Apr 2010
Wyomissing School Board publishing names, costs in Right-to-Know requests
April 27, 2010 | Filed in: Right to Know
Law | Open
records
The Wyomissing School District has begun to
publish the names of people who request
information from the district under the
Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law. Read
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Opinion: Citizens, not reporters, got new law's access
April 26, 2010 | Filed in: Right to Know
Law | Open
records
Back in 2008, when the Pennsylvania Legislature
was considering changes to strengthen
Pennsylvania's open records law, we offered the
opinion that a stronger law would be of far more
benefit to ordinary Pennsylvanians than it would
be to newspapers, although newspapers were among
the strongest supporters of the new law.
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Lackawanna County stadium naming contract must be made public, state says
A naming-rights agreement for the county-owned
baseball stadium is public record and must be
turned over to The Times-Tribune, the state
Office of Open Records has ruled. Read
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Newspaper contends Highlands violated state Sunshine Law
April 20, 2010 | Filed in: Sunshine
Act | Open
meetings
Attorneys for the Valley News Dispatch and
Highlands School District argued before a state
appeals court yesterday over accusations the
school board illegally shut out the public from
part of a June meeting. Read
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Wayne County citizens launch watchdog website in Texas Township
April 20, 2010 | Filed in: Government
transparency
TEXAS TWP. - Township residents now have an
all-day ray of transparency with the launch of a
citizens' website Monday that will publish
township documents and meeting minutes and
continually track local issues online.
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NCC forum discusses new Right to Know law, open records
For more than 50 years, Pennsylvania's public
agencies could deny residents access to public
records without explaining why residents couldn't
have access. The state's new Right to Know law,
enacted Jan. 1, 2009, puts the burden on agencies
to prove why records are exempt.
At a Tuesday night forum at Northampton Community College's Tannersville campus, the public got a better sense of this new law. The forum was sponsored by the Pocono Record and NCC. Read More...
At a Tuesday night forum at Northampton Community College's Tannersville campus, the public got a better sense of this new law. The forum was sponsored by the Pocono Record and NCC. Read More...
Panel provides insight into Pennsylvania’s Right to Know Law
Four panelists gave insight on the first year of
the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law during a
symposium in the HUB Ohio room at 7 p.m. March
31. The event came after Sunshine Week, which
celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Right
to Know Law, which is a type of Sunshine law,
meant to give open access to public documents.
Read More...
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Opinion: OOR can't order payment of legal fees
Q: I recently filed an appeal with the Office
of Open Records. The agency has asked the Office
of Open Records to order me or my newspaper to
pay the agency’s legal fees related to the
appeal. The agency argues that my request is
“frivolous” because I requested the same record
under the old law and was denied. Can the Office
of Open Records order me to pay the agency’s
legal fees resulting from the OOR appeal?
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Opinion: Public matters can't hide behind law
Pennsylvania, with its woefully corrupt state
Legislature and untold units of local government
that also are no strangers to corruption, needs
an effective Sunshine Law more so than most other
states. Read
More...