Another FOI at Work moment: A national consumer group is alleging emails they obtained through the Freedom of Information Act reveal an “unnervingly close and direct” relationship between Gov. Martin O’Malley and an attorney for Perdue Farms Inc. The topics covered in 70 pages of emails between O’Malley and Herb Frerichs, general counsel for Perdue [...]
Filed under: 1. Records that matter, 7. Electronic records, FOI At Work | Tagged: e-mail, FOI at work, governors, Maryland | Leave a Comment »
Thanks to this story, which revealed that Madison City Council members are emailing or texting colleagues, lobbyists, staff and others during public meetings, led to this welcome piece of news: Madison City Council members intend to examine rules for emailing and texting during public meetings, and others are calling for a statewide review of such communications [...]
Filed under: 7. Electronic records, FOI At Work, Meetings laws | Tagged: e-mail, FOI at work, Madison City Council, Sunshine Law, texts, Wisconsin | Leave a Comment »
A great example of the power of FOI to shed light: During a yearlong investigation, The Dispatch collected and analyzed nearly 30,000 consumer complaints filed with the Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general in 24 states that alleged violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act by the three largest credit-reporting agencies in the United States — Equifax, [...]
Filed under: FOI At Work | Tagged: Columbus Dispatch, Credit bureau, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Federal Trade Commission, FOI at work | Leave a Comment »
Truly inspiring stuff: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7407678n&tag=api
Filed under: FOI At Work | Tagged: 60 Minutes, FOI at work, sheriff | Leave a Comment »
This is one of FOI’s lowest hanging pieces of fruit — looking at overtime pay records. More often than not, they yield gold. Here is a beauty from Montgomery County, Maryland… Dozens of firefighters, correctional and police officers and transportation employees in Montgomery County are doubling or nearly doubling their salaries with overtime pay. More [...]
Filed under: 1. Records that matter, 2. Doc state of mind, FOI At Work | Tagged: FOI at work, Maryland, overtime | Leave a Comment »
And they say FOI has no street cred? Wu-Tang Clan’s Ol’ Dirty Bastard was “heavily involved” in “murder, car-jackings … and the sale of drugs [and] illegal guns”, according to a newly released FBI report. The FBI’s 93-page file on ODB, revealed in a Freedom of Information request, connects the rapper with a litany of serious crimes in the [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: FBI files, FOI at work | Leave a Comment »
Read this one carefully as the proud owner of an artificial hip (mine is NOT metal, thankfully!) in the New York Times: The federal government has received a surge in complaints in recent months about failed hip replacements, suggesting that serious problems persist with some types of artificial hips even as researchers scramble to evaluate [...]
Filed under: 1. Records that matter, 2. Doc state of mind | Tagged: FOI at work, Food & Drug Administration, Hip replacement, New York Times | 1 Comment »
Some great FOI work here by Bloomberg, telling the tale of just how crazy the financial meltdown really was… Citigroup and Bank of America were the reigning champions of finance in 2006 as home prices peaked, leading the 10 biggest U.S. banks and brokerage firms to their best year ever with $104 billion of profits. By [...]
Filed under: 1. Records that matter, 2. Doc state of mind, 6. Overcoming denials | Tagged: Bank of America, Bloomberg L.P., Citigroup, Federal Reserve System, FOI at work, Morgan Stanley | Leave a Comment »
There is so, so much to love about this story. First, how often do reporters get stymied when seeking information, shrug and walk away? Not this reporter! And restaurant inspections are so elemental, so easy to get in most states, that it boggles the mind that they are so hard to get in Louisiana, a [...]
Filed under: 1. Records that matter, 2. Doc state of mind, 3. Access law | Tagged: Daily Advertiser, FOI at work, Health department, Inspection, Louisiana | Leave a Comment »
KLTV 7 has obtained dramatic dash-cam video of Smith County authorities chasing a man in a stolen Tyler police car. After making numerous requests though the Freedom of Information Act, we were able to obtain the thirty-minute video of that May pursuit. The chase started on Highway 155 in Noonday after 24-year-old Isaac Garcia attempted to rob two [...]
Filed under: 2. Doc state of mind, 3. Access law | Tagged: dashcam video, FOI at work, police, Texas | Leave a Comment »
