If you fill out the "Forgot Password" form but don't get an email to reset your password within 5-10 minutes, please email logistics@ire.org for assistance.
By Brad Weisenstein, The Belleville News-Democrat
The News-Democrat found the newly legal video gaming in Southwestern Illinois grew rapidly, with gamblers in April losing $1.06 million - nearly triple what they lost at the end of 2012.
The growth of machines worries video gambling opponents and those who work with gambling addicts. Locally, the machines grew from 144 in December to 484 in April.
Collectively, they handled more than $13 million in bets with an average payout of 91.8 percent at local bars, restaurants, lodges and truck stops. By comparison, gamblers lost $16.7 million at the two metro-east riverboat casinos during April. The boats each saw revenues drop about 3 percent from a year earlier, but have been on a downward slide since 2008 when the recession began.
The expansion promises to continue as the current local fleet of 484 machines could potentially reach 3,500, according to Illinois Department of Revenue numbers. With roughly 7,500 qualifying establishments in the state, the total could potentially go from 6,219 video gaming machines to 37,500.
Full story: http://www.bnd.com/2013/05/27/2633030/video-gambling-triples-its-reach.html
This story was published with help from IRE's Total Newsroom Training
By Daniel Kelley, The Belleville News-Democrat
Filtering through Census data, Belleville News-Democrat discovered cities that experience huge daily growth as commuters arrive from bedroom communities.
For example, workers caused the population of Sauget to balloon 10 times its normal size, while the village of Shiloh sees its population drop more than 40 percent each weekday. The article details how the estimates help city leaders plan for emergencies and manage public safety.
Link: http://www.bnd.com/2013/06/10/2651121/census-commuters-cause-local-city.html
This story was published with help from IRE's Total Newsroom Training
Eight news organizations have been chosen for IRE’s Total Newsroom Training.
TNT is a new program that provides intense, in-house training for newsrooms dedicated to watchdog journalism.
More than 50 applications were submitted. Training is customized and includes sessions ranging from public records battles to hands-on data analysis.
"We are thrilled with the large number of strong applications we received for this first-time program," IRE Executive Director Mark Horvit said. "The selection process was very difficult, which is a testament to the quality of work being done in newsrooms across the country."
Congratulations to the following newsrooms:
Looks like you haven't made a choice yet.
