<p class="MsoNormal">Keeping track of congressional information starts at the local level, and blogs do a great job of informing people about what is happening in their own backyard.<span>  </span>I have been reading local blogs for quite a while and have been very impressed with the coverage on local ethics issues and congressional information.<span>  </span>So I would like to highlight every week some blogs that do a great job covering issues that deal with transparency, ethics, and corruption.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><!--break--><br /> </p><p class="MsoNormal">In <st1:state w:st="on">Alabama</st1:state>, <a href="http://www.flashpointblog.com/2007/08/16/pork-alarm-in-madison-county/">Flashpoint</a> describes a recent earmark that funded buying 20,000 smoke detectors for residents in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Madison</st1:placename>  <st1:placename w:st="on">County</st1:placename></st1:place>, and questions its necessity.</p>    <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://coaching.typepad.com/espresso_pundit/2007/08/shake-update.html"><st1:state w:st="on">Arizona</st1:state>’s Espresso Pundit</a> and <a href="http://arizona.typepad.com/blog/2007/08/now-i-agree-w-2.html">BlogforArizona.com</a> both agree that the best way to make public announcements from government agencies is not through a newspaper but that <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Arizona</st1:place></st1:state> should put them online on a searchable government Web site.<span>  </span></p>    <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.gaporkbusters.org/2007/07/30/defense-budget-pork/">Georgia Porkbuster</a>s gave a rundown of who in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Georgia</st1:country-region></st1:place> delegation requested earmarks in the upcoming defense appropriations package.<span>  </span></p>    <p class="MsoNormal"><st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">South Carolina</st1:place></st1:state> has a new government watchdog blog, the <a href="http://www.palmettotruthsquad.blogspot.com/">Palmetto Truth Squad</a>.<span>  </span>Their goal is to find “verifiable examples of waste, mismanagement and fraud in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">South   Carolina</st1:place></st1:state> state and local government.”</p>    <p class="MsoNormal">New York <a href="http://rochesterturning.com/2007/08/16/nys-ethics-commission-no-state-aircraft-for-political-events-kinda/">Rochester Turning</a> is reporting that the New York State Ethics Commission recently released an advisory opinion on the use of state aircraft for political purposes.<br /> <!--[endif]--></p>  <p class="MsoNormal">In <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alaska</st1:place></st1:state>, Sen. Ted Stevens has taken up quite a bit of blog space recently.<span>  </span>The<a href="http://community.adn.com/node/109545"> Anchorage Daily News</a> takes some space to talk about the earmark controversies surrounding <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alaska</st1:place></st1:state>’s congressional delegation.<span>  </span><a href="http://www.adn.com/opinion/comment/story/9221669p-9137793c.html">Here </a>Sen. Stevens did an interview with the Daily News editorial board.<span>  </span>If you go to the bottom you can see his, rather interesting, response when questioned about his legal controversies.<span>  </span></p>    <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>These are just some highlights of what is going on at the state level.<span>  </span>Please feel free to contact me (at nthompson at sunlightfoundation dot com) if you have any tips on what is going on locally. I am specifically in search of more local political news blogs in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Alaska</st1:state></st1:place>, so if anyone knows of any, please let me know. </p>