Transparency News 3/10/16

Thursday, March 10, 2016


State and Local Stories

In an unusual action, a divided Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a resolution offering its “sincerest regrets” to an elementary school teacher who was heckled at a recent meeting. “This rude behavior and interrupting of a speaker is frowned upon and will not be tolerated and does not lend itself to fostering the atmosphere of mutual respect and civil discourse,” the resolution reads. The resolution passed on a 5–2 vote, with Supervisors David Ross and Timothy McLaughlin voting no. Ross said there were other examples of heckling at the meeting, and McLaughlin said rude comments happen all the time. “My concern is if you set a precedent ... [and] every time we hear a comment that somebody doesn’t like we start doing resolutions, we’ll never get business done,” McLaughlin said.
Richmond Times-Dispatch

The Portsmouth City Council’s public meetings on Tuesday were full of drama and finger pointing. The silver lining for the city was that home values increased slightly. On Tuesday, Vice Mayor Elizabeth Psimas called for the removal of City Auditor Jesse Andre Thomas, who has completed few audits, and Councilman Bill Moody requested to end the practice of fining council members $1,500 for speaking about closed-session items. Both motions failed 3-3. Mayor Kenny Wright and Councilmen Mark Whitaker and Curtis Edmonds voted no. Councilman Paige Cherry was absent.
Virginian-Pilot

Shenandoah County’s new circuit court clerk is taking steps to prevent accounting errors after the office received another negative audit. The Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts report of its audit of the office for the period from July 1, 2014, to Sept. 15, 2015, cites “matters involving internal control and its operation that has led or could lead to loss of revenues, assets, or otherwise compromise the Clerk’s fiscal accountability.”
Northern Virginia Daily

Change is inevitable. But when that change involves a 100 percent turnover rate every three years for Pulaski County employees, warning bells sound. But it’s not as bad as it sounds, according to one who should know and in whose department the employee revolving door exists. Timothy Barnes, director of information technology, says what appears to be the astronomically high turnover rate for entry-level technicians is common for the IT industry. Because of the fast-changing field, and recognizing that once experience is gained and more lucrative opportunities become available, it is the nature of entry-level positions.
Southwest Times


National Stories

Public-sector problems with ransomware have been at a low simmer for a while, with 35 state and local governments reporting problems in 2014, according to the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, an organization that tracks cybersecurity issues for states and localities. But in 2015, the FBI warned that the problem is on the rise -- growing 114 percent in 2014 -- and said that unlocking the files is so difficult that the agency often suggests just paying the ransom. The tactics of each type of ransomware vary, but all follow the same theme: make the victim believe there’s no option but to pay. The most common way it happens is through an email attachment that looks like an invoice, bill or delivery. Sometimes it’s just a matter of clicking on what appears to be a legitimate advertisement on a website. Once the software launches, it quickly encrypts computer files, making them inaccessible. Victims then receive a message on their computer screen, telling them their files have been encrypted and that they must buy an electronic PIN number to enter into a box on the screen. The amount varies but is usually between $300 and $700. Rather than try to extort large sums of money from only a few victims, hackers have found more success expanding the number of people and organizations they target and asking them to pay modest ransoms. There’s also a psychological aspect to ransomware that increases its success rate. “When people see the ransomware notice on their work PC, they panic,” said Rahul Kashyap, chief security architect at Bromium Labs, a security firm. “They think it’s their fault for triggering the attack, so they pay.”
Governing

Legislation to close portions of Colorado’s database of breath-alcohol test results won’t affect information available in law enforcement reports on drunken driving arrests, the bill’s sponsor said Wednesday. An individual’s breathalyzer results “will still be in police reports,” said Sen. John Cooke, the Weld County Republican who introduced SB 16-132. “When someone gets arrested, everything will be in there, just as it has been. And it will always be in court documents, obviously.” What won’t be available under the bill is the entire breathalyzer database kept by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition