked at "county-owned land deals in Prince George's County. They found that most of the deals - worth millions of dollars - went to people with close ties to County Executive Jack B. Johnson, including a business partner, golfing buddy, a former business partner and campaign contributors. Many of the deals were not put out to bid."
Tags: housing market; real estate; corruption; preferential treatment; favoritism; graft; sweetheart deals
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St. Louis Towing Scandal
This is a series of pieces Mahr, Hunn and Kohler wrote looking into the relationship between the St. Louis Police Department and a private tow lot, St. Louis Metropolitan Towing. The lot illegally kept and sold several cars that police impounded during investigations. The lot also lent and sold several cars to the St. Louis police chief's daughter. The series includes short personal stories about people whose cars were taken by the lot.
Tags: towing; police corruption; private contracts; public-private partnership; Joe Mokwa; sweetheart deals
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"Deputy Mayor for the Olympics," & "Market-Rate Giveaway"
These two stories focus on the activities of Deputy New York City Mayor Daniel Doctoroff and his campaign to bring the Olympics to New York. In the "Deputy Mayor" story, newly elected mayor Bloomberg got Doctoroff to hit up corporations that do business with the city to raise money for the Olympics project. This even though a conflict of interest ruling should have prevented him from those activities. "Market-Rate Giveaway" is about a sweetheart deal handed to a friend of Doctoroff's, Steve Ross and his business Related Companies, as part of the Olympics project. That deal would allow Ross to replace the Bronx produce market with a new mall, putting thousands of market workers out of a job.
Tags: cronyism; public interest; city government; Olympics; politics; Bronx Terminal Market