IRS Tea Party Targeting Scandal: New Revelations Emerge
IRS scandal update: Emails recently released through a Freedom of Information request seem to indicate that former IRS official Lois Lerner improperly contacted the US Department of Justice about whether Tea Party groups could be criminally prosecute ...
Open Data Policy called step forward for Md. transparency
Maryland was recently ranked 46th in the nation for transparency, but a new law could put the state ahead with a policy requiring that data be made more easily accessible to the public. Though officials post a good deal of public information on Maryland's StateStat database, advocates of open government say that data can be hard to evaluate, search and use because it is not formatted in a way that computers can easily scan. read more ...
Editorial: Thumbs down to DDA actions; up to openness
We believe: Cheyenne's downtown group should obey the state's transparency laws. Meanwhile, we like that the Legislature may be more open in the future. Tell us what you think: Contact us via email at opinion@wyomingnews.com. read more ...
New Paltz (N.Y.) board asks for more info on housing project
The town board has filed a Freedom of Information request with the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency, seeking information about the agency's involvement with the developer of the proposed Park Point housing complex. The FOIL request comes on the heels of the IDA's decision to grant the developer, Wilmorite, a 25-year tax abatement for the $60 million SUNY New Paltz project, a move the town board has opposed. read more ...
Ridgway school board’s adherence to open meetings law questioned
Calling for greater openness in the decision-making process, Ridgway citizen Brian Donivan cited misconduct by the Ridgway School Board in use of executive sessions, hiring protocol and open meetings law violations during the public input portion of the board's regular meeting on Mar. 27 ...
Bill calls for transparency of U.S. 36 toll lane expansion and public-private partnership
From 7NEWS (Denver): LAFAYETTE, Colo. - Toll roads and public-private partnerships. Two things that ignited a firestorm of criticism this spring. A new bill introduced Friday by state Sen. Matt Jones, D-Louisville, calls for more in-depth public review of any future expansion of Colorado highways. This bill comes after a public outcry about how the expansion of U.S. 36 was handled. Frustrations boiled over last month when the public caught wind of a 50-year contract between the Colorado Department of Transportation and an Australian-based company, Plenary Group, over the Boulder Turnpike toll-lane expansion project. Lawmakers said there was a lack ...
Judge closes Holmes hearing around specific questions
From the Aurora Sentinel: Another hearing in the James Holmes case — this one focused on the jury questionnaire — will be closed to the public, a judge ruled Wednesday. Judge Carlos Samour, Jr. said in an order issued Wednesday and unsealed Thursday that the public and the press will be allowed to attend the first part of the May 5 hearing, when the two sides are expected to discuss other issues surrounding jury selection. But when the two sides take up the specific questions jurors will be asked, Samour said the courtroom will be closed. The prosecution and defense ...
Colorado makes child abuse data website public
Colorado has created a website that provides the public with child-protection and child-abuse data for each county, making the state one of four in the nation to make such information accessible to the public ...
Bill limiting public records research fees headed for governor’s desk
From 7NEWS (Denver): A bill headed to Governor John Hickenlooper's desk will limit the fees for Colorado citizens seeking public records. House Bill 1193 limits the amount of money agencies can charge for research time to $30 per hour -- and the first hour is free. A year-long series of reports concerning government transparency in Colorado by the CALL7 Investigators found many agencies charging exorbitant fees -- which can deter citizens, including journalists, from obtaining the records. "Currently there is no standardization, and we have multiple public entities charging, in many cases, outrageous amounts of money for people to able ...
Carroll: No accountability in handout of Colorado Rockies tickets
From The Denver Post: By Vincent Carroll If you'd gone to the website of the Denver Metropolitan Baseball Stadium District as recently as a couple of weeks ago, you'd have found no minutes for any meeting during the past 12 months. But this lack of transparency — papered over in recent days by the hasty posting of bare-bones minutes — is only the tip of the iceberg. The district board is awash in valuable tickets — not only an executive suite but six prime seats between first base and home — and yet it doesn't seem to keep records of ...
