Transparency News, 11/5/20

Albemarle County will no longer delay responses to Freedom of Information Act requests. The Board of Supervisors on Wednesday voted to remove language about FOIA response deadlines from the continuity of government ordinance the county passed in response to COVID-19. The move comes after Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring last month issued an opinion that said localities may not modify or indefinitely extend FOIA deadlines. “If the pandemic conditions deteriorate, we can respond in a way that would allow a very specifically tailored ordinance to be put in place that would deal with the specific conditions of both the pandemic and the county’s operations,” County Attorney Greg Kamptner said.
The Daily Progress

Information requests using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in Staunton have increased to more than three times the usual amount. FOIA allows the public to request access to records from the government unless it’s covered under a handful of exemptions. For the first half of the year, from January 1 to June 30, FOIA requests to the city averaged around four per month. From July 1 to late October, requests are up to an average of 15 per month. These numbers include requests only made to the city and not specific departments. Staunton City Council member Brenda Mead brought up the increase in requests at a previous council meeting. “That is an indication that folks are lacking trust and confidence and so they ask for information via FOIA request. I will also say there has been a higher level of activism in the community,” Mead explained in an interview on Monday.
WVIR

Chesapeake Regional Healthcare officials said information about more than 23,000 of its patients, donors and employees was stolen during a vendor’s data breach this year. Blackbaud, the third-party vendor, provides the hospital system with fundraising, donor engagement and data-hosting support. Chesapeake Regional officials said they have contacted by mail, email, or both, the people whose information was exposed.
The Virginian-Pilot

 

The U.S. Supreme Court seemed wary Monday of limiting government disclosure requirements, but unsure where to draw the line in a complex clash over Endangered Species Act records. The case, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service v. Sierra Club, has big implications for government transparency, in environmental contexts and beyond. It attracted even broader interest as newly confirmed Justice Amy Coney Barrett sat for oral argument for the first time. Hearing the case remotely, Barrett and her colleagues pressed both sides to explain what legal test the high court should apply when deciding whether draft documents are subject to public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. The dispute centers on federal wildlife agencies’ draft opinions that a proposed EPA regulation would harm endangered species.
Bloomberg Law

Philadelphia city officials on Wednesday released “traumatic” bodycam footage worn by the officers who fatally shot Walter Wallace Jr. last week, urging the public to remain calm as the city comes under national scrutiny for the shooting. The Philadelphia Police Department also released multiple 911 calls made by neighbors and Wallace’s own family, pleading for help as the 27-year-old experienced a violent psychological episode.
NPR

 

 

Across Virginia, several election results still were yet to be decided on Wednesday. In a year where the coronavirus has challenged our systems, our electoral process also has weathered the uncertainty of 2020. As votes keep being counted, we want to recognize the people who helped maintain — and expand — the key pillar of our democracy. Thank you to all of the Virginians who kept our elections moving.
Richmond Times-Dispatch

If there’s anything we learned from Tuesday night, it’s that there are few more unenviable tasks than the job of local election officials. From our office here at the Daily News-Record, we were able to see people walking out the side door of Harrisonburg City Hall well after 10:30 p.m. No doubt, a few haggard souls staggered their way out of the Rockingham County Administration Center around the same time. Bravo to them, because this election was unlike any other those dedicated people have ever encountered.
Daily News Record