Transparency News 7/10/13

 

Wednesday, July 10, 2013
 
State and Local Stories

 

Gov. Bob McDonnell, under scrutiny for gifts given to him and his family, said Tuesday morning that he’s looked into potential changes in the state’s gifts and disclosure laws. Any changes to state law would take effect after his gubernatorial term ends in January.
Times-Dispatch

A prominent political donor gave $70,000 to a corporation owned by Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell and his sister last year, and the governor did not disclose the money as a gift or loan, according to people with knowledge of the payments. The donor, wealthy businessman Jonnie R. Williams Sr., also gave a previously unknown $50,000 check to the governor’s wife, Maureen, in 2011, the people said. The money to the corporation and Maureen McDonnell brings to $145,000 the amount Williams gave to assist the McDonnell family in 2011 and 2012 — funds that are now at the center of federal and state investigations.
Washington Post

Hopewell’s City Council voted Monday night to remove Yolanda Stokes as a commissioner on the Redevelopment & Housing Authority after a tumultuous seven months. Monday’s marathon meeting ended with one council member, Brenda S. Pelham, angrily blaming the housing authority’s executive director for orchestrating a conspiracy to remove Stokes and chastising a fellow member, Christina J. Luman-Bailey, for skipping the vote. “This is a witch hunt,” Pelham said to a reporter after a nearly four-hour special City Council meeting that included about 10 witnesses, all but two testifying against Stokes.
Times-Dispatch

Shenandoah County parents, school staff and residents still have time to express their opinions about a new superintendent. The Shenandoah County School Board hopes to find a permanent superintendent by October to replace outgoing superintendent B. Keith Rowland, who said he would retire at the end of his contract on June 30. Gary Rutz, school board chairman, said a survey has been used before when looking for a new division leader. A link to the survey can be found at the school division's website, and a hard copy can be picked up at the school board office in Woodstock.
Northern Virginia Daily

Within the past five days, Loudoun County Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio has compared a former opponent to Adolf Hitler and called board Chairman Scott York a “hypocritical bully." On the July 4 holiday, Delgaudio (R-Sterling) provided email commentary on the previous night's board meeting during which several speakers attacked the Sterling supervisor for his alleged use of county resources for political fundraising. In the email, Delgaudio says his former opponent, Al Nevarez, “is like Adolph [sic] Hitler in WWII or similar to Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War claiming the Coalition Forces were not fighting for freedom. Extremely twisted.” Responding Tuesday to Delgaudio's comments, Nevarez said he doesn't want the conversation to be framed around him and Delgaudio. “I'd prefer to have it that everyone understands how Sterling is being under-served and Loudoun County in general is being dis-served by having someone so corrupt,” Nevarez said.
Loudoun Times-Mirror

What is it about forbidden fruit that makes it so irresistible? For example, we'd never really thought about looking up concealed handgun carry permits until the General Assembly passed a law making those records confidential July 1, and suddenly, all we could think about was looking at soon-to-be-concealed gun records. Guess what? They're already virtually inaccessible to the public, and when the Hook went to see who's holding some of the 576 permits applied for so far this year in Albemarle County on June 26— five days in advance of the new law— they'd already been taken offline and removed from public access. "Richmond cut them off," blames Albemarle Clerk Debbie Shipp.
The Hook

Citing tens of thousands of requests from parties involved in vehicle crashes, attorneys and insurance companies, the Virginia State Police announced July 2 it has turned over releasing all accident reports to the state Department of Motor Vehicles, according to a news release. A change made by the General Assembly has led to the DMV becoming the “sole source for distribution of FR300P accident reports completed by state law enforcement agencies in Virginia” through the DMV website, according to Corinne Geller, spokeswoman for the state police.
Galax Gazette

National Stories

Shawnee Co. (Kan.) District Attorney Chad Taylor is giving the Kansas Corporation Commission 120 days to fix issues complying with the Kansas Open Meetings Act. The KCC says it will work with an outside entity to meet the deadline. Taylor field a motion Tuesday, putting a stay on litigation he filed against the KCC. In a news release, the DA's office says it is giving the KCC time to conduct a voluntary internal audit of its policies and procedures and how they related to the Kansas Open Meetings Act.
WIBW

The suburban New York newspaper that created a firestorm earlier this year when it published the names and addresses of gun permit holders has requested more data regarding legal owners of firearms, apparently to determine if handgun ownership patterns have changed in the last six months.
Fox News

Did Florida just accidentally make all computers and smartphones illegal? The state recently passed a bill to crack down on gambling in Internet cafes. In a potentially unfortunate twist for anyone using a computer or smartphone in the state, a new lawsuit alleges the wording on the bill is so broad that it could be interpreted as a ban on any device connected to the Internet.
CNN

Several prominent lawyers are playing key roles in the public debate about government surveillance programs, including two former U.S. Department of Justice attorneys who defended the secret monitoring effort. The newly revived Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board held its first public panel discussion Tuesday, exploring the clash between privacy and surveillance amid news reports about National Security Agency programs targeting the collection of phone call data from millions of Americans.
Blog of LegalTimes

The American Farm Bureau Federation filed the lawsuit to stop the agency from again releasing personal information about thousand of livestock producers and their families. EPA is expected soon to respond to several Freedom of Information Act requests regarding confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), prompting Farm Bureau to file the lawsuit and seek a temporary restraining order, said Tracy Grondine, AFBF director of media relations. The plaintiffs allege that release of the information would violate farmers' and ranchers' privacy and put them and their operations at risk. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota on July 5.
Capital Press

The world's largest pilots union rebuked the federal agency handling the investigation of Saturday's passenger jet crash in San Francisco, and said it had released too much information too quickly, which could lead to wrong conclusions and compromise safety. Releasing data from the flight's black boxes without full investigative information for context "has fueled rampant speculation" about the cause of the crash, the Air Line Pilots Association International said in a statement on Tuesday.
Reuters

Editorials/Columns

Virginian-Pilot: When President Barack Obama announced plans Monday to help create "smarter government" through greater use of technology, his phrasing undoubtedly made more than a few Americans grumble. And someone in government probably heard it. If there's one thing the U.S. has shown itself incredibly adept at in recent weeks, it's making greater use of technology to garner more knowledge. Unfortunately, those efforts have led to a result distinctly different from the outcome that should be the president's focus: good government.

Daily Press: Gov. Bob McDonnell ought to be spending the summer of his final year in office gloating over his accomplishments: making state government more efficient, championing fiscal restraint during a trying economy and getting a landmark transportation bill passed. Instead, he's fighting off publicity about his college kids raiding the larder at the Executive Mansion. In defending the actions, Mr. McDonnell's attorney compared the situation to the actions of his Italian mother, who wouldn't let him go back to school without "a cold meatball sandwich." He argued that's just how families operate. But most families don't have their pantries stocked with items purchased by taxpayers. Energy drinks, frozen foods and paper towels were among the items Mr. McDonnell acknowledges were provided to twins Bobby and Sean and daughter Rachel.