Transparency News 6/6/17

Tuesday, June 6, 2017



State and Local Stories

After negotiating the early exit of Superintendent Dana T. Bedden, the Richmond School Board has turned to his deputy for help while it launches a search for a permanent replacement. Just after 3 a.m. today — at the end of a five-hour-plus closed session during a meeting that began at 5 p.m. — the board voted 8-0 to name the school district's chief operating officer, Tommy Kranz, interim superintendent as of July 1.
Richmond Times-Dispatch

A handful of Peninsula-area agencies launched new smart phone apps Monday to help solve crimes and connect residents with city services. The City of Hampton, City of Hampton Police Department, Newport News Sheriff's Office, York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office and Hampton University announced the new ConnectProtect apps at a news conference at Hampton University on Monday. The agencies received the new technology through a $75,000 grant provided by the Wason Fund for Public Safety via the Williamsburg Community Foundation, officials said. ConnectProtect is unique because it allows two-way communication between residents and the agencies and also uses geocoding to pinpoint specific locations, officials said. Users can select locations of interest and receive information bulletins from the agency tailored for those areas. Using the "See something" or "Service requests options," users can submit a request or tip to the agency. A photo or video can be added to the submission.
Daily Press

A former Lynchburg fire official charged with 11 felonies in an embezzlement case made his first appearance Monday in Circuit Court and said he’s retaining a lawyer. Jason Dale Campbell, 41, of Powhatan, is accused of embezzling an estimated $65,000 to $70,000 from Lynchburg using a city-issued credit card and additionally, funds from the nonprofit Lynchburg Fire Foundation. Prosecutors say Campbell improperly used a city credit card, which he was issued as an employee, meant for procurement for city business in an amount totaling about $65,000.
News & Advance



National Stories
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A federal judge ruled a Burlington, Vermont, man's lawsuit charging the city with violating his First Amendment rights can proceed. Joseph Montagno filed the lawsuit last fall claiming the city violated his rights by pressuring his landlord to evict him for calling 911 too many times. The ruling, issued on Thursday by Judge Christina Reiss, mostly denied the city's request to dismiss the case. In the original complaint, Montagno's American Civil Liberties Union lawyer, Jay Diaz, argued that his client's right to free speech had been "chilled" by the city's actions.
Burlington Free Press

A man angered that he didn't qualify for assistance took his revenge, slamming a cup on the counter of a municipal office and releasing an estimated 100 bedbugs, reports say. The man's response on Friday forced officials to close the Augusta City (Maine) Center for the day as exterminators were called in to kill the bedbugs, the Kennebec Journal reports. According to the Journal, the man had been to the city offices earlier Friday to complain about his living situation. He had been told by a manager at a new apartment building he could not live there, so the man had come to the city offices seeking assistance.
Governing

The Trump administration on Monday brought its first case under the Espionage Act, charging an intelligence agency contractor with leaking a classified document to a news outlet. The leaked document described in the charges appears to match a top-secret National Security Agency analysis published Monday afternoon by The Intercept, detailing Russian efforts to tamper with U.S. election systems.
Politico