Reform Follows Function
The federal push for accountability at "persistently low-achieving" schools across Texas is running smack into the hard, slow work of improvement at the local level. Full Story
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![Use our data app to find "persistently lowest performing" schools in Texas.]()
Credit: Matt Stiles -
On the Records: Combs Studying Open Data
Her office is studying efforts to release raw data in New York and San Francisco for ideas. Full Story
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![Evan Smith speaks to the crowd during TribLive, a monthly conversation with Texas public officials.]()
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2010: White, Perry Lead in Fundraising
The latest campaign finance reports show that both candidates raised more than $700,000 in January. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison spent more than any other candidate: $3.3 million. Full Story
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On the Records: Donations App Updated
We've added a few new features to our campaign donations app, including the ability to filter the search results by the donation amount, year and donor type. Full Story
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Credit: Jacob Villanueva -
On the Records: Data Decisions
Some deep-pocketed trial lawyers didn't make the Twenty Who Gave Plenty list. Why not? Full Story
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Credit: Jacob Villanueva -
Guest Column: The 2010 Agenda: Open Government
Compared with other states, Texas alternates between merely OK and downright bad in rankings of how transparently government bodies conduct open meetings and respond to requests for public information. But we can fix that. Full Story
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Twenty Who Gave Plenty
Houston homebuilder Bob Perry tops the list of the biggest donors to Texas candidates in the last half of 2009. McAllen developer Alonzo Cantu and Dallas businessman Ross Perot Sr. also gave large sums. Full Story
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![McAllen developer Alonzo Cantu, Houston homebuilder Bob Perry and Dallas businessman H. Ross Perot were among the largest donors to Texas candidates and officeholders during the second half of 2009, according to state campaign reports.]()
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On the Records: Per-Capita Money Maps
The governor's race candidates fill their campaign coffers disproportionately from some rural areas, according to a per-capita calculation. Each Dallas resident gave $1 to the race in 2009, for example, while those in Blanco donated $57. Full Story
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![Per-capita contributions to gubernatorial candidates in 2009.]()
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Mapping the Money Race
To better understand the geography of the money race, we mapped the candidates' contributions by city, using graduated symbols to highlight their most lucrative areas. The bubbles in the maps get larger based on the percentage of a candidates' total take. Full Story
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![This map of 2009 fundraising by all the major candidates in the governor's race shows proportional bubbles based on the percentage of contributions collected from a city.]()
Credit: Matt Stiles -
Data App: Governor's Race Cash
Search more than $35 million in campaign donations and loans collected by the top candidates in the governor's race. You can also explore how they spent the money. Full Story
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Credit: Matt Stiles -
On the Records: Spending Search
We have 10 years and more than $350 million in Texas campaign expenditures available for search and download. Find your own stories. Full Story
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![State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston.]()
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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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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.]()
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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 -
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.]()
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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 -
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