Latest Open government News
Rift on Communion policy as US Catholic bishops open meeting
Divisions flared quickly on Wednesday as U.S. Catholic bishops opened a national meeting highlighted by a sensitive agenda item — whether to take initial steps toward a possible rebuke of politicians, including President Joe Biden, who receive Communion while supporting abortion rights. ...
US Army has hidden or downplayed loss of firearms for years
The U.S. Army has hidden or downplayed the extent to which its firearms disappear, significantly understating losses and thefts even as some weapons are used in street crimes. The Army’s pattern of secrecy and suppression dates back nearly a decade, when The Associated...
AP: Some stolen US military guns used in violent crimes
Pulling a pistol from his waistband, the young man spun his human shield toward police. “Don’t do it!” a pursuing officer pleaded. The young man complied, releasing the bystander and tossing the gun, which skittered across the city street and then into the hands of...
Schmitt closes Sunshine complaint against Missouri governor
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri attorney general has closed an open-records complaint filed against Gov. Mike Parson, citing the Republican governor's office as a client. At issue is a complaint filed by a Missouri news agency after Parson's office refused to provide...
ACLU in West Virginia sues House over open meetings law
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia is seeking to void four laws that it claims were passed in violation of open meetings laws during the pandemic. A lawsuit filed this week argues lawmakers knowingly violated a transparency law...
House: Require financial info from officials, limit lobbying
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Elected state officials would be required to disclose personal financial information in annual reports and would be banned from becoming lobbyists until two years after leaving office under bills approved Wednesday in the House. Michigan is among...
Lawmakers eye more exemptions to target "abuse'" of FOIA
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Democratic lawmakers are proposing to give public officials in Delaware more reasons to deny requests for public records under the state’s Freedom of Information Act and require people seeking public records to pay new fees. The measure cleared a...
Editorial Roundup: South Carolina
(Charleston) Post and Courier. June 7, 2021. Editorial: Santee Cooper compromise is a big step forward, but there’s more to do People who were determined to sell Santee Cooper no matter what will complain that the plan up for final approval in the...
Emails show strain on Hawaii administration amid pandemic
HONOLULU (AP) — A review of Hawaii Gov. David Ige’s emails shows the state epidemiologist spent key weeks in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic resisting suggestions and requests from both inside and outside the administration that she boost contact tracing to control the spread...
Whitmer vetoes bill to exempt graduations from crowd limits
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday vetoed Republican-sponsored legislation that would have exempted high school graduation ceremonies from COVID-19 restrictions on Michigan crowd sizes, calling it “half-baked and punchless.” The veto, which was...
