News

Opinion: Are we slaves to government secrecy?

Tuesday, the people of St. Augustine elected Nancy Shaver as Mayor, empowered by a decade of disclosures about our flawed city government. read more ...

Bob Horton: Do the people’s business in front of the people

After most municipal elections, newly elected officials and returning incumbents are invited to a forum at Town Hall about public meeting protocol and the Freedom of Information Act. And while it is often said that showing up is half the job, in th ...

Editorial: No anonymity in Jeffco teacher sick-out

Good for the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition (CFOIC), which went to bat for a parent seeking the names of teachers at his daughter's school who called in sick in September to protest Jefferson County school board policies ...

Transparency a priority for northern Beaufort County political newcomers

Voters in northern Beaufort County turned two incumbents out of local office on Election Day and replaced them with political newcomers -- an unquestionable sign of discontent with business as usual. Whether the electorate was specifically distressed about open government and adherence to the state's Freedom of Information Act is less clear. Certainly, however, the winning candidates made these issues part of their platforms. read more ...

Philadelphia looks to become more transparent

The city has released details of a plan to help provide even more transparency and efficiency to city governance. The Open Data Strategic Plan uses a comprehensive method termed the “open data census,” to help officials better track and ...

Seeking government transparency in Santa Rosa

Eight months after it was formed, the city’s Open Government Task Force is putting the finishing touches on recommendations it hopes will make it easier for residents to engage with their government. The nine-member panel, which was formed in ...

Arkansas housing chief pleads not guilty to violating Freedom of Information Act

A housing agency's leader Little Rock, Arkansas has pleaded not guilty to a charge that he failed to comply with the Freedom of Information Act by withholding documents from an Arkansas newspaper. Metropolitan Housing Alliance Executive Director Rodney Forte entered the plea Thursday and is set to stand trial on the misdemeanor charge in January, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/1uFGKJA ) reported. read more ...

Senate panel plans vote on FOIA update

The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on a bill to update the Freedom of Information Act as one of its first items once lawmakers return to Washington next week. The committee is planning to vote on the FOIA Improvement Act on the morning of Nov ...

Weston to charge fee for FOIA searches

People seeking public documents in Weston soon will have to pay a fee. A new ordinance allows the city to charge a fee for locating public documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act. The fee will be equivalent to the rate of pay of the employee who conducts the search and produces the documents. There also is a $1 charge per page for reproducing public documents. Continue>>> ======= ...

Public sure to learn one thing at meetings: They’re “tedious”

Open teacher labor talks will be required in all 179 Colorado school districts starting in January after 70 percent of voters approved Proposition 104, the only of five statewide ballot measures to pass last week ...