Surry County’s decision to wait until after the Board of Supervisors’ Oct. 2 discussion and vote on its 2023-24 audit to release the 218-page report to the public has raised the question of whether that choice violated a provision of Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act. County Attorney Lola Perkins, who serves on Virginia’s Freedom of Information Advisory Council, says no FOIA violation occurred. Another FOIA expert, however, says that “the rules are pretty clear about providing materials to the public at the same time they are given to the members” and that debating when to release meeting materials is “missing the point” of the law. “The point of having rules about board meeting materials is so the public can follow along with what’s being discussed,” Megan Rhyne, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, said.

During an Oct. 14 Henrico Board of Supervisors meeting, county staffers presented a proposal to construct Henrico’s first animal cruelty registry, which also would be the first registry of its kind in Virginia. If approved by the board, the registry would be published on the Henrico Police website and would include the names and photos of people convicted of felonies related to animal cruelty, such as animal fighting or maiming, killing or poisoning an animal, and other violent crimes. Only those convicted in the Henrico court system would be eligible for the registry.

ARichmond woman has been charged with wire fraud after tens of thousands of dollars intended to support a temporary homeless shelter allegedly ended up in her personal bank account, according to court records. In documents filed Oct. 20 in federal court, prosecutors claim Kia Player — vice president of the nonprofit RVA Sisters Keeper — in 2023 submitted dozens of inflated or entirely fabricated invoices to city officials and embezzled at least $199,163 in federal funds. Prosecutors allege she then used those funds to purchase a tattoo, flights and a luxury Caribbean ferry ride, among other things. RVA Sisters Keeper in December 2022 was awarded a nearly $1 million grant by city officials as part of an effort to establish inclement weather shelters for homeless residents. City officials were not immediately available to answer questions on their process for reviewing and verifying the accuracy of invoices.