The Richmond School Board paid $30,790 to its former director of internal audits, Douglass Graeff, as part of his separation agreement with the division. The payment was dated May 13, around the time that Graeff left the position. Graeff’s departure went unannounced, and he remained listed as the auditor on the school’s website until a September article in The Richmonder disclosed he had left the post. No reason has been given publicly for his departure. The Richmonder made requests under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the separation agreement, but RPS has denied those requests, stating they are exempted from disclosure because they were created “specifically for litigation purposes.” There is no litigation currently between Graeff and the district.

Before the fire that devastated Noke Van Co. and the company’s warehouse at Riverdale, multiple city officials had known for over a year that the entire property was in violation of fire code and was not connected to water for fire suppression, hundreds of pages of inspections and emails obtained by Cardinal News through the Virginia Freedom of Information Act show. The following timeline of communications and reports surrounding the fire suppression system at Riverdale is based on documents obtained through FOIA and from conversations with key people involved.

Ever since the county of Los Angeles purchased one of downtown L.A.’s tallest skyscrapers, questions have mounted over whether the building could be vulnerable to major damage in the event of a massive earthquake. County officials agreed to study the matter. But officials are now refusing to disclose a preliminary report that could shed light on the seismic safety question of whether the county should embark on costly retrofits to make it more reliable after a big earthquake. The County Counsel on Sept. 5 denied The Times’ request for a seismic report on the Gas Co. Tower, citing exemptions listed under the California Public Records Act. The seismic report was referenced in a Nov. 6 document recommending the county purchase the building, in which officials said they agreed with the report’s findings and recommendations, but didn’t elaborate on what they were.