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<title>PaFOIC RSS</title><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/index.html</link><description>News from the PaFOIC</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2009 Kim de B</dc:rights><dc:date>2010-08-24T14:06:20-04:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:08:05 -0400</lastBuildDate><item><title>County court employee e-mails exempt from Right to Know Law</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Email</category><category>Lackawanna Co.</category><dc:date>2010-08-24T14:06:20-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/5f34dc2cd821ced428a26a9dc49d9b91-389.html#unique-entry-id-389</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/5f34dc2cd821ced428a26a9dc49d9b91-389.html#unique-entry-id-389</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A decision by the Commonwealth Court to make e-mails of employees of court offices exempt from the Right to Know Law is broad in the eyes of open records experts and the state Office of Open Records - but they say it shouldn't stop people from making requests.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>School district denies it violated Sunshine Law</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Sunshine Act</category><category>Open meetings</category><category>Lycoming Co.</category><dc:date>2010-08-25T14:02:24-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/ec69fe8b46ac0104886a327b212e677f-388.html#unique-entry-id-388</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/ec69fe8b46ac0104886a327b212e677f-388.html#unique-entry-id-388</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[HUGHESVILLE &mdash; On Tuesday night, the East Lycoming School District denied it violated the state Sunshine Law regarding what can and can't be discussed in executive session for legal, personnel or student-related purposes, but a media law attorney isn't so sure the district is in the clear.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Lower Windsor Twp. changes policy&#x2c; increases public access</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><dc:date>2010-05-14T13:59:12-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/6c71bff33e729fa6496be624e1a2ce6c-387.html#unique-entry-id-387</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/6c71bff33e729fa6496be624e1a2ce6c-387.html#unique-entry-id-387</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Lower Windsor Township changed a policy and will let people see drafts, ordinances and other documents before the supervisors act on them, as long as the information isn't privileged. On Thursday, supervisors unanimously voted for the change, saying they wanted to be open with the public about information. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Thumbing noses at Right to Know</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Opinion</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Open records</category><dc:date>2010-05-16T13:56:57-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/b83fa67018d988bb8d7c56c23d1aeb1e-386.html#unique-entry-id-386</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/b83fa67018d988bb8d7c56c23d1aeb1e-386.html#unique-entry-id-386</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Pennsylvania may have a new Right to Know Law, but it is becoming increasingly apparent that many bureaucrats and elected officials have no intention of following it.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Close open records loophole</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Opinion</category><category>Open records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><dc:date>2010-05-14T13:52:34-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/0643a49ffa6b9d9cc7a50642c807db9a-385.html#unique-entry-id-385</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/0643a49ffa6b9d9cc7a50642c807db9a-385.html#unique-entry-id-385</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Sometimes, a final decision isn't exactly final. That's the case with Pennsylvania's revamped open records law. The law, intended to grant the public greater and easier access to public documents, allows government bodies to appeal decisions &mdash; called final determinations &mdash; by the state Office of Open Records. And sometimes that results in records remaining closed because petitioners cannot afford to hire lawyers to defend appeals.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>SWB Yankees appeals ruling to Supreme Court</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Lackawanna Co.</category><dc:date>2010-08-25T13:49:50-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/de21df8fe4779d1ab00e240f2f9f13e7-384.html#unique-entry-id-384</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/de21df8fe4779d1ab00e240f2f9f13e7-384.html#unique-entry-id-384</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The management company for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees has appealed to the state Supreme Court a ruling that ordered it to make public its records on concessions. SWB Yankees LLC wants the state's highest court to overturn a Commonwealth Court ruling that found the Right to Know Law applies to a company contracted to manage the publicly owned baseball team.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Timing of meeting notice matters</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Sunshine Act</category><category>Open meetings</category><category>PNA Legal</category><dc:date>2010-06-24T19:40:46-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/82ead4c4fe97154972e323239fa4a9e3-383.html#unique-entry-id-383</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/82ead4c4fe97154972e323239fa4a9e3-383.html#unique-entry-id-383</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<em>Q: A borough scheduled a special meeting for Friday morning and requested the public notice ad to run in our Thursday edition. We are an afternoon paper and most readers don&rsquo;t receive the paper until after 4 p.m. Does this create an issue?