Friday, December 27, 2013
State and Local Stories
HB 174: Adds a records exemption for administrative investigations conducted by a local inspector general or other local investigator appointed by the local governing body of any county, city, or town or a school board who by charter, ordinance, or statute has responsibility for conducting an investigation relating to allegations of fraud, waste, or abuse by any officer, employee, department, or program of the locality or school division.
Virginia General Assembly
HB 193: Removes the requirement that a public body approve by a majority vote of the members present at a meeting the remote participation in the meeting by one of its members. The bill instead requires the public body to approve by a majority vote a policy allowing participation of its members by electronic communication. Once adopted, the public body shall apply this policy uniformly to its entire membership, without regard to the identity of the member requesting remote participation or the matters that will be considered or voted on at the meeting.
Virginia General Assembly
While Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe talks up ethics reform, three key state Democrats are staying mum about legislation that would prohibit political “retaliation” by legislators. State Sen. Tom Garrett, R-Louisa, has filed Senate Bill 12, which would add a 12th commandment to the state’s code of conduct for public officials. Garrett’s bill says no state legislator may “use his public position to retaliate or threaten to retaliate against any person for expressing views on matters of public concern or for exercising any right that is otherwise protected by law.”
Watchdog.org Virginia Bureau
Ethics reform, domestic-violence prevention, school-year starting dates, absentee voting and racy Internet images will be among topics of bills introduced by Northern Virginia’s legislative delegation in the 2014 General Assembly session, State Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34th) said ethics reform will be his top priority in the next session, which begins Jan. 8 and is expected to last 60 days. Petersen will introduce a bill that would end the General Assembly’s exemption from the state’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). “It would ensure that all of our dealings are as transparent as those in Fairfax County and other places,” he said, adding, “I think the FOIA bill is my No. 1 deal. I felt strongly that I never liked that exemption and never understood it. We need a culture change in Richmond.”
Sun Gazette
They weigh 73 tons. They unlock doors to history. And there's no room for them. A set of books containing corporate charters, wills, marriage licenses and deeds dating back to 1672 won't be making the trip from the old Norfolk circuit courthouse to its new digs. Instead, a company has been scanning the documents – 7.1 million images – and digitizing them. WR Systems, which has offices in Norfolk and Chesapeake, won a $1.3 million contract to do the work. The company has already done scanning for Norfolk Circuit Court, which is a digital office. Lawyers often file electronically, and files are available on computer, but not in hard copy. Title researchers who spend their days at the courthouse will be able to work anywhere with an Internet connection when the deed books project is finished, said Tom Larson, chief deputy to Circuit Court Clerk George Schaefer.
Virginian-Pilot
The city of Lynchburg launched a new interactive website to swap ideas and comments with the public. The site, www.lynchburgislistening.com, allows both city officials and citizens alike to introduce a topic and start a discussion. The project just went live this month and already features a host of topics, ranging from security cameras on Monument Terrace to the state of the local nightlife.
News & Advance
Historians and everyday Internet time wasters have long since become used to animated maps, covering topics ranging from a four-minute recap of the Civil War to the global distribution of tweets about Beyoncé’s new album. Now, modern bells and whistles have also come to Paullin’s atlas. A souped-up online version has just been released by the University of Richmond’s Digital Scholarship Lab, bringing what some historians still consider a work of unsurpassed scope into the age of the iPad. “Paullin’s maps show ordinary people making a living, moving across the landscape, worshiping at churches, voting in elections,” said Robert K. Nelson, the director of the Digital Scholarship Lab. “They covered so many topics that there’s really something for everyone.”
New York Times
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