The Brief: January 7, 2010
Everything old is new again. Full Story
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Big Border Business
For the last year and a half, Tom Barry visited immigrant detention centers in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Here's what he found. Full Story
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![Immigration detention facility in Hudspeth Co. just outside of Sierra Blanca, about 100 miles east of El Paso.]()
Credit: Tom Barry -
TribBlog: Northwestern U. Investigation Hits Home
I received a letter this week from my alma mater, Northwestern University, notifying me that my notes, records, interviews — even my grades — from my senior year investigative journalism class were subject to a subpoena by the state of Illinois. Full Story
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Credit: northwestern.edu -
Time's Up
The political window is about to close: Today's the last day to become a candidate in the 2010 state elections. What we know so far is that the ballot will have a fireworks show at the top, with contested and well-financed gubernatorial primaries on both sides. A couple of statewide Democratic races will be competitive, but with incumbents seeking reelection on the Republican side, there's little action there. Full Story
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On the Records: What the Big App-le Can Teach Us About Open Government
Is NYC bigger than Texas when it comes to releasing government records? Full Story
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![A developer created a widget allowing anyone to search more than 5 million property records in New York City.]()
Credit: blocksandlots.com -
On the Records: An App-y New Year
A rundown of the data we've published so far — and a look ahead. Full Story
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![A red-light camera intersection in south Austin.]()
Credit: Matt Stiles -
Data Apps: Best/Worst Public Schools
Find the highest and lowest performers in Texas. Learn why nearly 500 campuses failed to meet minimum standards — and how the state inflated the rankings in the top category. Full Story
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Credit: Matt Stiles -
2010: Earle Explains
Most money was on a run for governor or attorney general, but — as you’ll hear — Ronnie Earle wants to be a part of the legislative process and thinks the Lite Guv position suits him best. Full Story
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![Ronnie Earle in Austin, July 2008]()
Credit: Lindsay Beyerstein -
On the Records: Digging Through Disclosure
Writing about congressional travel required days of tedious work because the information isn't easily accessible. Full Story
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![U.S. House travel disclosure Web site.]()
Credit: U.S. House -
Frequent Flyers
Members of the Texas congressional delegation took more than 200 privately funded trips, at a cost of more than $350,000, in 2008 and 2009. Full Story
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Credit: Jacob Villanueva -
Super Salaries
School superintendent salary data offers a unique window into the vast diversity of Texas districts, from massive to miniscule, and the way they pay their chief executives. One new trend: Performance pay. Full Story
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![Superintendent salaries often, but not always correlate with district enrollment. The top earner in Texas, Beaumont ISD's Carrol Thomas, is the exception. He earns $334,212 for managing a system one-tenth the size of the state's largest, Houston ISD.]()
Credit: Jacob Villanueva -
Legal Lottery
Can Texas lottery winners sell all of their payments to private finance companies? State attorneys say no. A state appeals court says yes. The Texas Supreme Court will decide. Full Story
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Mapmaker, Mapmaker
Think like the political pros and your mind will go to the long game instead of the short one. The short game is the elections of 2010. The long game is redistricting in 2011, when maps are drawn that corral the voters into the districts that will elect legislators for the next ten years. Full Story
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USDA Approved: Jail Construction
Some Texas sheriffs are looking to an unlikely source to get them out of the hole as private prisons win away federal contracts for inmates and put the financial squeeze on county jails. Full Story
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Credit: Ross Ramsey -
TribBlog: What Fredo Learned
Alberto Gonzales — remember him? — in Esquire. Full Story
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Credit: Brent Humphreys/esquire.com -
HuTube: Shot Blocker
Gotta hand it to these young Republicans for not letting a bitter battle between their bosses get in the way of polite pleasantries on the street. Full Story
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![Screengrab of Perry's staffer heading to block a KBH videographer from the sidewalk.]()
Credit: Texans for Kay campaign -
On the Records: What He Said
Data: Make it available. Make it usable. Make it meaningful. Share. Full Story
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On the Records: A View Behind the Cameras
How we built the red-light camera app. Download the data and build your own — or embed ours as an iframe. Full Story
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![The nightmare .CSV file generated from TxDOT's PDFs.]()
Credit: Matt Stiles -
On the Records: A Data Challenge for Texas
What are state and local governments in Texas doing to make raw data available to the public? Not much. Full Story
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![Sites like D.C. Bikes and Stumble Safely present government data with innovative applications.]()
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The Brief: December 3, 2009
The season for speculating is drawing to an end. Politicians, it’s time to stake your claim. Full Story