West Virginia: State's Stimulus Web Site Among Nation's Best, Report Shows

State's stimulus Web site among nation's best, report shows

Charleston Gazette | 08.02.09
URL: http://wvgazette.com/News/politics/200908020181

West Virginia's stimulus-tracking Web site is one of the nation's best, according to a national non-profit research group.

By ALISON KNEZEVICH

[NOTE: The stimulus site discussed in the following article was developed by NIC through subsidiary West Virginia Interactive.]

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia's stimulus-tracking Web site is one of the nation's best, according to a national non-profit research group.

The state's site ranked fourth in a new report by Good Jobs First, a Washington group that analyzed the transparency of every state's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) site.

Good Jobs First calculated the rankings by scoring states in 10 categories. www.recovery.wv.gov, West Virginia's site, received perfect scores in several areas.

For instance, the report says West Virginia's site includes good data on how many jobs stimulus projects have created. It also shows residents how the federal dollars are divided by broad categories -- such as housing, energy and transportation -- and by specific programs.

The group also gave the site a top score for centralization of information.

"We're very proud of that," said Matt Turner, spokesman for Gov. Joe Manchin. "Our agencies are keeping an eye on this.... We intend to work even harder to provide even more information."

The report also points out weaknesses in West Virginia's tracking of its $1.8 billion stimulus share.

The state received no points in four categories. Its site doesn't include data on the expected duration of projects and when they're completed; maps of where projects are taking place; and information on how funding allocations compare to each county's needs.

The report also says the site's information isn't timely enough, and could include more details on project contracts.

States' abilities to transparently track their stimulus funds have broad political implications, said policy analyst Paul Miller of the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy.

The Democratic Governors Association has touted the rankings, issuing a news release pointing out that Democrat-led states swept the top six spots in the report.

(Two states with Democratic governors -- Kentucky and Illinois -- also tied for last place.)

The $787 billion package's ultimate impact on the nation's economy could settle long-running questions about public spending, Miller said.

"Ultimately, this is a test, a new test of the equivalent of the New Deal," Miller said. "It's actually answering the larger question of the value of public spending and public investment."

Miller commended West Virginia government for its ranking, but said officials should take it a step further by creating a similar site for the state budget. The stimulus site could serve as a template, he said.

"Why can't we do this for state dollars?" Miller asked. "This Web site may be the impetus to get us to that level of accountability."

Reach Alison Knezevich at alis...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1240.

Alabama.gov Ranked Among the Nation's Top Five Web Sites

It's good to move forward, but it's also rewarding to leave good things behind. I hope to see continued success in Alabama, as I worked with some very bright and talented web developers on the alabama.gov web portal during my four and a half years in Montgomery.

Alabama.gov Ranked Among the Nation's Top Five Web Sites
Friday September 26, 1:23 pm ET
Full article

MONTGOMERY, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the fifth consecutive year, Alabama’s official state Web site (http://www.alabama.gov) has been ranked among the top ten in the Center for Digital Government’s annual Best of Web competition for government portal excellence. This year, Alabama.gov was ranked fifth in the nation among Web sites.

“Best of the Web is certainly an honor we are pleased to receive,” said Alabama Chief Information Officer Jim Burns. “The state’s technology staff and partners have worked hard to ensure that Alabama citizens can be informed and do business conveniently and securely using Alabama.gov.”

The 2008 Best of the Web competition recognizes the most innovative and user-friendly state Web portals and was conducted by the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. Sites are judged on delivery of public services, efficiency, economy, and functionality for improved citizen access. Representatives from the Center for Digital Government and officials from the 2007 Best of the Web-winning state and local governments served as judges for this year’s competition.

“This year’s winners represent the very best in state Web sites and the Center applauds Alabama for its diligence and hard work,” said Cathilea Robinett, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Government. “Each year, state and local governments continue to make strides towards implementing better access and more efficient Web delivery of public services.”

Alabama.gov offers a variety of government-related services and information 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The site provides numerous online resources to Alabamians, including information on living and working in Alabama, professional license renewals, up-to-date state agency contacts, and a digital media gallery. The portal also provides more than 140 interactive services that allow users to complete entire personal and business transactions online. Thanks to the addition of these new services and information, Alabama.gov is on track to significantly increase its annual online visitor count from 3.3 million in 2007 to almost 4 million in 2008.

The Alabama.gov portal is developed and managed at no cost to the state and is the result of a unique public-private partnership between the Alabama Department of Finance and Alabama Interactive, the state of Alabama’s partner for online government services.

About Alabama.gov

Alabama.gov is the state of Alabama’s official Web portal (http://www.alabama.gov) and a collaborative effort between the state of Alabama and Alabama Interactive. It was built and is marketed, operated, and maintained by Alabama Interactive, a Montgomery-based wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC (Nasdaq: EGOV - News).

About NIC

NIC manages more eGovernment services than any provider in the world. The company helps government communicate more effectively with citizens and businesses by putting essential services online. NIC provides eGovernment solutions for 2,900 state and local agencies that serve more than 70 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at http://www.nicusa.com.

