From pantagraph.com: BLOOMINGTON, Illinois — The state law that makes public records accessible to people has created a burden on government staff and misses its intended goal, according to one McLean County elected official. read more ...

From The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal: TUPELO – The Daily Journal has requested an advisory opinion from the Mississippi Ethics Commission after the city of Tupelo denied an open records request for emails between Mayor Jason Shelton and former city Development Services Director BJ Teal. read more ...

From Tennessee Coalition for Open Government: NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government has named Deborah Fisher as its new executive director. The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government is a nonprofit, nonpartisan ...

From Boston Herald: Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis praised the sunlight of public scrutiny as “the best of disinfectants.” The dark and dusty corners of Massachusetts government need far more sunshine. The commonwealth enacted its public records law in 1966, the same year Congress passed the Freedom of Information Act. While the world looks very different than it did in the age of LBJ and Gov. John Volpe, our public records law becomes more antiquated each year, leaving far too many avenues for officials to avoid disclosure. read more ...

From The Denver Post:  ALBANY, NY (AP) - New York's highest court is considering whether state law protects a Fox News reporter from having to reveal the names of her sources for a story about James Holmes, who's accused of killing 12 people in a suburban Denver movie theater last year. Holmes' lawyers want Jana Winters to name the people who told her he had mailed a notebook depicting violence to a psychiatrist. They say the sources violated a gag order, may have lied under oath and won't be credible as trial witnesses. Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason ...

From commercialappeal.com: NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Transparency advocates are warning about the ramifications of a recent Tennessee appeals court ruling that "high government officials" can keep documents secret if they deem them part of their decision-making process. read more ...

From The Marietta Daily Journal: MARIETTA — Elected leaders across Georgia have been using smartphones and iPads for city business, helping them work smarter and more efficiently, they say. But when they tap out a message to a fellow board member during a meeting, some residents have complained that they feel locked out of a business meeting that is supposed to be open to the public. Visit The Marietta Daily Journal for more. read more ...

From pantagraph.com: WAPELLA — There was a time when Wapella, a town of about 552 people, was pretty well-known in the Illinois Attorney General’s office. In 2012, the DeWitt County village was looking for guidance from the AG’s office after 408 Freedom of Information Act requests were filed by private citizens for the Village Board or the village itself. Some of the requests were denied by officials and sent to the AG’s office for a review of the rulings. read more ...

From Santa Fe New Mexican: TAOS — A quorum of the Taos County Commission meets regularly to have lunch, but commissioners insist that they discuss no county business. County officials say the lunches are within the state’s sunshine laws, but an attorney with the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government told The Taos News he questions whether this is an ethical practice, and says it is teetering on the edge of illegal. read more ...

From The Mercury: The four biggest taxpayer-funded universities in Pennsylvania continue to push back against proposed legislation that would give taxpayers to the right to know how hundreds of millions of dollars are spent each year. read more ...