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Tuesday
January 16, 2018
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state & local news stories
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stories of national interest
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The Hawaii emergency management employee who set off a statewide panic on Saturday morning by sending out a false alarm about an incoming ballistic missile has been temporarily reassigned, but there are no plans to fire him or identify him publicly, a state official said. Richard Rapoza, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency's public information officer said he doubted that the agency would ever publicly identify the employee, who he said “feels terrible, as you can imagine.”
The New York Times
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 "...he doubted that the agency would ever publicly identify the employee."
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editorials & columns
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 "Crucial to this effort will be a freshman class of legislators for whom openness is a priority."
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Here’s a simple two-question quiz most middle school students should be able to pass. (1) Should Virginia government be open to public scrutiny? (2) Is the judicial system part of Virginia’s system of government? The answer in both cases is yes. Yet while that’s obvious to most ordinary people, certain Virginia lawmakers have trouble reaching the same conclusion. Republican state Sen. Richard Stuart, for instance, has introduced legislation (SB 727) that would exempt the judicial system from the Freedom of Information Act. The legislation — and a much more sensible bill, HB 4, from Del. Mike Mullin — stems from a dispute over the case management system of the Virginia Supreme Court. The Daily Press in Hampton Roads wanted to examine its records to look for patterns in sentencing. The court ruled that its executive secretary was not the custodian of the records and therefore didn’t have to turn them over.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
THE VIRGINIA General Assembly has in this session a tremendous opportunity to dramatically improve the commonwealth’s approach to transparency in government. Numerous bills now pending before the legislature would make documents more accessible, strengthen the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and bolster accountability for public officials. They would afford residents a clearer view of how government works, which is essential in a democratic republic. Crucial to this effort will be a freshman class of legislators for whom openness is a priority.
The Virginian-Pilot
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