Investigative MEDIA

Prescott Wildlands Division Chief Darrell Willis demands retraction of Granite Mountain Hotshot story

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After refusing to answer written questions or to be interviewed before publication of the New Times August 22 cover story, “Lambs to Slaughter,” about the deaths of 19 Granite Mountain firefighters, Prescott hotshots boss Darrell Willis sent New Times a letter containing what he claims are 22 inaccuracies in the article.

InvestigativeMEDIA’s editor John Dougherty wrote the story for Phoenix New Times and the article also appears on this website. The New Times responded to Willis’ claims with an extraordinary Sept. 10 story published on its website. Dougherty contributed to the New Times’ article responding to Willis’ claims.

The New Times story corrects three minor errors in the Aug. 22 article and New Times rejected Willis’ request for a sweeping retraction of the conclusions and opinions expressed in the story. InvestigativeMEDIA appreciates New Times continued support and confidence in the reporting. [Read more…]

Granite Mountain Hotshot crew sent to Yarnell fire on scheduled day off

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By John Dougherty

The Granite Mountain Hotshots’ regularly scheduled day off was Sunday, June 30, the day the crew was dispatched to Yarnell and 19 of its 20 members were killed by a wildfire, newly released federal records show.

When Granite Mountain reported to Yarnell it was the 28th day that month the crew had been on duty, according to the records released by the state Forestry Division in response to an Arizona Public Records Law request filed by InvestigativeMEDIA. [Read more…]

Forestry official admits making comments to InvestigativeMEDIA

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Arizona Deputy State Forester Jerry Payne has confirmed that he made the comments attributed to him by InvestigativeMEDIA in a July 30 article in which Payne was quoted as saying the leader of the Granite Mountain Hotshot squads made mistakes in the moments leading up to his death and the deaths of 18 members of his crew.

Carrie Dennett, a forestry division spokeswoman, is quoted by Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services as saying Payne “did admit making the comments.”

In the story posted Wednesday, Fischer reports, “The dispute he (Payne) has with the (InvestigativeMEDIA) report, Dennett said, is that it did not make clear that this was just his personal opinion and not part of any official finding or statement.”

Capitol Media Services also reported that Gov. Jan Brewer said Wednesday that Payne expressed his own opinion about the deaths during the Yarnell Hill Fire. But she said any such conclusions were premature, as the investigation is ongoing. [Read more…]

Honor guard leads procession of the fallen 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots

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An honor guard procession carrying the bodies of 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots passed through the towns of Yarnell and Peeples Valley shortly after 3 p.m. today on their way to Prescott. This video was shot from the north end of Peeples Valley, from atop a rock outcropping along SR 89. Yarnell is perched high in the hills in the background.

The first of 19 hearses carrying the bodies of the Granite Mountain Hotshots passes through Peeples Valley, AZ.

The first of 19 hearses carrying the bodies of the Granite Mountain Hotshots passes through Peeples Valley, AZ.

InvestigativeMedia releases 7,000 pages of Forest Service records on proposed Rosemont copper mine

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InvestigativeMedia is pleased to release more than 7,000 pages of  Coronado National Forest records on the proposed Rosemont open-pit copper mine. The records were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The records include internal emails and supporting documents from January 2012 through early February providing a first-hand look at the permitting process for the proposed mile-wide, half-mile deep mine in the Santa Rita Mountains on the Coronado National Forest about 35 miles southeast of Tucson.

InvestigativeMedia encourages the public and other media to analyze the information and provide feedback on this site. The goal is to encourage public-interest, cloud reporting using this site as a clearinghouse of information, feedback, comments and suggestions on additional reporting.

InvestigativeMedia will issue a series of reports based on these records and information from other sources, including the public.

The Forest Service records are in two large PDF files available here and here.

The release of records is part of InvestigativeMedia’s ongoing review of Augusta Resource Corporation’s proposed Rosemont copper mine, including the 2012 documentary Cyanide Beach.