National Freedom of Information Coalition
Protecting Your Right to Open Government

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AFBF: EPA violates privacy of farmers and ranchers

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The Environmental Protection Agency has violated the personal privacy of tens of thousands of farmers and ranchers, according to a unanimous ruling issued by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

The ruling in American Farm Bureau Federation and National Pork Producers Council vs. EPA concerned the federal agency’s 2013 release to three environmental groups of a vast compilation of spreadsheets containing personal information about farmers and ranchers who raise livestock and poultry in 29 states.

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NYPD might not say if officer in chokehold death is punished

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New York City might never tell the public if the police officer at the center of the Eric Garner chokehold death case is disciplined, the mayor and police commissioner indicated this week after reaching a new interpretation of a 40-year-old state civil rights law.

The New York Police Department recently ended a longstanding practice of letting reporters see a rundown of disciplinary actions, saying officials had concluded it violated the law.

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Utah: Salt Lake Tribune partially wins appeal over records sought in its BYU assault investigation

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The Salt Lake Tribune won, in part, an appeal to the State Records Committee on Thursday, requiring the Provo and Orem police departments to provide a report showing any instances of Brigham Young University officers accessing the two agencies' records through a shared countywide database.

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NYC: Mayor Says He Is Prepared to Go to Court to Keep Emails Between Himself, ‘Agents of the City’ Out of Public Eye

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Mayor Bill de Blasio says he is prepared to go to court to fight a Freedom of Information lawsuit filed by NY1 and the New York Post.

The battle centers on the mayor’s refusal to release emails with five outside advisers known as "agents of the city."

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SC: Medical University of SC fights newspaper over information involving alleged cheating scandal

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An attorney for the Medical University of South Carolina says it could cost $275,000 to search email servers in connection with an open records inquiry into allegations that two students cheated on exams.

In a letter to The Post and Courier, the university’s attorney also warned a reporter not to contact members of MUSC’s Honor Council, students or employees about university disciplinary proceedings.

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TX: Victoria Advocate wins award for open government work

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The Victoria Advocate has won the Spirit of FOI Award for its in-depth look at questionable hiring in the county sheriff's office.

The investigation was conducted using documents obtained using the Texas Public Information Act.

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New Orleans outlines plans for first open data policy

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New Orleans is on its way to adopting its first open data policy, which would encourage agencies to release city data proactively

Mayor Mitch Landrieu signed an executive order Thursday, outlining the basic principles underlying the plan and directing his chief administrative office to issue a memo outlining the city’s open data policy in more detail in the coming weeks.

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Activist Sues Chicago Public Schools For Records Of Troy LaRaviere’s Ouster

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A local activist has filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Public Schools, claiming the District has dodged Freedom of Information Act requests for records related to the ouster of former Blaine Elementary School Principal Troy LaRaviere.

“Government agencies stonewall the public because they think they can get away with it. They can't,” said Nick Burt, the plaintiff in the suit. “If CPS is terminating educators because they are critical of the mayor's wasteful and ineffective school privatization agenda, the public has the right to know.”

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Massachusetts: New website will detail state payroll, spending data

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Massachusetts’ notoriously opaque state government is about to get more transparent, with the launch of a website detailing state payroll and spending data.

Comptroller Thomas G. Shack III says his office’s site, dubbed “CTHRU” and set to go live Sept. 14, will give the news media, public interest groups, and others an important tool to uncover waste and fraud.

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