Transparency News 1/13/17
Friday, January 13, 2017
State and Local Stories
State and Local Stories
Certain chemicals pumped underground during hydraulic fracturing would be exempt from public records requests under a bill advancing in the Virginia Legislature. A measure from Del. Roxann Robinson would allow the denial of requests under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act for information about chemicals that has been deemed a trade secret. A House subcommittee advanced the measure Thursday. David Clarke, a lobbyist for the Virginia Oil and Gas Association who spoke on behalf of Robinson’s measure, said the proposed FOIA exemption shouldn’t cause safety concerns. If someone were exposed to a chemical or a well failed, details would be made available to emergency officials, even if it involved a trade secret, he said. But others said waiting until an emergency to release that information would be too late to prepare an adequate response.
Washington Times
After carting the fifth and final wheelbarrow of pennies into the Lebanon Department of Motor Vehicles Wednesday, Nick Stafford could feel the burn in his arms. Winded, Stafford took a smoke break in the DMV’s parking lot. “I’m not used to lifting,” Stafford said. “These are heavy.” Heavy, indeed. The 300,000 pennies the Cedar Bluff, Virginia man took to the DMV Wednesday morning to pay sales tax on two new cars weighed in at 1,600 pounds. A mature Holstein cow weighs about 1,500 pounds. Stafford’s version of the story goes like this: Back in September, he wanted to know which of his four houses spanning two Virginia counties he should list when licensing his son’s new Corvette. He attempted to call the Lebanon DMV, but was routed to a call center in Richmond. He then submitted a FOIA request to get a direct number to the Lebanon DMV, which he was provided. Stafford then decided he wanted the direct phone lines to nine other local DMVs: Abingdon, Clintwood, Gate City, Jonesville, Marion, Norton, Tazewell, Vansant and Wytheville. He said the Lebanon DMV employees wouldn’t provide those numbers. So, Stafford went to court to get them.“If they were going to inconvenience me then I was going to inconvenience them,” he said.
Herald Courier
A special prosecutor has finished an investigation into Vice Mayor Tina Vick over accusations that she violated conflict of interest and campaign finance reporting laws, saying that criminal charges were not warranted in either situation.
Daily Press
Attorneys for the Augusta County official and employees named in the $1.26 million lawsuit filed by Nexus Services Inc. over an email containing a Hitler emoji will argue today in federal court in Harrisonburg that the suit should go away. But a group closely affiliated with Nexus that sought last fall to oust two of the defendants, as well as a public official in Harrisonburg not named in the suit, appears to have already gone away for good from the squabble.
Daily News Record
An attorney for Norfolk Treasurer Anthony Burfoot on Wednesday asked a federal judge to throw out his client’s public corruption and perjury convictions. Among other things, Andrew Sacks argued in a long-shot motion that the jury reached their verdicts too quickly and therefore did not follow the court’s instructions to fully consider all of the evidence. He asked for a new trial.
Virginian-Pilot
National Stories
Just six months ago, I reported that the FBI had quietly changed their FOIA processing queues without alerting anyone or updating their website. And now, once again, the Bureau has changed their standards for FOIA processing - before a request had to be 2,500 pages or more to be classified as large or complex. Now, without any announcement or update to the Bureau’s website, the number’s down to 51 pages. According to the FBI’s website as of publication, a request still has to be 951 pages or more to qualify as large or complex. However, according to correspondence the FBI sent on December 8th, the medium track for FOIA requests has been eliminated entirely.
Muck Rock
Editorials/Columns
No one ever accused the politicians in charge of the General Assembly, either Democratic or Republican, of being very enamored with the concepts of openness and transparency. There have been baby steps taken toward transparency in the full chambers of the Assembly in recent years, but committees and subcommittees still operate pretty much out of the public’s eye. That’s about to change this session, thanks to a transparency advocacy group, Progress Virginia, which will be live streaming committee and subcommittee meetings. This shouldn’t be something an outside group should have to undertake; it should be done by the Assembly itself to give access to all Virginians.
News & Advance
It's not as dramatic as "The Walking Dead" or as comedic as "The Big Bang Theory," but the General Assembly's committee meetings in Richmond are a different kind of "must-see" viewing. And they are now conveniently available to any citizen with access to a computer, either streaming live or through a free archive. Until recently, Virginia was one of just nine states not yet live-streaming legislative committee meetings where important decisions are worked out. Now the advocacy group Progress Virginia is providing that stream at EyesOnRichmond.org, and archiving sessions for easy access. We always encourage citizens to be active participants in the democratic process and to gather information to vote wisely. The ability to watch our elected representatives in Richmond is an invaluable resource that puts you in the room where it happens.
