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“He also said he did not think Amazon’s suggestion to stall was deceptive. One reporter did ask to see a list, and they declined to release it.”
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Arlington County officials worked closely with Amazon.com Inc. to present a good public relations strategy in the weeks leading to their passage of the company’s $23 million incentive package, emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show. The emails indicate some county officials were trying to develop a cozy relationship and wanted to help Amazon navigate challenges and smooth over some criticism. County officials advised Amazon leaders on which neighborhood associations, civic groups and charities they should meet. It’s not surprising local leaders worked so closely with Amazon executives in the months leading up to the vote, but the emails paint a picture of just how far the county was willing to go to keep the company happy and in good graces. Even at events billed as an opportunity for the public to question HQ2 dealmakers directly, leaders consulted Amazon officials on minute details. Leading up to an event in late February moderated by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Arlington and MWCOG officials asked a company public relations manager whether or not to release the guest list to the media. Jill Kerr, a public relations manager at Amazon, rejected the idea and suggested stalling anyone who asks for an attendee list. Steven Kania, a MWCOG spokesman, responded: “We can def stall, just want to figure out the ultimate answer.” Kania said MWCOG had no requirement to share the list. He also said he did not think Amazon’s suggestion to stall was deceptive. One reporter did ask to see a list, and they declined to release it.
Washington Business Journal
When Richmond police come into contact with a person for any reason, officers have complete discretion whether to fill out a “field interview report” documenting the encounter. These encounters could involve intelligence-gathering efforts for suspected drug or gang activity, or they could be as innocuous as an officer stopping to play basketball with some kids. Officers can fill out a report, noting a person’s name, age, gender and race, among other things, all of which goes into a searchable department database. Or decide not to document the encounter at all. It’s up to the officer. Of the 29,997 reports Richmond police officers documented in 2017 and 2018, a disproportionate number of them described the subject of the report as a black person. In a city where black residents make up 49 percent of the population, 65 percent of the people documented were listed as black. The Richmond Transparency and Accountability Project, a group of local advocates for greater oversight in policing, obtained a trove of data from the police department through an open-records request, and their review shows “alarmingly disproportionate policing of young black boys and men.”
Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority’s legal counsel has issued seven subpoenas seeking documentationrelated to any financial transactions involving the nine defendants in the authority’s $17.6 embezzlement and misappropriation civil lawsuit.
The Northern Virginia Daily
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“The high court decided Virginia’s courts and court officials simply are not subject to the same level of scrutiny the other two branches of government are.”