From Sunlight Foundation: November 30th marks the first major deadline for agency compliance with President Obama’s Open Data Executive Order and accompanying Memorandum M-13-13. In addition to representing an important step in the march towards open government and proper data management, this is an opportunity to evaluate agencies, identify best practices, and advocate for change. The Executive Order will continue to be implemented over the coming months and years, but agencies should, and will, be judged on how much effort they put into this first deadline. read more ...

From Daily Journal: OKLAHOMA CITY — Even though Gov. Mary Fallin remains locked in two separate legal battles over her office's refusal to release documents, her top lawyer insists Fallin's administration is the most transparent Oklahoma has ever seen. read more ...

From Albuquerque Journal: Under state Supreme Court rules, records in a criminal case can be sealed if a judge finds a specific interest would be harmed by public disclosure, but the judge’s sealing order must be “narrowly tailored.” The rules say: “The order shall require the sealing of only those documents, pages, or portions of a court record that contain the material that needs to be sealed. All other portions of each document or page shall be filed without limitation on public access.” read more ...

From Delmarva Public Radio: Since former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden leaked classified information about the agency's intelligence-gathering activities last summer, the NSA has been bombarded with requests for its records. ...

From Lowellsun.com: BOSTON -- Area lawmakers are hoping a series of proposed bills will provide better and cheaper public access to government records by moving the costly and time consuming paper chase online. "Electronic copies should be able t ...

From SunHerald.com: BILOXI, MISS. — The Sun Herald has asked a judge to hold Mississippi State Auditor Stacey Pickering and his office in civil contempt of court for failing to turn over records requested by the newspaper. The Sun Herald ...

From HeraldNet.com: OLYMPIA -- Leaders of local governments frustrated by the growing amount of time and tax dollars spent satisfying those with a voracious demand for public records shouldn't count on help from the state anytime soon. A House me ...

From Coloradoan.com: Colorado State University’s on-campus stadium as proposed would inadequately address parking. Around-the-clock footage from hundreds of government surveillance cameras in Fort Collins can be viewed on demand and is readily available to police without a warrant. The city manager is aware of about a dozen occurrences of questionable ethics or disturbing behavior by city staff during the past year. read more ...

From The Denver Post: For 2 ½ years, Colorado Treasurer Walker Stapleton has doggedly pursued data in the state pension system that he believes would help him better understand the Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association's future liabilities. In response, PERA has sought to portray Stapleton as a mischievous rogue rather than a dedicated public servant. Fortunately, that tactic has become a whole lot harder now that Gov. John Hickenlooper has joined Stapleton in asking the state Supreme Court to review an appeals court decision that denied the treasurer access to the data. Stapleton is a Republican. Hickenlooper is a Democrat ...

Register today for VCOG's annual conference, DECEMBER 6 from 10AM to 4PM at the Williamsburg Community Building (click for map). read more ...