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Follow the Stimulus Money
Piggybacking off my colleague Christopher Weaver's post on state Web sites tracking the stimulus, here are the projects lists released by states and federal agencies. From highways to health centers and education to explosives detection, the data provides the clearest picture yet of how officials are spending the stimulus. Oddly enough, some of the lists aren't on the state sites, or even Recovery.gov.
Morning Cup of Stimulus: Bitter Aftertaste
This is the latest from our new Stimulus blog. Check out our posts, our charts, and more.
With blue chips selling for the price of potato chips and this morning's news that unemployment has hit 8.1 percent, pressure is growing to move the stimulus cash fast. And it seems to be grating the nerves of mayors and local officials from New York City to Battle Creek, Mich., who have publicly fumed at their state officials in recent days. Meanwhile, the Senate got some answers yesterday in a hearing on oversight and transparency of the stimulus package.
With urgency in mind, the Federal Transit Administration released its allocations of public transit dollars, and the Department of Homeland Security named 17 airports that will be getting new explosives detection machines. New Jersey and Idaho released their project lists.
As speculated, the stimulus may indeed revive the FutureGen "clean coal" power plant in Mattoon, Ill., now that several of its supporters are in the Obama administration, reports The Washington Post.
Project of the day: $2.1 million to relocate an aging Greyhound bus terminal in Miami.
Tracking States’ Spending Trackers
This is the latest from our new Stimulus blog. Check out our posts, our charts, and more.
The states are promising transparency on stimulus spending. Here is a list of what sites are actually doing.
Some states, not all of which have special "recovery" homepages yet, are old hands at open government 2.0. We've included links to states' general transparency sites, many of which have details on contracts and expenditures.
We’ll keep the list updated as more states take the pledge. Also, we're considering adding a scoring system. (Think: "And for accountability and décor Missouri nails a 9.8!") Feel free to send us your suggestions.
One Industry Stimulated by the Stimulus: Shady Web Sites
My name is Olga, and I'm a reporter from New York. I just got $20,000 in free* stimulus grant money!
*If by free you mean for the low, low price of $90 per month. Oh, and there is no such grant program in the stimulus package.
Because those are the terms being offered by stimulusgrants.com, one of many Web sites that have popped up to take advantage of the stimulus dream: that piles of free government money are headed your way. (No, we're not linking to them.)
When it comes to taking advantage of that dream, "unfortunately it's taken scam artists no time at all," said Eileen Harrington, acting director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, at a news conference Wednesday morning.
Morning Cup of Stimulus: Scams and Maps
This is the latest from our new Stimulus blog. Check out our posts, our charts, and more.
A Senate hearing on stimulus oversight is getting under way this morning on Capitol Hill. A link to the webcast will be posted here. The Federal Trade Commission is warning consumers about stimulus scams. Colorado, Rhode Island and South Carolina released their lists of highway and bridge projects.
Meanwhile, Building America's Future, a coalition of state and local officials seeking infrastructure improvements, has created a Web site to keep track of such projects. Its main feature so far is a map that links to state news releases. Speaking of maps, several states have posted their own showing which bridges and stretches of road will be repaired. Check out Maryland, Rhode Island and South Carolina.
Some Texas projects may be denied for not giving preference to economically distressed areas, according to the chairman of the House Transporation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn. Project of the day: Fort Custer, the Michigan National Guard's training facility in Augusta, Mich., will get $2.25 million for water, sewer and electrical upgrades.
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Recovery Tracker
Find stimulus projects happening near you. (Updated: March 2010)
Want CSVs of our stimulus data? Fill out this signup form.
Stimulus Speed Chart
Which government agencies are the slowest at getting stimulus money out the door? Updated weekly.
Stimulus Spending Progress
How quickly are federal agencies spending? Updated weekly.
ProPublica’s Unofficial Guide to Recovery.gov
Confused by the government's official stimulus data Web site? Our guide will tell you how to navigate it.
How to Background Check Stimulus Companies
A guide of tips and resources on researching the background of companies getting stimulus funds.
- Recovery.gov
The government’s stimulus transparency page - Investments by State
Recovery.gov's list of how much each state is getting, in total and for each program - Investments by Agency
Recovery.gov's list of how much each agency has available and paid out - Projects by State
An interactive map of projects by state and by county, including their estimated value - Policy Debates by State
Primers on stimulus debates in each state - Conference of Mayors
A run-down of stimulus programs, news, and developments in U.S. cities - Stateline
News and information from the Pew Center on the States - CNN Stimulus Project
A weeklong special with stories, video and graphics from January 2010 - Business Exchange (U.S. Economic Stimulus)
Stimulus news and resources from BusinessWeek - Education Week (Politics K-12)
Breakdowns and analysis of education funding - Read the Stimulus
Searchable index of different versions of the bill - The New York Times (Economic Stimulus)
The Times’ latest stimulus coverage - Sunshine.GOP.gov
A breakdown of stimulus contracts from the House Republican Conference
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