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Thursday
January 4, 2018
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Snowbound greetings from VCOG: 5 inches and counting!
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state & local news stories
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"If we want to speed up meetings, maybe we should talk less."
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The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday to limit public speaking during its regular business meetings to 30 minutes in an effort to ditch late-night voting sessions. Previously, the board had no limit on time allocated to hear from the public during business meetings, but did restrict its speaking time to two to five minutes per individual. Now, everyone will have two to three minutes to speak. “The logic is the public has a myriad of ways of expressing themselves to the board,” said Vice Chairman Ralph Buona (R- Ashburn), who supported the change along with supervisors Geary Higgins (R-Catoctin), Matt Letourneau (R-Dulles) and Ron Meyer (R-Broad Run). Chairwoman Phyllis Randall (D-At Large) voted against the shift, saying she “couldn’t in good conscience vote to decrease the time the public speaks to us.” “If we want to speed up meetings, maybe we should talk less,” Randall said.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
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stories of national interest
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President Donald Trump has dissolved a commission intended to investigate voter fraud after a massive data request by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach led to a backlash from state officials across the political spectrum. The White House announced the dissolution of the panel late Wednesday, citing resistance from states about complying with the commission. Kobach, the commission's vice chairman, had sought personal information on every voter in the nation in June, a massive data request that spurred multiple lawsuits and backlash from state officials from across the political spectrum.
Governing
Companies will have to disclose additional details about their economic development plans and other information in order to receive city incentives in Nashville following action by the Metro Council on Tuesday. Despite hearing resistance from the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and other business groups, the council by voice vote approved a bill aimed at strengthening transparency of future economic development deals.
The Tennesseean
A government watchdog group is suing the Justice Department for documents related to its decision to show reporters private text messages between two FBI agents who were critical of President Trump. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the Justice Department for failing to respond to an expedited request for documents related to the “highly unusual, if not unprecedented” decision to host reporters at its offices to view the text messages.
The Hill
The White House is cracking down on staff using personal cellphones at work. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says in a statement Thursday that "the security and integrity of the technology systems at the White House is a top priority for the Trump administration and therefore starting next week the use of all personal devices for both guests and staff will no longer be allowed in the West Wing." She said aides would "conduct business on their government-issued devices."
McClatchy
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"aides would 'conduct business on their government-issued devices.'"
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editorials & coloumns
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"We’re airing our dirty laundry so that you are informed."
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Successful businesses spend time planning their future and work to achieve both short and long-term goals. They adapt to market conditions and are ready to modify plans when the markets necessitate change. The present financial condition of Pittsylvania County government necessitates that we change our traditional practices and take a long view on where we’re headed and how we’re going to get there. [One] value espoused by the Board of Supervisors is transparency. The Board is insistent that all data be shared with all Supervisors and that Pittsylvania let “sunshine in” so all citizens can understand the business of County government. We’re airing our dirty laundry so that you are informed as to why we make the decisions we make.
David Smitherman, Star-Tribune
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