Open government? Carmel (IN) group blurs the line
When the Carmel City Council voted to fire the director of its redevelopment commission last year, he simply kept on working. Why the longtime consultant, Les Olds, felt he had the authority to do so is unclear. Whatever the reason, months later he s ...
Here’s What Happens When You Challenge the CIA Through “Proper Channels”
One of the standard criticisms of Edward Snowden is that he should have tried harder to air his concerns via proper channels. This is fairly laughable on its face, since even now the NSA insists that all its programs were legal and it continues to fi ...
Let the sunshine in: Man who filed lawsuit to remove ESL mayor calls ruling ‘a victory’
A St. Clair County judge dismissed part of a lawsuit seeking to remove East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks from office but could fine the city for allegedly violating state Sunshine laws. The legal fight began in May 2013 when Matt Hawkins, president ...
The Life And Death Of ‘The Internet’s Own Boy’
Aaron Swartz was a programmer, a hacker, a freedom of information activist — and a casualty of suicide. Before he turned 20, Swartz had made a fortune for his work on the social news website Reddit. He also was instrumental in founding the nonp ...
Simpsonville (S.C.) reviewing FOI draft policy
How citizens access public information may change in Simpsonville. City officials are drafting a Freedom of Information policy to create a standardized process for handling FOI requests, but some provisions in the draft policy’s current form ha ...
CELEBRATING F.O.I.A. ON INDEPENDENCE DAY
On July 4, 1966, Lyndon B. Johnson surprised even some of his closest aides by signing the Freedom of Information Act. Johnson was said to have hated the “government-information bill”; he questioned the motives of the Democrat who was its ...
Opinion: FOIA helps keep government transparent
Independence Day 2014 marks 48 years since the landmark Freedom of Information Act went into effect — yet Americans are still distrustful of government. The Freedom of Information Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July ...
Opinion: Freedom of Information Act needs to be fixed.
New legislation introduced in the Senate last week would close the “because I feel like it” loophole in the Freedom of Information Act. read more ...
Lawsuit: Fort Smith (AK) Directors, Clerk Violated FOIA
The Fort Smith city clerk and four members of the city board of directors are accused of violating the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Sebastian County Circuit Court. City Clerk Sherri Gard is accused of individual ...
Bill Lueders: A wish-list for open government in Wisconsin
Most candidates for public office, when asked, will pledge their support for open and transparent government. The real question is: Are they committed to fixing problems and expanding what information is available? Recently, the Wisconsin Freedom o ...
