President of Lexington-based foundation says it’s not a public agency
From The Republic: A Lexington-based foundation that has received more than $1 million from a regional development district since 2009 has declined to release documents to show how the money was spent. The money that went to the Bluegrass Ind ...
Orange County ‘textgate’ crowd got off easy for destroying records
From Orlando Sentinel: My dad used to say, "Ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law." Dad never lived in Florida. Here, authorities say Orange County commissioners broke the law many times over — but got off with a slap on the wrist — all because they claimed they didn't know they were doing wrong. [. . .] Perhaps you think I'm being simplistic. But look at the logic these guys used to claim ignorance: read more ...
Talks behind ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ will stay secret
From Courthouse News Service: Though makers of the film "Zero Dark Thirty" were given access to the officers who helped take out Osama bin Laden, a government watchdog cannot get the same treatment, a federal judge ruled. A few months after a team of Navy Seals killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2, 2011, Judicial Watch learned that the Defense Department and CIA had been communicating with director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal. [. . .] read more ...
U.S. spy network’s successes, failures and objectives detailed in ‘black budget’ summary
From The Washington Post: U.S. spy agencies have built an intelligence-gathering colossus since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but remain unable to provide critical information to the president on a range of national security threats, according to th ...
NFOIC’s State FOIA Friday for August 30, 2013
From NFOIC: A few state FOIA and local open government news items selected from many of interest that we might or might not have drawn attention to earlier in the week. While you're at it, be sure to check out State FOIA Friday Archives. read more ...
What is a “reasonable” CORA fee?
From Jeffrey A. Roberts, executive director, Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition: Unlike the statute governing the release of criminal-justice records, the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) says nothing about the fees that local government ...
New Mexico groups sue for release of behavioral health audit
From New Mexico Telegram: One of the main points of controversy in the suspension of funding to behavioral health providers is the secrecy of the audit that prompted the findings. Various media outlets, and the accused non-profits themselves, ...
Marijuana advertising: Caution does not trump the Constitution
From The Durango Herald editorial page: When Colorado voters approved Amendment 64 legalizing possession, use and purchase of marijuana for recreational purposes, a legal and moral quagmire began. First on the list was whether and how the state’s position on marijuana would mesh with the decidedly less hospitable stance held by the federal government. President Barack Obama dispensed with that concern, somewhat, by saying his Justice Department had other priorities, leaving Colorado to the business of crafting the rules on just how to bring a formerly illegal substance into the mainstream. The rules are many, and rightly so. Those concerning ...
ONA completes thorough revise of ‘Public Notice FAQ’
From Dennis Hetzel, president of Ohio Coalition for Open Government: As most of you know, major revisions happened to Ohio’s laws involving public notices in 2011, and we still get a lot of member questions. This is a subject that never g ...
Who’s counting? Boston Globe probe raises doubts on public meeting quorums
From Boston Globe staff reporter Todd Wallack via NEFAC: While writing a story recently about the Massachusetts state pharmacy board, I noticed something odd: Only half the board members showed up for a meeting last summer — too few for a quoru ...
