Monthly Archives: September 2010

West York group keeping an eye on government

I just discovered this blog, called West York Watchdog, which says it’s “intended to share information with the taxpaying public of the West York Area School District. It will include details about board meetings, information about upcoming meetings, and notices … Continue reading

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A little help, please

I nearly disappeared into a black hole when I tried to find something on FEMA’s website last week. Not that I’d wish the same on anyone else, but I’m wondering if I just missed something obvious or if what I … Continue reading

Posted in Websites | Leave a comment

Fed up with gov’t? Make it work better — and win money too

“Challenge.gov,” the website says, “is a place where the public and government can solve problems together.” Sounds like a happy place. And then the feds threw in millions of dollars of prize money to boot. Most of the prize money … Continue reading

Posted in Federal government | Leave a comment

Public access story: Meeting taped; those on video not happy.

A western Pennsylvania woman videotapes a borough council’s meetings.Borough council not real happy.Spat ensues.Videos go on YouTube.Public business done in public with public access through videos. Will mayhem follow? Thanks to sharp-eyed @jlmosebach for sending me that tip.

Posted in Transparency | 4 Comments

Clearspending.com reveals the feds’ tangled money web

I said yesterday that I’d fool around on the Sunlight Foundation’s clearspending.com and report back. The foundation created clearspending basically to reveal mistakes in the federal government’s usaspending.gov site. A couple thoughts on clearspending.com: It attempts to show you why … Continue reading

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Open government advocate: Fed spending site ‘useless’

Tracking federal spending is one of those things that’s a great idea but can be really hard to do effectively. Last year, we wrote how difficult it was to figure out just how much stimulus money was coming to York … Continue reading

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RTK denial from South Eastern schools: Befuddling (and befuddled?)

Investigation? What investigation? That seemed to be South Eastern School District’s response — twice — when we asked for the results of Philadelphia-based lawyer Michael Levin’s investigation into the district’s superintendent and administrative staff. An investigation, mind you, that the … Continue reading

Posted in Pennsylvania Right to Know | Leave a comment