Daily Press
(From the same editorial: "This week's thorns to go to: •Newport News City Councilwoman Saundra Cherry for her longstanding policy of refusing to speak on the record to the news media. With all due respect, that's part of the job description for an elected official.")
Washington Times
After carting the fifth and final wheelbarrow of pennies into the Lebanon Department of Motor Vehicles Wednesday, Nick Stafford could feel the burn in his arms. Winded, Stafford took a smoke break in the DMV’s parking lot. “I’m not used to lifting,” Stafford said. “These are heavy.” Heavy, indeed. The 300,000 pennies the Cedar Bluff, Virginia man took to the DMV Wednesday morning to pay sales tax on two new cars weighed in at 1,600 pounds. A mature Holstein cow weighs about 1,500 pounds. Stafford’s version of the story goes like this: Back in September, he wanted to know which of his four houses spanning two Virginia counties he should list when licensing his son’s new Corvette. He attempted to call the Lebanon DMV, but was routed to a call center in Richmond. He then submitted a FOIA request to get a direct number to the Lebanon DMV, which he was provided. Stafford then decided he wanted the direct phone lines to nine other local DMVs: Abingdon, Clintwood, Gate City, Jonesville, Marion, Norton, Tazewell, Vansant and Wytheville. He said the Lebanon DMV employees wouldn’t provide those numbers. So, Stafford went to court to get them.“If they were going to inconvenience me then I was going to inconvenience them,” he said.
Herald Courier
A special prosecutor has finished an investigation into Vice Mayor Tina Vick over accusations that she violated conflict of interest and campaign finance reporting laws, saying that criminal charges were not warranted in either situation.
Daily Press
Attorneys for the Augusta County official and employees named in the $1.26 million lawsuit filed by Nexus Services Inc. over an email containing a Hitler emoji will argue today in federal court in Harrisonburg that the suit should go away. But a group closely affiliated with Nexus that sought last fall to oust two of the defendants, as well as a public official in Harrisonburg not named in the suit, appears to have already gone away for good from the squabble.
Daily News Record
An attorney for Norfolk Treasurer Anthony Burfoot on Wednesday asked a federal judge to throw out his client’s public corruption and perjury convictions. Among other things, Andrew Sacks argued in a long-shot motion that the jury reached their verdicts too quickly and therefore did not follow the court’s instructions to fully consider all of the evidence. He asked for a new trial.
Virginian-Pilot
National Stories
Just six months ago, I reported that the FBI had quietly changed their FOIA processing queues without alerting anyone or updating their website. And now, once again, the Bureau has changed their standards for FOIA processing - before a request had to be 2,500 pages or more to be classified as large or complex. Now, without any announcement or update to the Bureau’s website, the number’s down to 51 pages. According to the FBI’s website as of publication, a request still has to be 951 pages or more to qualify as large or complex. However, according to correspondence the FBI sent on December 8th, the medium track for FOIA requests has been eliminated entirely.
Muck Rock
Editorials/Columns
No one ever accused the politicians in charge of the General Assembly, either Democratic or Republican, of being very enamored with the concepts of openness and transparency. There have been baby steps taken toward transparency in the full chambers of the Assembly in recent years, but committees and subcommittees still operate pretty much out of the public’s eye. That’s about to change this session, thanks to a transparency advocacy group, Progress Virginia, which will be live streaming committee and subcommittee meetings. This shouldn’t be something an outside group should have to undertake; it should be done by the Assembly itself to give access to all Virginians.
News & Advance
It's not as dramatic as "The Walking Dead" or as comedic as "The Big Bang Theory," but the General Assembly's committee meetings in Richmond are a different kind of "must-see" viewing. And they are now conveniently available to any citizen with access to a computer, either streaming live or through a free archive. Until recently, Virginia was one of just nine states not yet live-streaming legislative committee meetings where important decisions are worked out. Now the advocacy group Progress Virginia is providing that stream at EyesOnRichmond.org, and archiving sessions for easy access. We always encourage citizens to be active participants in the democratic process and to gather information to vote wisely. The ability to watch our elected representatives in Richmond is an invaluable resource that puts you in the room where it happens.
Daily Press
(From the same editorial: "This week's thorns to go to: •Newport News City Councilwoman Saundra Cherry for her longstanding policy of refusing to speak on the record to the news media. With all due respect, that's part of the job description for an elected official.")
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