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Pennsylvania's new open records law gives you a stronger tool for keeping an eye on how government spends your money. We'll be watching, too.-
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- Old Pa. birth, death records available online beginning Feb. 15
- Penn State’s openness website: Some transparency, some PR
- Corbett: Penn State should comply with RTK law or risk state aid
- Some useful things you may not have known about Pennsylvania’s open meetings law
- Like poking around in lists and databases? Here’s a page for you
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Monthly Archives: March 2010
Man can’t get own records from CYS
I was wondering a while ago if you could get a record that is exempted under the right-to-know law if the record was your own — for example, could you get a 911 call tape if you were the person … Continue reading
Posted in Pennsylvania Right to Know
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YDR investigation of nonprofit honored as national award finalist
Investigative Reporters and Editors yesterday named YDR staffer Melissa Nann Burke’s investigation into the finances of Angel Food Ministries as a national finalist in its 2009 awards competition. Melissa’s reporting revealed how AFM’s founding family paid itself $2.5 million in … Continue reading
Posted in FOIA
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RTK a tool for Pa. political group
A liberal political group that describes itself as challenging “conservative propaganda” says Attorney General Tom Corbett was playing party politics when he filed a lawsuit to overturn the health care reform law. Keystone Progress wants to see if public records … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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Things that can happen inside police stations
A Pittsburgh TV station used open records laws to get pictures of a man who, Blairsville police said, became unruly inside the station and prompted an officer to draw her gun. The pictures aren’t security-cam still shots of the officer … Continue reading
Posted in Pennsylvania Right to Know
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Dry court document? Not this one
Sometimes court filings are boring. But not Steve Stetler’s in the bonusgate case. The former state representative and state revenue secretary wants a judge to dismiss theft and other charges he’s facing — and not only that, he wants Attorney … Continue reading
Posted in Judicial records
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State law keeps eyes off drug task force finances
When Tom Kearney was campaigning to be York County’s district attorney last year, he talked about opening up the county drug task force’s finances, which had been kept private under then-DA Stan Rebert. I was excited. If Kearney was serious … Continue reading
Posted in Pennsylvania Right to Know
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Yes, but fork over $111,930 for those records
A research group recently received an answer for its 2006 records request. Yes, you can have the records. If you pay nearly $112,000. This is how the requester responded to that price tag: “Your letter provides no information why 861 … Continue reading
Posted in fees, FOIA, Freedom of information, Freedom of Information Act
Tagged backlog, cost, freedom of information, requests, wow
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Sunshine Week brings to mind record-seeking stories
I was just thinking about some public records requests we’ve made recently and what the responses have been. I don’t want to name the agencies because I’m not ready to say what we’re working on. But the responses provide a … Continue reading
Posted in Pennsylvania Right to Know
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And if you’re wondering why birthdates are public…
… this is an excellent argument.* *This relates to the previous post, in which I describe two agencies that redacted birthdates.
Posted in Pennsylvania Right to Know
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Sunshine Week reveals gap in open government theory, reality
Apologies — I’m late to the party for Sunshine Week, which started Sunday. But I’ll try to make up for it with some posts this week. For starters, check out this story from Scripps-Howard News Service, which reports the public’s … Continue reading
Posted in FOIA
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