The Failing States: Fiscal Crisis in the Statehouse

By Jim Scarantino on May 7, 2010

Frank Keegan, national editor of Watchdog.org, delivers the first in a series of podcasts on the state-level budget troubles across the country. The link takes you to the Watchdog.org site where you can hear the podcast.

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Tea Party Tea Leaves: The National View

By Jim Scarantino on March 23, 2010

Here’s a great story built on interviews with Tea Party leaders around the nation.  They are not what you’d expect.  And the GOP should also take note here.  These folks are strong independent thinkers.  Bill McMorris of Watchdog.org wrote the story from a meeting of Tea Party leaders in Dallas.  Of particular note, these are [...]

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Watchdogs All Over Massachusetts for Election Coverage

By Jim Scarantino on January 19, 2010

Grant Bosse of New Hampshire Watchdog is in Boston reporting on the all-important election to replace the late Edward Kennedy as the Bay State’s second senator. You can follow his reports here. Grant has an active Twitter feed and a string of videos from Coakley and Brown HQs and rallies. Scott St. Clair of the [...]

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Reporting from Washington, D.C. and Watchdog Roundup

By Jim Scarantino on January 11, 2010

I will be in the nation’s capital all week for meetings, training and some interviews. Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson is in town and I hope to get into the event to cover his speech on drug decriminalization. We have a New Mexico based reporter preparing coverage on the State Investment Council’s special meeting [...]

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More than $375 Million in Stimulus Reported Going to 170 Nonexistent Zip Codes

By Jim Scarantino on January 6, 2010

Building on the story we broke here, Bill McMorris of Watchdog.org and Earl Glynn of Kansas Watchdog report that more than $375 million in stimulus funds have been reported by the Obama Administration as going to more than 170 nonexistent zip codes. This discovery comes on the heel’s of McMorris’ reporting that more than $6.4 [...]

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Merry Christmas: Accuracy in Media Names the Watchdog Network One of the Top Media to Follow in 2010

By Jim Scarantino on December 23, 2009

The Watchdog network has already caught national attention. We’ve only been up and running since September, when Nebraska and West Virginia Watchdogs launched their sites. But our reporting has broken some big stories that have been picked up and expanded by national media. We’ve received hat-tips from the Associated Press, National Review, Wall Street Journal, [...]

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UPDATED: Your Guide to the Stimulus–Phantom District by Phantom District & Recovery Board Chairs Now Admits Data Not Reliable

By Jim Scarantino on November 18, 2009

Want to know which of the 440 fictitious Congressional districts got how many millions? It’s all here in a handy guide to the phantom districts, courtesy of the Watchdog network. WHOOPS (UPDATED): The head of the agency overseeing stimulus tracking admits the Obama Administration cannot certify the accuracy of the information on recovery.gov. We could [...]

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$6.4 Billion in Fed Stimulus Goes to 440 Non-Existent Congressional Districts

By Jim Scarantino on November 17, 2009

Bill McMorris at Watchdog.org combined all the state Watchdog reporting on federal stimulus money going to phantom Congressional districts, and then dug through the rest of the data reported at recovery.gov, the $84 million website established by the Obama Administration to “track every last penny,” as our President put it, of the $787 billion stimulus. [...]

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Watchdog Roundup

By Jim Scarantino on November 13, 2009

New Mexico Watchdog is proud to be part of a national effort to shine more light on state and local governments. State think tanks know that the pullback in state house reporting by newspapers hurts democracy and makes for unaccountable government. We are a mix of veteran journalists, young reporters, accountants, lawyers and policy analysts. [...]

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