Transparency News, 8/31/2022

Wednesday
August 31, 2022

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state & local news stories

"Hieatt says he understands the basic principle behind separation of church and state, but it is more a matter of the community people live in and what is acceptable, especially in smaller areas."

The Isle of Wight County School Board’s calling of a roughly 10-minute “recess” at its March meeting, which a Carrollton woman and her lawyer characterized as an unofficial closed session, didn’t violate Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act, a judge ruled on Aug. 16. But two omissions from the board’s April meeting minutes did. Katie Carter Lemon and her Virginia Beach-based attorney, Kevin Martingayle, filed a lawsuit against the School Board in June seeking to “void” the board’s March 10 vote to amend former Superintendent Dr. Jim Thornton’s contract to allow him to retire early. According to Martingayle, the judge declined to deem the 10-minute recess an illegal closed meeting on grounds that no decision was made during the recess. Lemon’s lawsuit had also alleged that the board violated a provision of FOIA that requires the recorded meeting minutes to state the location of a board member participating remotely via electronic means. At its July meeting, the board retroactively amended its minutes. According to Martingayle, the judge agreed that the omissions amounted to FOIA violations but imposed no penalty on Isle of Wight County Schools since the board had since corrected the issue.
The Smithfield Times

A judge has dismissed defamation claims in a lawsuit by ex-Police Chief Angela Greene last year against Sen. Louise Lucas, Portsmouth City Councilwoman Lisa Lucas-Burke and the Rev. Milton Blount. Greene filed the lawsuit in April 2021, less than a year after her termination, alleging that she was wrongly fired after being illegally instructed to stop investigations into more than a dozen people involved in the aftermath of a protest and vandalism at the downtown Confederate monument in 2020.
The Virginian-Pilot

Tazewell County Sheriff Brian Hieatt has once again received a letter cautioning him about religious references and activities related to his office. But also once again Hieatt sees nothing inherently wrong with what he does. “It is the citizens in Tazewell County who elected me and they know my stance on religion and it’s up to them whether they keep me in office,” he said. Hieatt was referring to a letter he recently received from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based group that promotes the separation of church and state. “A concerned local area resident reported that the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office posted a reminder to ‘Exalt the Lord’ on the upcoming (May 2022) National Day of Prayer (NDP) at Cornerstone Church on the Sheriff’s Office’s official Facebook page,” the letter said. “It is our understanding that you actively participated in this event, in your official uniform, and even led a prayer for local community members.” Hieatt says he understands the basic principle behind the FFRF related to separation of church and state, but it is more a matter of the community people live in and what is acceptable, especially in smaller areas.
Bluefield Daily Telegraph

The Hanover County Board of Supervisors went into a closed-door meeting last week to get legal advice on removing board appointees. When board members returned for the public meeting, Board Chairwoman Angela Kelly-Wiecek asked county attorney Dennis Walter to share a presentation on the removal process during the board’s Sept. 14 meeting. “And the content of that presentation will discuss specifically the relevant sections of the Code of Virginia that will include the removal of public officers from office, specifically appointed school board members,” Kelly-Wiecek said during the Aug. 24 meeting. Moments later, Kelly-Wiecek revealed a bit of what led to the decision. “For those of you who may be here, it is my sad duty to inform you that this is relative to a longtime appointee,” she said. Kelly-Wiecek declined to share additional details with 8News, including whether the board is considering the removal of an appointee, if there is an active effort to remove a school board member, if a vote is planned after the Sept. 14 presentation or if the longtime school board member was informed of the discussion.
WRIC

Robert Jeffrey Jr. was found guilty of three felonies and sentenced last week to serve more than two years in prison. Now he wants his seat back on Roanoke City Council. Jeffrey has sued members of City Council in Roanoke Circuit Court, asking a judge to toss out a November special election to fill his seat and force the Council to reinstate him. A hearing in the case is scheduled Sept. 20, three days before early voting begins. Before his March convictions, Jeffrey had repeatedly proclaimed his innocence and said he would be vindicated in court. Last fall he resisted a call from fellow council members to step down until the charges were resolved.
Roanoke Rambler

The manager of Norfolk’s city-run animal shelter got permission earlier this year to work remotely and move to Florida. But, since early July, Jennifer Held has been working another job at a Florida animal shelter while drawing her $85,500 annual salary from Norfolk. And a Norfolk spokesman said Held hadn’t informed the city of her other job and that she no longer worked for the city. When reached by phone earlier in the day, Held would only say that she’s “assisting” the Friends of Strays Animal Shelter in St. Petersburg, though a shelter executive confirmed she’s employed there. Held declined to say whether her employers knew about the dual work arrangement. She also wouldn’t say how much she’s getting paid by the Florida shelter. Held, however, did say that the newspaper’s reporting on the issue was significantly affecting her life in a negative way and became emotional about the situation in a brief phone interview. She also called questions about her employment “an attack.” Held became the Norfolk Animal Care Center’s bureau manager, the top position at the facility, in April after four years as its operations manager. But just over a month later, city officials announced internally that she planned to relocate and would “continue to serve as Bureau Manager remotely until a replacement is identified,” according to emails obtained by The Virginian-Pilot.
The Virginian-Pilot
 

stories of national interest

"During the concert, subliminal messages were depicted on the screen which, in the opinion of [informant’s name redacted], constituted ‘left wing intervention of a political nature,'"

WHEN THE MONKEES launched their inaugural tour in 1967, they played to throngs of screaming teenagers – and at least one FBI informant. “During the concert, subliminal messages were depicted on the screen which, in the opinion of [informant’s name redacted], constituted ‘left wing intervention of a political nature,'” reads a document in the Monkees FBI file. “These messages and pictures were flashed of riots, in Berkley, anti-U.S. messages on the war in Vietnam, racial riots in Selma, Alabama, and similar messages which had unfavorable response[s] from the audience.” This tiny portion of the band’s FBI file was released to the public a little over a decade ago, and now Micky Dolenz, the group’s sole surviving member, has filed a lawsuit against the FBI (See the full suit below). The 77-year-old musician is hoping to see the rest of the file after failing to get his hands on it via a Freedom of Information Act request. “This lawsuit is designed to obtain any records the FBI created and/or possesses on the Monkees as well as its individual members,” reads the suit. “Mr. Dolenz has exhausted all necessary required administrative remedies with respect to his [Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act] request.”
Rolling Stone