Contact:

Alabama Interactive
Sloane Wright, 866-353-EGOV

Source: Alabama.gov

Education a Priority in West Virginia

West Virginia Education Portal Recognized Twice for Innovation in National Competitions

Monday September 22, 12:56 pm ET
Link to Article

CHARLESTON, W.Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The recently unveiled West Virginia Education portal (http://www.education.wv.gov) has been declared one of the best education Websites in the nation by the Centers for Digital Government and Education. The new portal was presented the 2008 Best of Web Special Award and the 2008 Digital Education Achievement Award based on its innovative approach to integrating more than 900 education resources into one centralized starting point located within the state’s official Website, http://www.wv.gov.

“We were very pleased to finally see a state develop a comprehensive education component into their overall state Website strategy,” said Cathilea Robinett, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Government. “The West Virginia Education Portal takes the right approach to providing diverse online education resources to West Virginia’s citizens.”

The Best of Web Awards and Digital Education Achievement Awards are national programs that recognize outstanding agency and department Websites and applications that enhance information interactions, transactions, and services. The awards were presented by the Centers for Digital Government and Education, which are national research and advisory institutes on information technology policies and best practices in government and education, during the 21st Century Jobs Cabinet meeting on September 19 in Charleston.

“West Virginia is the first state in the nation to develop a centralized online resource for families to seamlessly access the numerous educational offerings in the state,” said First Lady Gayle Manchin. “These awards highlight the commitment of the state of West Virginia to improving the educational opportunities for our citizens and educators.”

The education portal is the result of the work of the 21st Century Jobs Cabinet, which was formed in 2006 to promote a seamless education system that connects every level of education from early childhood to graduate study. It encompasses job training and lifelong learning to both support and enhance West Virginia's job creation and economic development efforts.

The West Virginia Education Portal was built without using taxpayer dollars by leveraging an innovative public-private partnership between the state and West Virginia Interactive, a Charleston-based subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV - News). Additional services are slated to be released in the upcoming months that will further streamline citizen access to government services and save taxpayer dollars.

About WV.gov

WV.gov is the official Website of the state of West Virginia (http://www.wv.gov) and is the result of an innovative public-private partnership between the state and West Virginia Interactive. West Virginia Interactive works with government agencies to build and manage interactive online services and is a subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC.

About NIC

NIC manages more eGovernment services than any provider in the world. The company helps government communicate more effectively with citizens and businesses by putting essential services online. NIC provides eGovernment solutions for 2,900 state and local agencies that serve more than 70 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at http://www.nicusa.com.

Contact:
The Office of Governor Joe Manchin
Lara Ramsburg, 304-558-2000
Communications Director
or
WV.gov
Peter Fairhurst, 304-414-0265 ext. 103
General Manager

Where's the Disconnect?

"For years now, they’ve told us that we can’t afford—that the government providing healthcare to all people is just unimaginable; it can’t be done. We don’t have the money to rebuild our infrastructure. We don’t have the money to wipe out poverty. We can’t do it. But all of a sudden, yeah, we do have $700 billion for a bailout of Wall Street."

— Sen. Bernie Sanders on Democracy Now!

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This Guy...

...I love this guy. Today is his birthday; he would have been 63.



The above picture is from 1976, when he was almost the age I am today. It's so sweet to think we were, at one time, the same age. I know how silly that sounds... but it's been my experience that losing a parent makes the parent more of a person and less of an authority/guardian figure in my mind. When I look at old pictures of him, I don't see the dad who worked his ass off to give us a good life or the dad who was so strict about curfew.

I see a guy, you know, just a young guy who has the exact same chin as me. The steadfast, meticulous Virgo whose interests then were so similar to mine now. Little things like that, things like noticing how similar our jawlines are, were not something I ever took notice of when he was alive. Or if I did notice, it didn't affect me. In this photo, I am amazed to the point of obsessing over how we have the exact same ears. Photos of lost loved ones not only make them more human to me, but also make me more human to myself.

Happy 63rd, Dadders. I love you.

Note: I wrote these words a couple years ago. I felt the need to post them again, as my sentiments have not only not changed, but have grown even stronger.

Work-Related Newsiness

e.Republic's Center for Digital Government Names 2008 Top Web Portals and Applications

Government Technology | 08.19.08
URL: http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/391147

News Report

Winners of the 2008 Best of the Web and Digital Government Achievement Awards have been announced by e.Republic's Center for Digital Government. The top state and local government Web portal and application awardees will be honored at the 12th annual Awards Gala on Sept.12 in Hollywood, Calif.

Judges from all over the nation determined the winners. Best of Web recognizes the most innovative, user-friendly state and local government portals while the Digital Government Achievement Award recognizes outstanding agency and department Web sites and applications.

Cathilea Robinett, executive vice president of the Center for Digital Government, said "Each year, state and local governments continue to make strides toward implementing better access and more efficient Web-delivery of public services. This year's winners represent the very best in each category. The Center applauds all the honorees for their diligence and hard work."

2008 Best Of the Web Awards

State Portal Category:

1st Place Virginia
2nd Place: Maine
3rd Place: California
4th Place: Texas
5th Place: Alabama and Rhode Island
Special Award: West Virginia Education Portal

This year's Awards Gala is sponsored by GovDelivery Inc. and Hyland Software Inc.

Happy Birthday, Tim!

Dang, I was lucky to grow up with such an awesome brother. I'm so proud of you and all you do.