The nytimes broke the NSA warrantless wiretapping story - that alone is worthy of major kudos. I think a reporter's affiliation with an institution of the nytimes' stature is a big help in getting sources to reveal information like this story. Sources would be less willing to talk to some random joe blogger, no matter how well-intentioned and energetic he or she is. On another topic, the sad truth is that the more newspapers cut staff and coverage, the less worth reading they become. It's an unfortunate vicious circle.

Buses in Aspen, CO are free. But Aspen is something of an anomaly, since it's without exception an absurdly wealthy town. The local government probably makes a killing on property taxes. And with low crime rates and a relatively small year round population there's no need for huge expenditures on police, schools, etc. So I'm not sure this model is viable in most other cities.