Transparency News 12/24/13
State and Local Stories
Norfolk police are wrapping up an administrative investigation of bribes involving city plumbing contracts. City spokeswoman Lori Crouch said that the police chief will soon give the investigation’s findings to the city manager. The findings then will be shared with the City Council and the public.
Times-Dispatch
The introduction of an $18 million computer system intended to streamline Richmond’s finances is -- to put it mildly -- not going well, according to reports on the ground and a high-level audit released this week. In the city’s fire department, the system hasn’t been fully implemented because it never worked, union president Keith Andes says. During the initial roll out, some employees on long-term sick leave reported receiving pay checks for as little as six hours. In another case, companies contracted to service the city’s fleet of cars, trucks and machinery refused to return vehicles because system glitches kept them from being paid for the work. The delay took five city dump trucks, among other vehicles, out of commission for two months, according to a city employee familiar with the issue. And across city departments, administrators are still trying to sort out an error that’s led to the inaccurate calculation of leave time for employees.
Style Weekly
Virginia tourism officials have launched a new website to help Virginians share and find the best small town treasures and old school favorites. Officials say the site features 50 road trip ideas full of places like retro diners, classic drive-ins, authentic small towns and quirky roadside wonders. The site has photos, video and itineraries to inspire a classic road trip. The itineraries include off-the-beaten path spots, many of which can be done as a 48-hour getaway.
News & Advance
As you finish Christmas shopping, using all those hard-earned dollars, take comfort in knowing Virginia politicians and bureaucrats have been spending your money just the same. In 2013, Virginia leaders used taxpayer dollars and time to give back to the commonwealth and the people who put them in power. They’ve doled out millions to an NFL team with a losing record; millions on state equipment that’s gone missing; and hundreds of thousands on the governor’s legal bills, to name just a few. Of the many ways Virginia officials gifted the commonwealth in 2013, here’s are our top 13 picks:
Watchdog.org Virginia Bureau
National Stories
CGI Federal, the company responsible for building the problem-plagued Web site for the Affordable Care Act, won the job because of what federal officials deemed a “technically superior” proposal, according to government documents and people familiar with the decision. Not considered in the 2011 selection process was the history of numerous executives at CGI Federal, who had come from another company that had mishandled at least 20 other government information technology projects more than a decade ago. But federal officials were not required to examine that long-term track record, which included a highly publicized failure to automate retirement benefits for millions of federal workers.Governing
A Massachusetts judge may impose a formal gag order in the murder case against former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez after his attorneys accused the state of allowing leaks that they say could jeopardize his right to a fair trial. At a hearing in Fall River Superior Court on Monday, defense attorney Michael Fee blamed prosecutors for out-of-court statements reported in the media in an attempt to tarnish the ex-player. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to murder in the June shooting death of Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old semi-professional football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez's girlfriend.
Fox News
