From NFOIC: COLUMBIA, Mo -- If President Obama and leaders in Congress are serious about strengthening the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), they would do well to strip away some of the discretion agencies have to determine which requesters seek information "in the public interest “ and are “likely to contribute significantly to public understanding." read more ...

From the Colorado Springs Independent: If someone is buying Mayor Steve Bach fancy meals or paying for his rounds of golf, it might be nice to know. But Colorado Springs residents have been denied that knowledge because of a giant loophole: The city's ethics code doesn't explain how such gifts and honoraria (or speaking fees) are to be reported. The Independent discovered as much in late October, when it asked for any such reports covering the last 18 months, and was told none existed. Since then, the offices of the City Attorney and City Clerk have recommended the six-year-old ethics ...

From ourColoradonews.com: This week's release of a report summarizing the investigation into the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary offers a glimpse into the horror of what happened on Dec. 14, 2012. It, however, is not a complete accounting of what happened. The state police's full report was not included and it is not known when that will be released. At the same time, media outlets are fighting for the release of 911 tapes — which generally are considered public record. Indeed, nearly a year later, the Newtown, Conn., tragedy is still marked by a measure of secrecy. We're not ...

From The Charleston Gazette: WINFIELD, W.Va. -- A Putnam County website publisher was acquitted Friday of the charge of willful disruption of government process after an incident involving the county's health department in April. Mark Hallburn, ...

From Courthouse News Service: SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - Comments last week from judges, labor representatives and open government advocates poured criticism on the "vagueness and breadth" of exemptions to a draft rule that would open up meetings of Jud ...

From TCPALM: Port St. Lucie Councilman Ron Bowen has been charged with violating the state’s open records laws and civil infractions have been levied against Mayor JoAnn Faiella and Councilwoman Shannon Martin in connection with the dismissal of former City Manager Greg Oravec, State Attorney Bruce Colton said Monday. Visit TCPALM for more. ====== ...

From Yankton Daily: Earlier this month, Gov. Dennis Daugaard used his weekly column to share information with citizens about moving state government toward more transparency and accessibility. Specifically, he wrote about the launch of a new st ...

From PC World: The Federal Bureau of Investigation should make public a legal opinion it used to justify a past telephone records surveillance program because other agencies may still be relying on the document for surveillance justifications, the ...

From Huffington Post: Tallahassee, Fla., attorney Steven Andrews filed a new lawsuit against Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Monday, alleging that the Republican governor's administration failed to release public records, according to The Associated Pr ...

From Wisconsin State Journal: Gov. Scott Walker eventually got it right — after being sued. Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, got it wrong and is still being challenged in court. Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, wasn’t even close in her latest response to an open records request. Too many elected officials in Wisconsin are blacking out information on public documents for no good reason. read more ...