Transparency News 10/19/17

Thursday, October 19, 2017



State and Local Stories

Outside auditors tasked with looking into a Chesterfield County resident’s complaint about an administrator in the school Supplemental Retirement Program have upheld the school system’s actions. The county paid $9,500 for the outside audit firm, PB Mares LLP, to investigate citizen watchdog Brenda Stewart’s complaint, which she lodged through the county’s Fraud, Waste and Abuse Hotline in February. That administrator is scheduled to earn just over $300,000 over five years for her work in the program, in which retired employees take up temporary jobs for one more year to perform tasks that may be similar to their pre-retirement work. The outside audit was commissioned by county officials after some were concerned that the county’s own internal audit department dismissed Stewart’s concerns without producing a report.
Richmond Times-Dispatch

Although 109 days have passed since the state Board of Corrections became legally responsible for overseeing jail death investigations, the newly reconstituted board has yet to launch a single probe. At least 16 people have died in jails across Virginia since July 1, when a law spurred by outrage over the still-unexplained death of a 24-year-old man at a Portsmouth jail two years ago took effect. More than three months later, those now charged with finding answers in cases such as Jamycheal Mitchell’s are still waiting for the state Department of Corrections to hire the lone, part-time investigator funded in a compromise for full-time positions initially envisioned by lawmakers.
Richmond Times-Dispatch

As confusion about political values and media literacy grows, a symposium sponsored by Common Law Grounds at the University of Virginia School of Law hopes to shed light on the importance of democracy in the current media environment. Journalists from The Washington Post and Huffington Post and UVa scholars will participate in the student-organized event. Discussion will include an exploration of audience members’ media consumption and ability to discern trustworthy information; journalistic challenges in reporting truthfully; and the impact of changing business models on the media industry.
Daily Progress



National Stories
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Maine Gov. Paul LePage rejected federal funding for training unemployed workers, contrary to his administration’s denials. The U.S. Department of Labor released correspondence between LePage and Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta following a Freedom of Information Act request.  The Bangor Daily News reports that LePage wrote that he “will not participate” in a wasteful system and said his letter serves “to notify you that Maine is no longer participating.” Acosta later urged him to reconsider and warned that rejecting $9 million in funding through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act could force some career centers to close and put services at risk for 50,000 people seeking help. 
Portland Press Herald

A federal judge in California on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to turn over emails, letters, memos and other materials related to its decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The order by U.S. District Judge William Alsup, based in San Francisco, also appears to cover legal advice about winding down the program, which grants quasi-legal status and work permits to so-called Dreamers.
Politico

The government has gotten better about transparency in spending, with a fairly comprehensive online database detailing most contracts, grants and loans. But things are far worse when it comes to letting the public see all the tax breaks that siphon money from the federal treasury — yet are generally shielded from public view, says Sen. Jeff Flake, Arizona Republican. Mr. Flake on Tuesday announced legislation to try to change that and to have the government post the type, dollar-amount and recipients of tax credits.
The Washington Times