From San Francisco Chronicle: TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Criminal records that are available to the public in almost every other state remain closed in Kansas without a judge's order, forcing residents in some cases to spend thousands of dollars to find out information readily accessible virtually anywhere else.
[…]
Read More… from Kansas takes closed approach to criminal records
From Philly.com: Some Pennsylvania lawmakers are trying to prohibit the executive director of the state Office of Open Records from speaking publicly about active cases – essentially gagging an office designed to promote open government.
A bill being considered in Harrisburg would undermine crucial provisions of the state’s open-records law and have a chilling effect on transparency.
[…]
Read More… from Editorial: A sorry effort to censor Pa.’s open-records czar
From Claremore Progress: Rogers County Court Clerk Kim Henry implemented a digital record system May 7 and now the public will have the ability to view court documents online.
[…]
[…]
Read More… from Court Clerk’s office goes digital; records available online
From SeattlePi.com: BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Two Louisiana news organizations are asking a judge to punish LSU’s Board of Supervisors for not releasing documents related the university’s presidential search.
Lori Mince is an attorney representing The Times-Picayune/NOLA Media Group and The Advocate newspaper. She filed a motion Friday asking Judge Janice Clark to find the supervisors in contempt of court.
[…]
Read More… from Records in LSU presidential search not released
From TCPalm: You’ve heard of cheating in the classroom but the Contact 5 Investigators have uncovered a cheating scandal in the Martin County 911 dispatch center.
Through public records request, NewsChannel 5 obtained personnel records and internal affairs audio tapes outlining a test cheating case involving 911 dispatchers and deputies in the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
[…]
From Carroll County Times: A nonpartisan organization dedicated to the freedom of information has awarded the Carroll County Times a $12,500 grant to help cover litigation costs to fight a petition filed by the Carroll County Board of Commissioners that asks a judge to approve the county’s policy of redacting email addresses from Maryland Public Information Act requests.
[…]
Read More… from Open government organization provides grant to fight county petition
From Northwest Public Radio: The US Attorney in Seattle has stepped in to block the release of information about a once-secret program under which fictitious driver licenses were issued by the state of Washington. In a letter to the state, Jenny Durkan’s office says the documents are “classified national security information.”
[…]
Read More… from US Attorney blocks release of information on CIA driver licenses
From The Ledger: LAKELAND | Joel Chandler, a public records access advocate from Lakeland, is in hot water in a Ninth Judicial Circuit Court case. A judge has forwarded a document from the public records case to prosecutors for investigation. There’s at least a possibility Chandler could face jail time.
[…]
[…]
From Tech President: The Open Government Foundation announced Friday that it had released MarylandCode.org, a web-friendly and restriction free publication of the Maryland Code of Public Laws.
[…]
Read More… from Seeing like a citizen: How activists are making state laws legible
A few state FOIA and local open government news items selected from many of interest that we might or might not have drawn attention to earlier in the week. While you're at it, be sure to check out State FOIA Friday Archives.
Attorney General issues informal opinion on Iowa Public Radio questions
[…]
