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Erick Davis suffered a vicious beating in November while waiting to collect a disability check at the Norfolk Community Services Board offices. The episode is deeply distressing. The CSB offices should be an oasis for those in crisis, a destination where someone dealing with a mental health emergency can expect to receive the care they need in a welcoming environment. In the aftermath of this disturbing incident, however, CSB clients are left to wonder if the offices are safe — doubts that continue to fester thanks to the unwillingness of CSB officials to reassure the public by responding to questions openly and transparently. Since the November attack, Pilot reporter Ryan Murphy asked about incidents of violence at the offices only to be rebuffed by staff incorrectly citing patient privacy laws as a rationale for keeping the public’s need to know at arm’s length. When The Pilot requested documents under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act about violent incidents at the CSB offices, the paper was told it would need to pay $56,000 in order to obtain copies, an astronomical price tag clearly intended to discourage further inquiry.
The Virginian-Pilot
Virginia law now states that anyone winning more than $10 million in the lottery can remain anonymous. Granted, there is concern about the lack of transparency. Apparently, there are store owners out there who buy a winning ticket for less than what the prize is worth from winners who opt for quick, easy, tax-free cash. The owner then cashes out the winning ticket for the full amount. An amazing number of close associates of some store owners have turned up with winning tickets. However, this seems a weak argument for transparency. Surely there’s a way for the state to know when the system’s being gamed without announcing the winners’ names.
The Free Lance-Star
A federal court in Cleveland released data on shipments of pain pills from 2006-2012. A total of 76 billion pills were pumped into pharmacies that seven-year period. The flow in 2012 was more than 50% higher than in 2006. One reason release of the data was delayed for months is that federal Drug Enforcement Agency officials told a judge such action would jeopardize their investigations. One wonders how long the DEA needs to make cases in what is a major scandal. Now, a judge has asked the DEA and attorneys from all sides in the lawsuits to discuss how to handle information from 2013 and 2014. Just release it.
Daily News Record
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