From our stories about Texas politicians' conflicts of interest to our shining a light on government spending, to lifting the veil on lawmakers' actions, we hope you've come to value Texas Watchdog.

These are not good times for journalism. As resources shrink from traditional newsrooms, there are fewer reporters around to "follow the money." This is why it's so important to make sure groups devoted to watchdog journalism -- like Texas Watchdog --are here to keep an eye on state and local government.

We've been impressed that so many people have made contributions to Texas Watchdog. Thank you so much!

But to make sure we can keep watchdogging throughout 2010, I'm asking you to make a donation in whatever amount you can afford, be it $50 or $5,000. You may wish to donate via PayPal or by check (Mail to Texas Watchdog at 945 McKinney St., #221, Houston TX 77023).

We're a 501(c)(3), so your contributions are tax-deductible.

So what's coming next for Texas Watchdog?

We're going to continue collaborations with media partners. For example, watch for a Texas Watchdog collaboration early in 2010 with the Center for Public Integrity.

We're expanding our journalism operation into Austin, to better keep an eye on state government. Look for some exciting stories about how government really works at the Capitol that we're going to roll out in the new year.

And we're building out the Texas Watchdog Web site, so that we can incorporate for more video journalism -- and so you can get all the resources Texas Watchdog has to offer right on your iPhone or Blackberry.

And we can't wait to publish the stories in the new year we have cooking right now!

Please, donate today.

Again, thank you so much.

Trent Seibert, editor, Texas Watchdog