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All Access
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Registration closes soon!
There’s still time to register for VCOG’s conference next week in Harrisonburg.
Read about our panels, speakers, snacks and plans for our annual gathering.
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Local
Former Prince George County School Superintendent Dr. Lisa Pennycuff sent a mass communication to district families addressing rumored criminal allegations against staff on the same night she informed her school board about how she handled child sex accusations against a longtime administrator. That’s according to school records obtained by CBS 6. Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) CBS 6 requested key word communications between the school board in 2023 and 2024 as we requested in May 2024 ahead of our initial investigation that aired in July 2024. Of the 175 pages CBS 6 received there were 30 redactions and many duplicates.
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Defamation
Claiming defamation, a top adviser to President Trump filed a defamation suit in Richmond Federal Court on Friday. Chris LaCivita is suing online news site The Daily Beast over a series of stories published in the runup to the 2024 presidential election. The first of those stories, headlined “Trump in Cash Crisis – As Campaign Chief’s $22m pay revealed” details payments made to LaCivita while working for Trump’s campaign. LaCivita announced his lawsuit on social media with a flourish, reposting a news story from the outlet Axios regarding the suit and adding “F*** around and Find Out.”
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In other states
The West Virginia House of Delegates is considering a bill that would allow the Legislature to write its own rules for disclosing public records, but House Speaker Roger Hanshaw said the intent is not to hide records. Journalists, researchers and members of the public use the Freedom of Information Act to obtain access to lawmakers’ emails, presentations and more that can shed light on how decisions are being made. The emails can reveal what lobbyists or special interest groups are involved in bill making. Some communications are exempt. House Bill 3412, sponsored by Hanshaw, R-Clay, would exempt the Legislature from requirements of the Freedom of Information Act, if it adopts its own rules.
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In other states
For reporters and good government advocates, the push for greater transparency in Michigan has been constant and often disappointing, as efforts to reform Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act have repeatedly died on the vine over the last decade. As civic organizations across the nation amplified calls for transparency and open government in celebration of Sunshine Week, which ended Saturday, Democratic leadership in the Michigan Senate and Republican leadership in the Michigan House have deadlocked on two different proposals intended to hold elected officials accountable.
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In other states
The Iowa House passed legislation Monday to increase training for local officials on open meetings and information laws and raising penalties for violations. It’s the second year the House has moved on this issue — a similar measure passed in 2024 and made it to the governor’s desk, but was ultimately vetoed after an amendment was attached at the last minute that public records advocates said was counterproductive. House File 706 is largely the same bill, but it does not contain the change to the definition of a “meeting” by a government body that Gov. Kim Reynolds cited as an issue in her veto of the 2024 measure. However, it does make many of the same changes to penalties for violations. The bill sets fines for open meetings law violations between $500 and $2,500. Under current law, fines are between $100 and $500. The fine for knowing violation of these laws would be $5,000 to $12,500, up from range in current law of $1,000-$2,500. A court would also be required to remove a member of a government body from office if the member engaged in a prior violation of open meetings laws regardless of if damages were assessed against the person during their term — a current prerequisite in Iowa law.
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TENTATIVE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
10:00 – 11:00 Animal testing transparency
11:00 – 11:20 Need to Know: Minium v. Hines
11:30 – 12:00 Buried treasures at the courthouse
12:00 – 1:30 Lunch program
awards
keynote speaker
VCOG annual meeting
1:30 – 2:00 Access and Gen Z
2:00 – 2:20 Need to Know: Courthouse News Service v. Smith
2:20 – 2:50 AI, Open Data and Civic Innovation
3:00 – 3:20 Need to Know: NPR v. Department of Corrections
3:20 – 4:20 The Transparency Gap in Local Solar and Data Projects
Thanks to our conference sponsors and donors.
Lee Albright
Tom Blackstock
Boone Newsmedia
Paul Casalaspi
Christian & Barton, LLP
Roger Christman
The Daily Progress
The Harrisonburg Citizen
Joshua Heslinga
Megan Rhyne
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Sage Information Services
Jeff South
SPJVA-Pro Chapter
Thomas H. Roberts & Associates, PC
Virginia Association of Broadcasters
Virginia Poverty Law Center
WHRO, Norfolk
Willcox & Savage
WTVR, Richmond
“Democracies die behind closed doors.” ~ U.S. District Judge Damon Keith, 2002
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