From the Lakewood Sentinel: The latest developments in digital communications were discussed at length at the Colorado Press Association annual convention Feb. 21 in Denver. While expanding modes of obtaining news continue in an extended renaissance period, it appears while more and more information is literally at hand, the information so important to the public’s right to know is not flowing so freely. One discussion led by experts in media law focused on current challenges to obtain public records from government entities. Journalists’ heads nodded to comments that the cost of obtaining documents often remains a barrier. Heads nodded that ...

From The Watch (Western San Juan Mountains):  MONTROSE – Other than Montrose County’s response calling the action “groundless,” “vexatious” and “frivolous,” the lawsuit filed under the Colorado Open Records Act by Black Canyon Partners, operator of the Black Canyon Jet Center, has, so far, elicited few details or documents surrounding the recent Request for Proposals process for a second Fixed-Base Operator at Montrose Regional Airport. The lawsuit, in which Jet Center Partners and Black Canyon Jet Center General Manager Ken Watson are named as plaintiffs, seeks to show cause as to why public records that Jet Center Partners requested during ...

From The Week:  The concept of a public trial is at the heart of the Bill of Rights. It's right there in the Sixth Amendment, right next to the part about impartial juries. It's right there in the First Amendment, too, right there in the part about the freedom of the press. And yet, our public trials are often not nearly as public as we think. For instance, in Colorado, there's a remarkable case that is forcing judges to balance in an unprecedented way the constitutional rights of criminal defendants and media organizations with a much more practical right — ...

From the Castle Rock News-Press:  A Castle Rock couple — whose car was damaged by a bullet Feb. 21, 2013, when a police officer was in pursuit of a suspect in a Plum Creek subdivision burglary — won't have access to additional police records that they wanted, for now, anyway. District Court Judge Paul King ruled Feb. 19 that Castle Rock and its police chief acted appropriately when denying the couple, Michael and Susan Cardella, access to various police records in part because two of the three burglary suspects still have trials pending and releasing the records could potentially result ...

From the Summit Daily News:  Quick question. Who’s in charge of the Dillon Police Department? — Can’t tell you. — Can you at least tell me why interim police chief Brian Brady recently resigned? Does it have anything to do with a perjury investigation involving a doctored parking ticket? —Well, hey, that’s a personnel matter. At any rate, Brady’s gone and that investigation has been closed. Move along. There’s nothing to see here. — One last question, if we may. Is it a coincidence that District Attorney Bruce Brown’s decision to drop the investigation came on the heels of Brady’s ...

The House on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill that would make Freedom of Information requests easier with potentially faster response times. H.R. 1211, the FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act of 2014 was co-sponsored by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and ranking member Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), and puts into action an executive memorandum from President Barack Obama that calls on all agencies to have a "presumption of disclosure" to all FOIA decisions. read more ...

Putting Saskatchewan's municipal police under freedom of information and privacy legislation would be a pricey proposition for the Regina Police Service, according to its chief. It would require hiring at least another staff member, and the money is something Chief Troy Hagen says could be better spent elsewhere. "It wouldn't surprise me if this position certainly would be probably pushing six figures," said Hagen. read more ...

Recent requests to see the FOIA officer training and certifications at the 34 state agencies listed on the Attorney general’s website: 60% were not current and violating mandatory state law. read more ...

The National Press Club, as part of its participation in Sunshine Week, is hosting a panel discussion the evening of Wednesday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. on transparency in the District of Columbia. read more ...

From the Summit Daily News (Summit County):  Brian Brady resigned last Wednesday, Feb. 19 from the Dillon Police Department amid a 5th Judicial District Attorney’s Office investigation into whether he committed perjury over a parking ticket dispute. Brady, who had been serving since June 2013 as the town’s interim police chief, was placed on paid administrative leave sometime in January during a closed meeting of the Dillon Town Council. His resignation last week came two days after the Summit Daily News filed a Colorado Open Records Act request with the district attorney’s office for a copy of its perjury investigation ...