Transparency News, 7/26/21

A new outbreak in a congregate setting was added to health department data last week — amid a rise in local COVID-19 cases — but the expiration of an emergency declaration means details are now shrouded in secrecy. A congregate setting is basically a catch-all category for places like businesses, churches, day care centers or large events. When there are more than two cases discovered in a single setting, the Virginia Department of Health classifies it as an outbreak. While the state was under a state of emergency — along with many mandates to keep COVID-19 infections at bay — details flowed more freely when outbreaks occurred. The health department also maintained a website with information on cases and deaths when an outbreak emerged at long-term care facilities, schools and places of higher education. That page is now virtually empty beyond a message stating the data is “no longer required by law and this dashboard has been removed.”
Danville Register & Bee

When Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards first suspected wrongdoing, she went to her superior at the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. She then complained to the agency’s inspector general, filed a whistleblower complaint and ultimately went to Congress. When nothing came of it, her lawyer said, she surreptitiously went to the press. Reporters used the confidential material to reveal “for the first time in forensic detail how powerful global banks knowingly profit from corruption and how authorities around the world allow the dark economy to flourish,” said one of the reporters involved. In the wake of the reporting, reforms were made around the world, Congress passed the Corporate Transparency Act, and the reporters came close to winning a Pulitzer Prize. But as the Justice Department last week tightened protections for journalists with a policy against forcing reporters to produce notes or testify against sources in most cases, the Quinton woman prepared for prison.
Richmond Times-Dispatch

Christiansburg councilwoman Johana Hicks is seeking an apology from her colleagues over their decision last month to reprimand her, a move she tried to undermine in a recent Freedom of Information Act case that was dismissed in Montgomery County General District Court. The public records case was over a claim from Hicks that Christiansburg town officials had not provided the councilwoman the necessary evidence — and done so in a timely manner — to use in her defense against the June 8 reprimand. A judge, however, dismissed the case, ruling that the evidence request from Hicks was not a valid FOIA request due to it not identifying the sought-after records with reasonable specificity.
The Roanoke Times

Charlottesville city staff kept the timeline for removing the city’s Confederate statues quiet due to concerns of potential violence and threats to public safety, according to documents obtained by The Daily Progress. City Procurement Manager Vernice Grooms authorized the emergency procurement of services to remove the statues of Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, which were taken down on June 11, just a few days following the City Council’s vote to remove them. Safety was at the top of city staff’s list, according to the documents.
The Daily Progress

Staunton and Waynesboro adopted policies aimed at protecting transgender students and now Augusta County is on the clock. The Augusta County School Board elected not to pass the policies at its July 1 meeting, instead deciding to table the vote until a special called meeting July 29 at Wilson Memorial High School. If it was hoping to see how other school districts handled the matter, it now knows how its two neighboring divisions voted.  The meeting in July was heated. At times as the school board’s attorney talked about possible consequences of not adopting the policies, those in opposition interrupted him. And when the meeting wasn’t descending into chaos, with claims that Richmond was pushing an agenda on Augusta County, the meeting felt at times more like a revival than a government meeting. There were shouts of “Amen” and cheers and applause and the waving of arms by those in attendance if they approved of the speaker’s message.  
News Leader

 

A South Carolina journalist has filed a lawsuit against Lexington-Richland School District 5, claiming trustees flouted state open records laws over meetings and voted in secret on a $226,000 settlement agreement with its former superintendent. The 10-page suit was filed July 23 in Richland County by Paul Osmundson, an editor at The State newspaper. His attorney, Joel Collins, declined to comment beyond what’s stated in court filings. The suit does not mention work by the Columbia newspaper, instead citing complaints from a district parent and a former school board member.
The Post and Courier

 

 

Frosty Landon died Monday at the age of 87. His memory is celebrated by those who knew him, and the loss lamented by those who worked closely with him. His name may not be on the lips of everyone who attends a public meeting, requests a government record or petitions the FOIA Council, but they owe him a debt. It is a debt that should be repaid, by government officials and members of the public, through the same relentless approach to openness that defined his life’s work. We should press for fewer restrictions on official documents, more public access and a full embrace of the principle that an informed citizenry is necessary for responsible government. It’s wrong to think that one person cannot make a difference in changing attitudes, putting transparency on the agenda and forcing open the doors of government to all. He had help, yes, but Frosty Landon proved otherwise. We should strive to be worthy stewards of that legacy, to work toward a more open and accountable government and a more responsive, transparent commonwealth.
The Virginian-Pilot

Gracious, kind and bestowed with a keen intellect, Mr. Landon left an indelible imprint on Virginia journalism. As his daughter, Tracy, told The Roanoke Times, “He was a significant mentor and father to others, and not just his family.”
Richmond Times-Dispatch