</em>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Penn State to revise its Right-to-Know filing</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Open records</category><dc:date>2010-06-08T19:38:50-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/19f5c2d18d1cb9d39951c6b989c9dc8b-382.html#unique-entry-id-382</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/19f5c2d18d1cb9d39951c6b989c9dc8b-382.html#unique-entry-id-382</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Penn State University said today it plans to submit a revised Right-to-Know report to the state on Friday that will include salaries of two employees left off of the university's initial filing last month.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>South Mountain forestry study details types&#x2c; number&#x2c; conditions of trees</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Open records</category><category>RTK request stories</category><dc:date>2010-08-05T19:35:26-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/0f7da49ea02316cd8cfbdd9e4245fe3e-381.html#unique-entry-id-381</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/0f7da49ea02316cd8cfbdd9e4245fe3e-381.html#unique-entry-id-381</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Allentown's portion of South Mountain has trees, plenty of them -- more than 1,000 yellow poplars and black oaks, and even a few black cherry. While this may not be a surprise, the administration of Mayor Ed Pawlowski has filed a petition in court to keep a tree inventory and other details about South Mountain out of the public domain.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Court case might set precedent on open records</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Open records</category><dc:date>2010-06-07T19:33:45-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/5d48226f7ff7d9681becbd7440001919-380.html#unique-entry-id-380</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/5d48226f7ff7d9681becbd7440001919-380.html#unique-entry-id-380</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A landmark decision by the Commonwealth Court that helps define the term "governmental function" in the Right to Know Law could change the way local governments and their vendors do business. It could also impact the outcome of three cases involving vendor records related to Lackawanna County government.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>No provision in law for closed-door meetings on security </title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Sunshine Act</category><category>Open meetings</category><dc:date>2010-05-28T19:29:20-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/427662a692fad6a2545d79fd6ae06fc5-379.html#unique-entry-id-379</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/427662a692fad6a2545d79fd6ae06fc5-379.html#unique-entry-id-379</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[If the Twin Valley School Board had gone into a private meeting with a Caernarvon Township police officer to discuss filing civil or criminal charges against a district resident, the meeting may have met the standard established by the Sunshine Act to exclude the public. As it was, the board discussed safety, security and legal measures that could be taken against a disruptive citizen, according to school board solicitor Jon S. Malsnee.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Commonwealth Court issues significant Right to Know opinions</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Open records</category><dc:date>2010-05-28T19:19:21-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/f8eb3527307b55d22e3c49af37378454-378.html#unique-entry-id-378</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/f8eb3527307b55d22e3c49af37378454-378.html#unique-entry-id-378</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Last week was a significant one for access issues, with the Commonwealth Court issuing four decisions interpreting the amended Right to Know Law.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Release all expenses incurred by district officials</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Open records</category><dc:date>2010-05-05T19:15:23-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/e979b7124f7aefbd1a7d46f7e2075d94-377.html#unique-entry-id-377</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/e979b7124f7aefbd1a7d46f7e2075d94-377.html#unique-entry-id-377</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[If Wyomissing School Board members are so concerned about informing the public how much it costs the district to gather information under the Pennsylvania Right to Know Act, perhaps they should include themselves on the list of who requested information, what information was sought, the time it took to fulfill the requests and how much that cost the district.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Wyomissing School Board publishing names&#x2c; costs in Right-to-Know requests</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Open records</category><dc:date>2010-04-27T19:12:48-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/ee4604982131d1eea2a5dd352c2d1871-376.html#unique-entry-id-376</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/ee4604982131d1eea2a5dd352c2d1871-376.html#unique-entry-id-376</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[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.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Citizens&#x2c; not reporters&#x2c; got new law&#x27;s access</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Open records</category><dc:date>2010-04-26T19:09:10-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/f270ff366b90b1771d9523a5478a72b4-375.html#unique-entry-id-375</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/f270ff366b90b1771d9523a5478a72b4-375.html#unique-entry-id-375</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[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.