NewsTrain instructor Paul Overberg illustrates how to develop a data state of mind by using the variety of public information available in one town: Kerrville, Texas. Among the documents discussed: Form SF-SAC for audits of local governments and agencies receiving federal funds, IRS Form 990 for tax returns of nonprofits, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board's EMMA website for municipal bond documents, and Form 5500 for annual reports on local companies' pensions and 401(k) plans. Overberg, database editor for USA Today, delivered this presentation as part of the NewsTrain workshop in Austin, Texas, on Aug. 22-23, 2014. Please see an associated handout -- Finding News in an IRS Form 990. For more information about NewsTrain, a traveling workshop for journalists sponsored by Associated Press Media Editors, please visit http://www.apme.com/?AboutNewsTrain.

1. Developing a
Data State of Mind
Paul Overberg
USA TODAY
@poverberg
NewsTrain Austin
Aug. 22-23, 2014

2. Where we’re going today
 Thinking
about data
 Groups →
documents/data
→ people
 Let’s focus:
1 small town
 Set course:
Kerrville

3. Kerrville (pop. 22,663)
 Hill Country
 Guadalupe River
 Kerr County seat
 Arts festivals
 River tourism
Photo by Flickr user Jimmy Emerson DVM

4. Data on government
 376-page annual
budget!
 307 FTEs, going
to 305 next year?
 Planning $500K
cut due to new
fire/library pact
with county

5. Form SF-SAC
 Audits of local
governments,
not-for-profits
getting federal $
 Kerrville in
2012: 5 groups
harvester.census.gov/sac/dissem/accessoptions.html

6. Form SF-SAC
 Kerrville
Independent
School Dist.

7. Form SF-SAC
 Clean audit

8. Form SF-SAC
 $6M in
federal funds
 School
budget lists
about $2.5M
 Full school
budget: $35M

9. Form SF-SAC
 $6M in
federal funds
 School
budget lists
about $2.5M
 Full school
budget: $35M

10. Form SF-SAC
 Schreiner
University:
$9.7M
 Hill Country
Crisis Council
$526K
 K’Star $670K
 Hill Country
Mental Health
$2.2M

11. Form SF-SAC
 Schreiner
University:
$9.7M
 Hill Country
Crisis Council
$526K
 K’Star $670K
 Hill Country
Mental Health
$2.2M

12. Form SF-SAC
 Schreiner
University:
$9.7M
 Hill Country
Crisis Council
$526K
 K’Star $670K
 Hill Country
Mental Health
$2.2M

13. Form SF-SAC
 Schreiner
University:
$9.7M
 Hill Country
Crisis Council
$526K
 K’Star $670K
 Hill Country
Mental Health
$2.2M

14. Data on not-for-profits
 IRS Form 990,
Form 990-PF
 Easiest access:
GuideStar.org
 Register free
 Right now!
 Do local search!

15. Form 990
 Kerrville: 323!
 $25K to $100K: 47
 $100K to $500K: 51
 $500K to $1M: 12
 Over $1M: 23!

16. Form 990
 Read and
compare from
recent years
 Community
road map

17. Form 990
 Perry &
Ruby Stevens
Foundation:
$54M in assets
 Example of
Form 990-PF:
private
foundation

18. Form 990
 One line
caught my
eye …

19. Form 990
 5% of
$52M =
$2.7M

20. Butt Foundation
 H.E. Butt
Foundation
 Contributions:
2012: $ 16M
2011: $107M
2010: $ 20M

21. Butt Foundation
 Moved
strongly
into stock
market

22. Butt Foundation
 Page 7: Charitable amounts but no details

23. Butt Foundation
 Page 7: Charitable amounts but no details
 Page 45: Details!

24. Butt Foundation
 Laity Lodge:
“ecumenical Christian
retreat center”
 Youth camps, family
and group retreats
 Laity Renewal
Foundation: 39 retreats
in 2012, 1,728 guests

25. Butt Foundation
 Founding family
controls all 3
foundations
 Foundations
share staff
 No independent
directors
Butt Foundation
(Assets: $227 million)
Laity Renewal
(Assets: $14 million)
Laity Lodge
(Assets: $11 million)

26. Butt Foundation
 H-E-B: Privately owned
supermarket chain (1905)
 350 stores, $20B annual
revenue
 Forbes: Top 15 private
companies

27. A few others (2012 assets)
 Floyd & Kathleen Cailloux Foundation: $91M
 Hal & Charlie Peterson Foundation: $53M
 Kathleen Cailloux Family Foundation: $16M
 Edward and Sally Futch Foundation: $11M
 Roy & Ingaborg Randolph Foundation: $2M

28. Municipal bond documents
emma.msrb.org

29. Municipal bond documents

30. Municipal bond documents
 Like
prospectus for
mutual funds
 Wealth of
background

31. Municipal bond documents

32. Municipal bond documents

33. Health/retirement plans
 Form 5500:
Annual reports
on pension and
401(k) plans
 Since 2009:
Labor Dept.
search portal
efast.dol.gov/portal/app/disseminate

34. Health/retirement plans
 Better: FreeERISA.com (free registration required)
 ZIP search
freeerisa.benefitspro.com/5500/level.aspx

35. Health/retirement plans

36. Health/retirement plans
freeerisa.benefitspro.com/5500/level.aspx

37. Health/retirement plans
freeerisa.benefitspro.com/5500/level.aspx

38. Health/retirement plans
freeerisa.benefitspro.com/5500/level.aspx

39. Health/retirement plans
freeerisa.benefitspro.com/5500/level.aspx

40. Health/retirement plans
freeerisa.benefitspro.com/5500/level.aspx

41. Exercises
 1. What local group is so important that your
newsroom should start and keep up …
… a Document Dossier!
 2. Turn to your handout:
Peterson Regional Medical Center

42. Questions?
Thank you!
poverberg@usatoday.com
@poverberg