Photo courtesy of the Investigative Reporting Workshop

The recent momentum of the new nonprofit journalism phenomenon is continuing despite the difficult U.S. economy, according to an analysis by the Investigative Reporting Workshop’s iLab.

A year after publishing our initial new journalism ecosystem story, searchable database and national map, we have revisited each of the original 60 nonprofit news publishers profiled, and we have included 15 additional journalistic nonprofits, most of them recently created organizations.

The cumulative annual operating budget totals for the original 60 nonprofit news publishers profiled in October 2010 was $84 million, not including estimated, non-disclosed budgets. A year later, these publishers’ operating budgets altogether are $86 million (including the final 2011 budget of the now-defunct Capitol News Connection). The annual operating budgets of 26 organizations remained the same; for 16 publishers, their budgets increased; for 10 organizations, their operating budgets decreased; and eight groups did not disclose their numbers. With the additional 15 nonprofit publishers (excluding CNC and including Consumer Reports, which has an annual budget of $43.1 million and roughly 600 full-time employees), the total annual funding and number of employees for the 75 journalistic organizations profiled in our database is $135 million and 1,300 full-time employees, respectively… Full story here.

Beer made right here in D.C. is once again flowing through the city’s taps for the first time in more than half a century. And people in town are raising their glasses to new, local brews.

Beer production in the States is now at its highest levels since before prohibition, and the District is no exception — by the end of 2011, the city will be home to at least four new full-scale production breweries that are already defining D.C.’s local craft brewing culture.

And as these up-and-coming brewmasters will tell you, D.C. is a very thirsty town.

Filmed, edited and produced by Kate Musselwhite. Featured on Washington’s NBC4 Nonstop cable program.

*Feel free to link to or post this video with credit to Kate Musselwhite*

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Music by Sea Monster, “Gimme a Beer,” Live at WFMU on Pat Duncan’s Show 5/14/09, via freemusicarchive.org
(Creative Commons license terms: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/)

Photo of Capitol dome by Mary Ann Reitano (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
(Creative Commons license terms: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/)

Other photos courtesy of Port City Brewing Company, DC Brau Brewing Company, Chocolate City Beer and 3 Stars Brewing Company.

Photo by Kyoko Takenaka, Investigative Reporting Workshop

Thousands of people took to the National Mall last October in the name of jobs, justice and education at the “One Nation Working Together” rally in Washington, D.C. The event brought together union members, activists and students from around the country, all asking Washington to focus on the needs of working-class Americans before the November 2010 midterm elections.

Melanie Collins, who provides child care in her home, took a union-sponsored bus from Falmouth, Maine, to attend the event.

In her 11 years caring for children, she said in an interview at the rally last year, she had not seen a parent pull a child out because of job loss. That changed when the economy began its downward spiral in 2007.

“It’s really hard when … you’ve been taking care of a kid, and you know they’re going to really struggle now because dad’s lost his job,” she said in a video interview.

Fast forward to 2011. The midterm elections have come and gone. Jobs are no more visible on the political agenda than they were last fall. One Nation’s campaign seems to have died down. Its website is dormant, and calls to the organization were not returned. And Collins said not much has changed in Maine. …Full story here.

With the 2012 presidential campaign underway, President Obama is looking to re-take the key battleground states that helped vote him into office in 2008. Kate Musselwhite reports live in the District Wire News studio on how this raises the stakes for a Senate race in Washington’s own backyard.

Democrat Tim Kaine will likely be facing off with Republican George Allen for the title of Virginia Senator, and many say the twenty-twelve race is shaping up to be one of the most watched, most expensive and most significant races in the country. …Full newscast segment here.

This promotional video was filmed, edited and produced by Kate Musselwhite, with support from Discovery Learning, Inc.

Kristin Haldeman, with WMATA Office of Long-Range Planning, heads up the project to improve security, access and storage for bikers and their wheels. They plan to add bike racks at some of the high-ridership stations in the metro area like Braddock Road, Bethesda and Columbia Heights.

Hear more from Haldeman and other Metro riders about some of the issues bikers and walkers face now and how Metro plans to fix them in the future.

Photographed and produced by Kate Musselwhite

Metro also plans to work with developers near stations to ensure safe paths for bikers and walkers in the future.

Funding for  long-range implementation of the bike-to-metro initiative is included in the 2011-2016 Capital Improvement Plan.

By the numbers… (from Metro’s long-range plan)

• 70% … percentage of those surveyed who said they would bike to metro instead of drive if certain changes were made
• 60% … percentage of those surveyed who said there was not adequate parking for bikes at their starting station
• 1270 … number of key operated lockers now available at Metro (for annual rental of $200)
• 1700 … number of free bike racks at Metro’s 86 stations (most can park two bikes)

Stations with highest bike-to-Metro ridership:

• East Falls Church
• Medical Center Station
• Woodley Park

Experts say clothes will be more expensive any day now thanks to a spike in cotton prices. Consumer spending might be inching its way back up, Americans are still looking for deals in the dressing room.

A new report shows that resale is the fastest growing segment of the clothing industry, making it a multi-billion dollar business. Consignment sales have been increasing steadily for the past few years and new consignment shops are popping up all over the country at an impressive rate – including right here in the D.C. area.

Reported, photographed and produced by Kate Musselwhite

According to a survey by the National Association of Resale Professionals (NARTS), consignment sales have been strong for the past five years, with significant jumps in the past two.

While other segments of the retail industry have been seeing a decline in sales, NARTS reports a renewed consumer commitment to resale that’s resulting in consignment stores opening around the country at a higher rate than in previous years. NARTS says many unemployed people and charities are turning to consignment as a way to make extra cash, and experts say they expect the resale boom to continue in 2011.

For more information on the consignment stores featured in the video, see the websites for Current Boutique and Bellies & Babies.

The headbangers boxing club is part of the D.C. Parks and Recreation Amateur Boxing Program, and nearly 50 under-served neighborhood kids come to practice there after school each week.

Check out my report on how these young boxers are learning the ropes … both inside and outside the ring.

Reported, photographed and edited by Kate Musselwhite

All eyes are on Libya as the U.S. and its allies try to curb violent attacks by the government on the people there. As airstrikes continue to target forces fighting for Moammar Gadhafi, President Obama responds to critics who are questioning the motives behind the mission in Libya.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Libyan opposition leaders this morning in London. She says U.N. forces won’t stop bombing Libya until Gadhafi pulls back his troops and stops attacking civilians.