Transparency News 3/25/19

Monday
March 25, 2019

April 11 | Hampton University
 

state & local news stories

The EDA’s attorney declined to comment whether it would be a civil or criminal suit or whether the EDA would make an announcement when the lawsuit is filed.

Authorities failed to realize the magnitude of a growing, miles-long backup of traffic along Interstate 81 in December and instead focused on individual problem areas, according to a recently completed after-action report from the Virginia Department of Transportation. A powerful snowstorm swept through the region Dec. 9-10, dumping about a foot of snow around Bristol. Hundreds of vehicles stalled and became stuck in the interstate’s northbound lanes, backing up for about 21 hours from the Exit 19 area in Abingdon all the way to at least Exit 69 in Tennessee, according to reports. Following the storm, VDOT, which manages snow removal on the interstate, conducted an after-action review of its response. The Bristol Herald Courier obtained a copy of the after-action report, a letter from VDOT’s chief engineer regarding the report and other documentation through Freedom of Information Act requests.
Bristol Herald Courier

The Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority on Friday announced it will soon file litigation. After coming out of a closed session that was over two hours long, the board unanimously voted in favor of allowing the Sands Anderson law firm to file litigation on behalf of the EDA. EDA Attorney Dan Whitten denied saying who the EDA may be suing, but that whoever is being sued could change and he has “no comment until it’s filed.” Whitten also declined to comment whether it would be a civil or criminal suit. He also declined to say whether the EDA would make an announcement when the lawsuit is filed. The Warren County Board of Supervisors has approved a $100,000 cap for legal fees to be given to the Sands Anderson law firm for its work with the EDA. The county also approved $160,000 to be paid to an unrevealed financial consultant to look into EDA finances. Sands Anderson attorney Cullen Seltzer also declined to comment on who the suit would be against, when it will be filed and how many parties are involved. He said those “are all perfectly reasonable questions, but I can’t say.”
The Northern Virginia Daily

One day after Roanoke Police Chief Tim Jones apologized for remarks that some interpreted as blaming victims of rape, he told supporters he felt the only other option was to resign. “My choices from city council were issue a full apology or resign,” Jones wrote in a March 6 email to a supporter. “Don’t be shocked when my retirement is announced.” But it wasn’t. And in an interview late Friday, Jones said his comments in the emails — released Friday afternoon by the city in response to a public records request by The Roanoke Times — expressed his disappointment and frustration at the time that council members didn’t publicly support him after residents’ calls for his resignation. Two weeks after the controversy, Jones said all is well and he has no plans to resign. But in emails sent during the heat of the moment, Jones characterized a fraught relationship with City Hall. 
The Roanoke Times

stories of national interest

FEMA mishandled the personal information of 2.3 million people driven out of their homes by wildfires in 2017 and hurricanes, an Inspector General report released Friday found. The breach affected disaster victims who were staying in hotels provided by the federal government. The information could include financial information, names, addresses, birth dates and more. Hurricane victims of Harvey, Irma and Maria were affected. Disaster victims are required to provide FEMA with personal information when they apply for disaster assistance. Federal law requires federal agencies to only give contractors the information that is legally authorized and necessary.
McClatchy

The first lawsuit seeking the release of records from Robert Mueller’s probe was filed Friday within about an hour of the special counsel handing over his report to U.S. Attorney General William Barr. The nonprofit advocacy group Electronic Privacy Information Center filed the Freedom of Information Act lawsuit Friday evening in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The National Law Journal

“Federal law requires federal agencies to only give contractors the information that is legally authorized and necessary.”

editorials & columns

“America still has a very complicated relationship with nipples.”

It’s been almost four months since thousands of motorists found themselves trapped in the tight grip of Old Man Winter for almost 18 hours on Interstate 81 in Washington County, Virginia. The Virginia Department of Transportation recently released an after-action report detailing the problems snow-removal crews faced while responding to disabled vehicles. Herald Courier reporter Robert Sorrell obtained the documents through a Freedom of Information Act request. As reported in today’s newspaper, crews were unprepared, inexperienced and unable to get the full picture of the situation due to the design and conditions of the interstate. Crews and departments were also unable to properly communicate with each other to fully report the intensity of the situation. The state’s poor preparation for a winter weather event like this could have cost someone their life. And that’s a price that no one should have to pay.
Bristol Herald Courier

THE RECENT HISTORY of government in Portsmouth is marked by a lack of transparency and accountability.   The city is only two years removed from a mass exodus of management-level employees and department heads from City Hall. And at the time, the City Council wasn’t forthcoming about its actions and deliberations, going so far as to penalize members who disclosed the contents of discussions held in closed sessions.   It was believed that the 2016 election brought change to Portsmouth, and that a new mayor and new members on the council would usher in an era of openness and public engagement. That’s generally been the case, but it only takes one slip for the public to worry the city is resorting to its old ways.   That is but one reason why the abrupt and unexpected resignation of Portsmouth Police Chief Tonya Chapman is cause for concern. 
The Virginian-Pilot

Are legislative committees, often considered the backbone of our American legislative system, the place where “good ideas go to die?” Some would readily say “Yes.” Others would respond, just as quickly, that without committees in our nation’s many legislative bodies — from the Congress to the state legislatures — the system couldn’t function. It’s where most legislative work gets done; but to opponents and advocates alike, the committee process can be maddening. Why have a committee system in the first place? The answer comes down to workload and vetting.
David Kerr, InsideNoVa

I’ve been FOIAing viewer complaints to the Federal Communications Commission about the Super Bowl every year since M.I.A. flipped off the world in 2012, and this edition was bountiful indeed, drawing the most complaints since that first year. The FCC received 94 complaints regarding last month’s CBS broadcast, and 58 of those took issue with Maroon 5’s halftime show—specifically, lead singer Adam Levine’s bare chest. America still has a very complicated relationship with nipples.
Barry Petchesky, Deadspin