Fresh data
The NICAR Database Library has recently updated the U.S. DOT Hazardous Materials Incidents, the NEA Grants and the AIDS Public Information databases.
The Hazardous Materials data contains the incident reports of unintentional releases of hazardous materials for all modes of transportation (air, highway, railway, water) from 1971 through May 2000. Cost is $50, $100, or $125 depending on size of your news organization.
The AIDS Public Information Data Set contains information from Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome cases reported to state and local health departments. The most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control is for 1998. Cost is $25, $50 or $75.
The National Endowment for the Arts grants database contains all organizations or individuals who've received money from the NEA since the program began in fiscal year 1987. The most recent data available is for fiscal year 1999. Cost is $25, $50 or $75.
More information about these datasets, including sample data and record layouts, is available at www.ire.org/datalibrary/datasets. To order the data, call the NICAR Database Library at (573) 884-7711.
Recent CAR stories:
"Gunrunner's Paradise," Dayton Daily News, Dec. 10-13, 0 uwww.activedayton.com/partners/ddn/local/projects/guns/1210gunmain2.html The paper's analysis found Ohio ranks behind only Florida, Georgia, Virginia and Texas for guns used in crimes out of state. The data, obtained from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, show that in 1997 and 1998 more than 1,000 guns used in crimes nationwide came from Ohio.
"Crashing for Cash," Sun-Sentinel, Dec. 17-20, 2000 www.sun-sentinel.com/crashingforcashl To study the dimensions of auto insurance fraud, the Sun-Sentinel analyzed thousands of state Department of Motor Vehicles records and other government and insurance industry claims data. The Sun-Sentinel built a database that captured the driving and accident histories of hundreds of people identified in arrest reports or other investigative files.
"Destined to Fail," The Beacon Journal, Dec. 10-13, 2000 www.obio.com/specials/buchtel_seriesl A six-month Akron Beacon Journal examination revealed factors that have nothing to do with a child's family income or race help explain why poor minority children in Akron perform behind nearly every other group of students.
Global conference
IRE and NICAR are among the sponsors of the first global journalism conference on investigative reporting and computer-assisted reporting, April 26-29, 2001 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The 4-day conference will focus on great stories, the latest techniques and the effect of media convergence on investigative journalism. More information is available at www.ire.org/training/denmark/2000conf