Transparency News 3/21/17
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
State and Local Stories
State and Local Stories
A high-level Richmond official on Monday accused the city auditor’s office of misusing taxpayer data, a charge of which the auditor said he has no knowledge. Finance Director John Wack made the comment during a City Council budget hearing in response to questions from council members about the finance department’s decision to withhold a breakdown of taxes owed. The auditor’s office has requested the information as part of a review of the city’s tax-collection efforts. “I have reason to believe (the auditor’s) staff has inappropriately used taxpayer specific information and I’m meeting with him to discuss it,” Wack said. He did not elaborate or offer any other comments to support his claim. Deputy Chief Administrator for Finance Lenora Reid also alluded to issues when pressed by a council member to explain the administration’s opposition to providing the information. “I’m trying not to say something that’s very, very, very true that probably shouldn’t be aired out in public,” Reid said.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Powhatan County Public Schools is scrambling to protect its employees after it was learned that a data breach from a possible phishing scam occurred today that led to more than 900 W-2s being compromised. The breach happened when a payroll employee responded to an email phishing scam requesting employees’ W-2 forms for 2016, Dr. Eric Jones, superintendent, said in a phone interview. The employee subsequently emailed out 905 W-2s of any person who worked for Powhatan County Public Schools (PCPS) full-time or part-time in 2016, Jones said. These forms included information such as Social Security numbers, address, wages and taxes, and gross income. “The email name was my name but it wasn’t my address. It was requesting a copy of all the employees’ W-2s. The employee mistakenly sent the files to this person committing fraud,” Jones said.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Gary Thomas, a candidate for the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, has been asked in writing by the county administrator to stop portraying himself as working on behalf of the county “until your membership on the Board of Supervisors is established by election.” “The County has been made aware that you have been speaking with several companies about locating in Pittsylvania County,” stated a March 14 letter to Thomas from county administrator David Smitherman, obtained by the Register & Bee through a Freedom of Information Act request. “It has also come to our attention that you may have represented yourself as working on behalf of the County in those endeavors. It was reported that you have represented yourself as a member of the Board of Supervisors and working in cooperation with the County’s Economic Development Department. “While your interest in moving Pittsylvania County forward is appreciated, it is not productive to the County’s efforts that you engage in this activity. Please do not present yourself as representing Pittsylvania County Government until your membership on the Board of Supervisors is established by election. Additionally, please do not contact any existing or potential economic development clients; our professional staff is well equipped to represent the County in such matters.”
Register & Bee
As a criminal investigation of the Rockbridge Area Department of Social Services nears a conclusion, new legislation will allow Virginia’s inspector general to assist should similar cases arise. A bill sponsored by Del. Ben Cline, R-Rockbridge, and signed Thursday by Gov. Terry McAuliffe, extends the jurisdiction of the Office of the State Inspector General to include local social services departments. In July, Cline asked the office to investigate reports that the social services department that serves Rockbridge County, Lexington and Buena Vista failed to properly review complaints it received about possible child abuse and neglect. The allegations, made in an internal review by the social services’ regional office, included reports from some workers that a supervisor at the Lexington-based office fed reports of child abuse into a paper shredder rather than have them investigated.
Roanoke Times
Most of the 3,000 floor votes cast during the 2017 General Assembly session were unanimous or lopsided. In fact, fewer than one in 10 floor votes were “close” – and most fell along party lines. VPAP's latest data visualization breaks it all down.
VPAP
National Stories
Americans’ trust in the news media has been at an all-time low. So it didn’t help last week when a San Luis Obispo County jury delivered a rare libel verdict against two reporters accused of smearing a local businessman’s reputation. Karen Velie and Dan Blackburn, writers and co-founders at the online publication Cal Coast News, were told to pay $1.1 million in damages. In a nutshell: A 2012 article by Cal Coast relied on unnamed sources to accuse a contractor of mishandling hazardous waste. It also said the owner, Charles Tenborg, was once fired from a county job. None of it was true, according to Mr. Tenborg, who demanded a retraction, and failing to get it, sued. In court, Ms. Velie and Mr. Blackburn stood by the article, but failed to back up its claims. Ms. Velie said she had lost notes in a computer malfunction. And two sources died, she said.
New York Times
The Trump administration is naming some names in its efforts to shame local jails that don't cooperate with immigration authorities. It's putting the spotlight on Travis County, Texas, home of liberal Austin. The administration released a list of 206 cases of immigrants released from custody despite requests from federal agents to keep them locked up. Roughly two-thirds were from Travis County.
McClatchy
A federal appeals court said on Monday a Texas school board may open its meetings with student-led prayers without violating the U.S. Constitution. In a 3-0 decision, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an appeal by the American Humanist Association, which said the practice by the Birdville Independent School District violated the First Amendment's prohibition of a government establishment of religion. The appeals court also reversed a lower court judge's denial of "qualified immunity" to school board members, and dismissed the case against them.
