Transparency News 1/21/19

Monday
January 21, 2019

Follow the bills that VCOG follows on our annual legislative bill chart.

state & local news stories

Virginia Tech’s annual financial report filed to the NCAA this month shows the athletic department operating with a surplus of $4.8 million.  It’s the first time since 2014-15 the department generated a surplus. The department had a $3.2 million deficit last year. The NCAA requires Division 1 member schools to submit financial data detailing operating revenues and expenses for their athletic department on an annual basis. The Roanoke Times obtained the report through a Freedom of Information request. This year’s report summarizing the 2017-18 fiscal year showed Virginia Tech’s 22 athletic programs (11 men’s, 11 women’s) generated revenue of $98,485,395.00, an $11 million increase from the revenue generated by the athletic department in 2016-17 ($87,427,526).
The Roanoke Times

A code amendment relating to proposed new public comment rules will be the subject of a 7:30 p.m. Tuesday Warren County Board of Supervisors public hearing. Public comments or presentations are a portion of each board meeting during which citizens have the opportunity to address the supervisors. County Attorney Dan Whitten previously explained that the changes are needed because the county’s meeting policy and procedures guidelines conflict with the Warren County code regarding the public comment period. The proposed new rules state that speakers must limit their remarks to five minutes and that they cannot yield any unused portion of that time to other citizens. Speakers, however, may be allowed an extra five minutes from the board’s chairman. Another proposed stipulation is that citizens cannot speak on the same on topic more than three times per 12 month period.
The Northern Virginia Daily

stories of national interest

Leaking pipes. Moldering walls. Condemned offices and balconies. Plumbing that can’t handle its load and a stormwater system dumping unfiltered rainwater into the Severn River. These aren’t the issues of a long-abandoned factory. They describe the current condition of the Naval Academy. Infrastructure at the naval institution in Annapolis has degraded to the point of threatening the school’s ability to train and educate midshipmen, according to a report by the Naval Audit Service. The 2018 audit, obtained by The Capital through a Freedom of Information Act request, details failing buildings, classrooms and athletic facilities — which in some cases actively leak, overheat and threaten user safety.
Capital Gazette

A trove of newly released ­e-mails shows how the NYPD infiltrated Black Lives Matter protests by using undercover officers and “sources” — and how cops referred to demonstrators as “idiots” while bragging about all the overtime they were getting. The nearly 700 e-mails — sent between November 2014 and January 2015 amid a series of protests in the city — were published Thursday with redactions, following a Freedom of Information Law request.
New York Post
 

"The 2018 audit, obtained by The Capital through a Freedom of Information Act request, details failing buildings, classrooms and athletic facilities."

editorials & columns

IN SEPTEMBER, The Virginian-Pilot’s Peter Coutu reported some curious discoveries he made in examining more than 280,000 winning lottery ticket claims made in recent years. Some of the more frequent winners were incredibly, rather unbelievably lucky — including one Hampton resident who cashed in 140 lottery tickets worth at least $600 each. His total winnings exceeded $400,000, according to state lottery data. Further raising eyebrows was the fact that he was the most frequent winner at the Newport News convenience store that he owned, where he cashed in 23 tickets. Again … curious. But now the General Assembly is back at work and lawmakers have threatened to involve themselves in the issue. And, naturally, they are primed to make the situation worse by reducing the amount of public information available about the lottery.
The Virginian-Pilot