Transparency News 10/4/13

People who tried to express their thoughts to members of Congress during the partial government shutdown this week have had varying degrees of success, depending on whom they were trying to reach. Reps. Robert Hurt, R-5th District, and Robert Goodlatte, R-6th District, kept their web sites operational and accepting emails as usual. Phones were being answered as well, although staffing was reduced in both offices. Sens. Mark Warner and Timothy M. Kaine posted notices on their web sites saying their offices were closed because of “lack of funding,” but offered ways to leave messages.
News & Advance

A former Tazewell County School Systems employee has been charged with multiple counts of embezzlement and money laundering. Willie Kathy Hicks, also known as Kathy Keene, 53, of North Tazewell, Va., was indicted Tuesday on 15 counts of embezzlement by a public officer and one count of money laundering, according to Virginia State Police. Hicks is accused of stealing thousands of dollars per year in funds intended for the school and school-related events, the statement said. The money was deposited into her personal account. Police said they have record of the thefts reaching back to 2006.
Herald Courier

A home for Confederate veterans on the grounds of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has been added to the Virginia Landmarks Registry. The Robinson House in Richmond is among a dozen sites added to the register by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. A property on the registry opens the door to seek tax credits for improvements. The other 11 additions announced this week include historic properties in northern Virginia, the state's western frontier, and the Richmond and Roanoke areas, among others.
Loudoun Times-Mirror

With the future of the King Street portion of Leesburg’s downtown improvement project facing a new Town Council vote next Tuesday, business owners and residents met with town leaders this morning to review the plans in more detail. The two-block section of King Street between Cornwall and Loudoun streets today was marked with colored tape showing were sidewalks would be widened, trees planted and light posts installed under a design approved by the council in May. In a program scheduled to be repeated at 5:30 p.m., Assistant Town Manager Scott Parker walked a group through the design details and history of the project.
Leesburg Today

Prince William County should delay the collection of taxes assessed on personal property because of the shutdown of the federal government and the furlough of thousands of federal workers, a Prince William supervisor said Thursday. Also Thursday, Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William) asked Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) to call a special session of the General Assembly to provide relief to Virginians across the state while the federal government is shuttered.
Washington Post

National Stories

Parts of the federal government have declared transparency non-essential, deciding requests under the Freedom of Information Act will go unprocessed during the shutdown. Some agencies have indicated they won’t even accept FOIA requests until everything is back to normal and have suspended their websites. In addition to the problem of getting a request filed, journalists and others seeking information from the federal government should be prepared for longer than usual delays in receiving the requested records. While generally the government must respond in some way to FOIA requests within 20 days or request an extension, shutdown days are not likely to be counted in those 20 days.
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Esquire magazine argued before a federal court in Washington, D.C., Thursday morning that its May 2011 commentary about a “birther” book was satire and therefore protected speech under the First Amendment. Joseph Farah and Jerome Corsi, authors of "Where’s the Birth Certificate? The Case That Barack Obama Is Not Eligible to Be President," sued Esquire for a blog post claiming the authors decided to pull their book off the shelves, citing “factual inaccuracies” regarding President Obama’s citizenship. Larry Klayman, arguing on behalf of the authors before the three-judge panel Thursday, said the post was not satire and that many readers thought it was real. Judge Stephen Williams countered that some of the best satire in history was not initially understood as satire by many.
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Editorials/Columns

Roanoke Times: Rep. Scott Rigell, who represents Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District over Hampton Roads’ way, is right on target when he blames gerrymandered districts for the gridlock that shut down the federal government. Gerrymandering has amplified the voice from the GOP’s far right fringe way beyond its numbers. Noncompetitive districts free candidates of the moderating effects of having to win over independent voters. The only challenge conservative incumbents have to fear is an attack from the right for the party nomination.

Alexandria Times: It’s not often we give the city’s police department kudos for its handling of what we deem should be public information, but it seems a change is in the air. Regular readers know we have routinely taken the department’s leadership — and City Hall by extension — to task for shrouding its operations in unnecessary secrecy. Unfortunately, since state law gives local law enforcement agencies plenty of leeway to shield even the most basic facts about crimes and investigations, that’s about all we can do from this end. For those reasons, we are happy to report witnessing what must be considered a welcome — and long overdue — step in the right direction this week: the release of the department’s internal review of the shooting death of Taft Sellers.