Monthly Archives: October 2011

FOIA story: Is there such a thing as too little U.S. debt? Yes, said this report.

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Scott Blanchard

National Public Radio used the Freedom of Information Act to get a government report from 2000 — back when the U.S. was taking in more money than it was spending — that looked at what would happen if the country … Continue reading →

Posted in Federal government | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Federal government auditors, inspectors saved billions of taxpayer dollars in 2010

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Scott Blanchard

Did you know there are people in the federal government working to save money instead of spending it? This report says auditors and inspectors general saved the feds $87.2 billion last year. One agency recovered more than $90 million in … Continue reading →

Posted in Federal government | 1 Comment

Today in #transparency

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Scott Blanchard

I’m playing with this new WordPress plugin that renders tweets visually, just because I can. Here are some selected tweets using the hashtag #transparency from today:  

Posted in Transparency | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Another reminder that court proceedings can’t be closed because someone feels like it

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Scott Blanchard

Interesting piece in the Reading Eagle recently by a reporter who called about an upcoming hearing in Philadelphia and was told it might be closed because of the sensitivity of the case. (The reporter e-mailed a judge’s clerk, who provided … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Which government agencies have the most popular Facebook pages?

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Scott Blanchard

The website govloop, which says it is “by and for the government community” and says its mission is to “connect government to approve government,” pays attention to openness as it relates to government agencies. A blogger recently posted a list … Continue reading →

Posted in Federal government | 1 Comment

Two things real quick: 1) Bill would restrict Pa. coroners’ info; 2) a local effort to correct a federal agency’s mistakes

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Scott Blanchard

Two interesting open-records-related stories in the paper this weekend: 1. A bill that would restrict public access to autopsy reports is awaiting a vote in the state Senate. It’s a classic argument: Coroners cite privacy concerns; open-records advocates cite accountability concerns. … Continue reading →

Posted in Federal government, Transparency | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

If you wanted to appeal an agency’s charge for copies, who do you appeal to?

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Scott Blanchard

Remember when Pennsylvania’s old right-to-know law forced you to appeal a records denial to the same agency that denied the records? The Department of Public Welfare wanted that to be the case when it comes to appealing what an agency … Continue reading →

Posted in Pennsylvania Right to Know | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Court ruling on appeals still having ripple effect

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Scott Blanchard

We’ve written previously about a court ruling that appears to put the burden on requesters to match their wits against agency lawyers when appealing to the open records office. Here’s a blog post from the Morning Call in Allentown about … Continue reading →

Posted in Pennsylvania Right to Know | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

New blog gets you inside the York County courthouse

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Scott Blanchard

Crime and public records go hand-in-hand, so if you’re checking in on this blog you might be interested in a new blog we just launched: The Docket Sheet, by court reporter Rick Lee. Nobody knows the county’s court system like … Continue reading →

Posted in Court records | Tagged | Leave a comment