NFOIC – Page 312 – National Freedom of Information Coalition

UFO investigations in Maryland get second life in online trove of Air Force documents

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In the summer of 1949, special military investigators and Maryland state troopers descended on an old tobacco farm in Glen Burnie and discovered something bizarre in a rundown barn: "prototypes" of a flying saucer.

The rudimentary flying machines were determined to have human origins — the work of an eccentric designer who had disappeared — but their discovery nonetheless was outlined in classified Air Force documents as part of a secret program to track sightings of unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, across the country.

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Judge Rules With The Environmental Protection Agency in FOIA Rebuff

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The Environmental Protection Agency does not have documents a law firm sought in a FOIA request, nor is it obligated to obtain them, a federal judge ruled.

Plaintiff Beveridge & Diamond helps "clients around the world resolve environmental, natural resource, project development and sustainability issues relating to their facilities, products and operations," according to the firm's website.

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Editorial: Public notices are crucial to maintain an open government

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When governments create or authorize state and local agencies to create new programs, they typically require some measure of public disclosure as a form of public oversight and to make agencies accountable.

As far back as 1789, during the first American Congress, that accountability has come in the form of public notices in independently-published newspapers. Actions of the congress were ordered to be published in three separate newspapers to ensure wide circulation.

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Watchdog group sues Rosemont over records related to Garth Brooks concerts

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The watchdog group Better Government Association filed suit Thursday against the village of Rosemont for redacting financial information from public records that the group requested for the year the village drew country music star Garth Brooks to Allstate Arena.

The association contends in its lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, that the financial information was redacted from a village response in January to a request to disclose all 2014 contracts for amusement events at Allstate Arena, which would include Brooks' series of concerts.

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BOC clarifies stance on FOIA request

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The Kalkaska County Board of Commissioners isn’t retracting a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Kalkaska Commission on Aging, just clarifying where the request originated.

At the county board’s regular meeting Jan. 14, District No. 6 Commissioner Craig Crambell said he was upset to learn a FOIA request had been forwarded to the KCOA and was addressed on behalf of the entire board.

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Mackinac Center Sues Michigan Liquor Control Commission Over FOIA Fees

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The Mackinac Center for Public Policy today filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in Midland County Circuit Court against the Michigan Liquor Control Commission over illegal fees the government agency attempted to charge the Mackinac Center for copying spreadsheet data onto a flash drive.

“This is information that an MLCC employee had already told us existed electronically,” said Derk Wilcox, senior attorney for the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation. “It would be like trying to charge for making photocopies when the photocopies already exist.”

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Quorum court takes aim at FOIA

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Faulkner County Quorum Court opened a new year Tuesday night with a whammy. In 10-3 vote, the court resolved to “encourage the State Legislature to clarify the FOI (Freedom of Information) statute of Arkansas to allow off the record conversations between members of a public body.”

That means Faulkner County court members are possibly pushing an agenda for secret meetings to discuss county business without the knowledge or presence of the public, or maybe not.

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L.A. County supervisors OK creation of open-data website

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The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors took a large step Tuesday toward joining the growing "open data" movement of making government statistics readily available to anyone with a computer and Internet connection.

Supervisors authorized creation of a website to be a "one-stop shop" for information on budgets, crime statistics, welfare and the like that could be used and redistributed without any legal, social or technological limitations.

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Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s 1st day begins with ethics, open government training

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Gov. Tom Wolf spent part of his first day on the job Wednesday undergoing a few hours of training on ethics and making government open to the public.

Aides said the governor arrived at the Capitol at about 11 a.m., the morning after his inaugural ball, and parked his trademark Jeep outside the executive offices before joining senior staff and others for the training.

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More Elected Officials Sign FOI Pledge

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Only about 10 percent of 360 candidates took the Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information’s pledge prior to the 2014 election, but at least 10 more have signed the pledge since November.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman are the most recent elected officials to sign the pledge, which asks officials to oppose weakening the state’s public document disclosure law and to require public hearings for any attempts to change the law.

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Author: NFOIC

Posts by NFOIC

UFO investigations in Maryland get second life in online trove of Air Force documents

Judge Rules With The Environmental Protection Agency in FOIA Rebuff

Editorial: Public notices are crucial to maintain an open government

Watchdog group sues Rosemont over records related to Garth Brooks concerts

BOC clarifies stance on FOIA request

Mackinac Center Sues Michigan Liquor Control Commission Over FOIA Fees

Quorum court takes aim at FOIA

L.A. County supervisors OK creation of open-data website

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s 1st day begins with ethics, open government training

More Elected Officials Sign FOI Pledge