The Virginia Coalition for Open Government turned 30 this year and recently celebrated the anniversary during its annual “Access” seminar, held at WHRO’s headquarters in Norfolk. The organization came to be in 1996 in an effort to give the general public a voice in the ongoing challenges that result from a lack of governmental transparency throughout the commonwealth of Virginia. … Newspaper representatives were told repeatedly that nobody much cared about FOIA except the press, so why should the General Assembly worry about the law. That perception by legislators led a committee of Virginia newspaper and broadcast leaders to look for ways that the fight for more transparency could be broadened. A year-long study of options led to the creation of VCOG. … As long as that tendency toward secrecy exists — and it always will — there will be a need for citizens to pull together in their efforts to shed light on the workings of government. That’s what the Virginia Coalition for Open Government has been doing for three decades, and it’s going strong.

Following an emotional and raucous public presentation period that erupted into chaos Wednesday evening, the Warren County Planning Commission voted to table a pair of consent agenda items pertaining to data centers. … With a packed audience, Chairman Robert E. Myers suggested that the Commission follow the Board of Supervisor’s rules for their public comment period — limiting the comment period to one hour and each speaker to three minutes. North River District Commissioner Scott Kersjes made a motion to that effect, which was seconded by Fork District Commissioner Paul Barnhart Jr. and approved unanimously by the board. Shenandoah District Commissioner William Gordon was in attendance, but South River District Commissioner Brigitte Miller was not. At Myers’ suggestion, a member of the public called out that the motion was out of order and did not follow the board’s rules. … As the hour of public comment came to a close, several members of the audience expressed objection to not being allowed to speak and to the board’s mid-meeting policy change. County attorney Jordan Bowman said that he was comfortable with the change, but the crowd continued to complain loudly until Myers closed the comment period and called for a 10-minute recess. Upon returning, the board moved to table the consent agenda items.

ICE reported that it used force 44 times against Virginia immigration detainees over the last two years, according to data published by The Washington Post. … The Post obtained hundreds of emails called the “Daily Detainee Assault Report,” which are internal reports used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to document uses of physical force against detainees at 98 facilities across the country. The reports span Jan. 1, 2024, to Feb. 28, 2026. Most of the documented Virginia incidents took place at the state’s two main detention centers: Farmville Detention Center and Caroline Detention Facility. Other incidents were reported in the cities of Richmond and Hampton.