Reuters
Editorials/Columns
IN JANUARY, CJR contributors published a selection of FOIA best practices, based on an analysis of more than 33,000 such requests. Among a number of conclusions, the analysis showed that individual practices (and the responses to them) can vary widely. I’d emphasize that using the Freedom of Information Act effectively is about more than preparing a request. Rather, it’s about the process: researching the agencies, following up with FOIA officers, appealing denials, and so on. Example from Tom Blanton, director, National Security Archive: “Do your research before you file your FOIA, so you know exactly what records you’re after, where they likely exist, and who controls them. Then follow up to find a human being who’ll shepherd your FOIA.”
Columbia Journalism Review
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Powhatan County Public Schools is scrambling to protect its employees after it was learned that a data breach from a possible phishing scam occurred today that led to more than 900 W-2s being compromised. The breach happened when a payroll employee responded to an email phishing scam requesting employees’ W-2 forms for 2016, Dr. Eric Jones, superintendent, said in a phone interview. The employee subsequently emailed out 905 W-2s of any person who worked for Powhatan County Public Schools (PCPS) full-time or part-time in 2016, Jones said. These forms included information such as Social Security numbers, address, wages and taxes, and gross income. “The email name was my name but it wasn’t my address. It was requesting a copy of all the employees’ W-2s. The employee mistakenly sent the files to this person committing fraud,” Jones said.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Gary Thomas, a candidate for the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, has been asked in writing by the county administrator to stop portraying himself as working on behalf of the county “until your membership on the Board of Supervisors is established by election.” “The County has been made aware that you have been speaking with several companies about locating in Pittsylvania County,” stated a March 14 letter to Thomas from county administrator David Smitherman, obtained by the Register & Bee through a Freedom of Information Act request. “It has also come to our attention that you may have represented yourself as working on behalf of the County in those endeavors. It was reported that you have represented yourself as a member of the Board of Supervisors and working in cooperation with the County’s Economic Development Department. “While your interest in moving Pittsylvania County forward is appreciated, it is not productive to the County’s efforts that you engage in this activity. Please do not present yourself as representing Pittsylvania County Government until your membership on the Board of Supervisors is established by election. Additionally, please do not contact any existing or potential economic development clients; our professional staff is well equipped to represent the County in such matters.”
Register & Bee
As a criminal investigation of the Rockbridge Area Department of Social Services nears a conclusion, new legislation will allow Virginia’s inspector general to assist should similar cases arise. A bill sponsored by Del. Ben Cline, R-Rockbridge, and signed Thursday by Gov. Terry McAuliffe, extends the jurisdiction of the Office of the State Inspector General to include local social services departments. In July, Cline asked the office to investigate reports that the social services department that serves Rockbridge County, Lexington and Buena Vista failed to properly review complaints it received about possible child abuse and neglect. The allegations, made in an internal review by the social services’ regional office, included reports from some workers that a supervisor at the Lexington-based office fed reports of child abuse into a paper shredder rather than have them investigated.
Roanoke Times
Most of the 3,000 floor votes cast during the 2017 General Assembly session were unanimous or lopsided. In fact, fewer than one in 10 floor votes were “close” – and most fell along party lines. VPAP's latest data visualization breaks it all down.
VPAP
National Stories
Americans’ trust in the news media has been at an all-time low. So it didn’t help last week when a San Luis Obispo County jury delivered a rare libel verdict against two reporters accused of smearing a local businessman’s reputation. Karen Velie and Dan Blackburn, writers and co-founders at the online publication Cal Coast News, were told to pay $1.1 million in damages. In a nutshell: A 2012 article by Cal Coast relied on unnamed sources to accuse a contractor of mishandling hazardous waste. It also said the owner, Charles Tenborg, was once fired from a county job. None of it was true, according to Mr. Tenborg, who demanded a retraction, and failing to get it, sued. In court, Ms. Velie and Mr. Blackburn stood by the article, but failed to back up its claims. Ms. Velie said she had lost notes in a computer malfunction. And two sources died, she said.
New York Times
The Trump administration is naming some names in its efforts to shame local jails that don't cooperate with immigration authorities. It's putting the spotlight on Travis County, Texas, home of liberal Austin. The administration released a list of 206 cases of immigrants released from custody despite requests from federal agents to keep them locked up. Roughly two-thirds were from Travis County.
McClatchy
A federal appeals court said on Monday a Texas school board may open its meetings with student-led prayers without violating the U.S. Constitution. In a 3-0 decision, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an appeal by the American Humanist Association, which said the practice by the Birdville Independent School District violated the First Amendment's prohibition of a government establishment of religion. The appeals court also reversed a lower court judge's denial of "qualified immunity" to school board members, and dismissed the case against them.
Reuters
Editorials/Columns
IN JANUARY, CJR contributors published a selection of FOIA best practices, based on an analysis of more than 33,000 such requests. Among a number of conclusions, the analysis showed that individual practices (and the responses to them) can vary widely. I’d emphasize that using the Freedom of Information Act effectively is about more than preparing a request. Rather, it’s about the process: researching the agencies, following up with FOIA officers, appealing denials, and so on. Example from Tom Blanton, director, National Security Archive: “Do your research before you file your FOIA, so you know exactly what records you’re after, where they likely exist, and who controls them. Then follow up to find a human being who’ll shepherd your FOIA.”
Columbia Journalism Review
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