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Records panel to heed Sunshine Act</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Sunshine Act</category><category>Open meetings</category><dc:date>2010-06-22T19:06:43-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/5b24e5646c7bf9f0707cd4db2f11ffdb-374.html#unique-entry-id-374</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/5b24e5646c7bf9f0707cd4db2f11ffdb-374.html#unique-entry-id-374</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[WILKES-BARRE -- The Luzerne County Record Improvement Committee will begin complying with the state Sunshine Act for the first time and inform the public of upcoming meetings in a legal notice, said county Commissioner Stephen A. Urban, the new chairman of the committee.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Taxpayers have a right to know</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Open records</category><dc:date>2010-07-12T19:01:56-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/4a97152ea326d2c8eb7228d8c95e95e9-373.html#unique-entry-id-373</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/4a97152ea326d2c8eb7228d8c95e95e9-373.html#unique-entry-id-373</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This newspaper applauded state Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester, when he advanced the cause of open government by sponsoring the Open Records Act of 2009, but the struggle for public access continues. Commonwealth Court issued decisions this month interpreting the amended Right to Know Law.<br />]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Win or lose in court&#x2c; you cannot erase the news</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><dc:date>2010-07-11T18:59:49-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/beae98d50b5738b27e8d48c029676c92-372.html#unique-entry-id-372</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/beae98d50b5738b27e8d48c029676c92-372.html#unique-entry-id-372</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Sometimes the meaning of the 45 words of the First Amendment seems to escape even those trained in the law. In Pennsylvania last week, two judges in Centre County - home to Penn State University - signed off on what generally are standard instructions to police and other agencies to expunge certain official records of five people involved in criminal investigations. But the orders, thanks to the defense attorney for the five, also required that two area newspapers erase archived news reports about the defendants, who faced charges ranging from assault to drug possession.<br />]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>University lodges appeal to keep foundation records private</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>RTK request stories</category><dc:date>2010-07-16T18:55:47-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/b72a99ad40661cd55152c7b286814362-371.html#unique-entry-id-371</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/b72a99ad40661cd55152c7b286814362-371.html#unique-entry-id-371</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A Pennsylvania state university and its nonprofit fundraising foundation have asked the state&rsquo;s high court to hear an appeal in a case over whether the foundation, which is staffed by public employees, is subject to state public records laws.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Sunshine Act penalties infrequently imposed</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Sunshine Act</category><category>Open meetings</category><category>PNA Legal</category><dc:date>2010-07-22T18:47:45-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/2f635103d08af671eb53a39c12e3329c-370.html#unique-entry-id-370</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/2f635103d08af671eb53a39c12e3329c-370.html#unique-entry-id-370</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<em>Q: Our newspaper would like to pursue legal action against a local agency for Sunshine Act violations. Are there civil or criminal penalties for violating the act?</em>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: No legal notice required for reconvened meeting</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Sunshine Act</category><category>Open meetings</category><category>PNA Legal</category><dc:date>2010-07-29T18:45:02-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/7e86269ed5a5fc00dd4e533ead484abc-369.html#unique-entry-id-369</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/7e86269ed5a5fc00dd4e533ead484abc-369.html#unique-entry-id-369</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<em>Q: A school board meeting ran long and as a result, the board recessed the meeting for one week. Does the Sunshine Act require the school board to place a legal notice in our paper stating the date, time and place of the reconvened meeting?</em>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Exeter offers no public apology over meeting</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Sunshine Act</category><category>Open meetings</category><dc:date>2010-07-27T18:42:57-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/2b5052136c9d61d78850f3e095ed221d-368.html#unique-entry-id-368</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/2b5052136c9d61d78850f3e095ed221d-368.html#unique-entry-id-368</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Exeter borough residents hoping for an apology for being locked out of a council meeting April 6 will have to wait at least a little longer. None was given at Tuesday&rsquo;s meeting of the borough council.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Secrecy in age of information</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><dc:date>2010-07-26T18:39:50-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/f9ab4ea5b1653036006126d25cb52682-367.html#unique-entry-id-367</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/f9ab4ea5b1653036006126d25cb52682-367.html#unique-entry-id-367</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Most public officials in 2010 would blush at acknowledging that staff members do not know how to use e-mail or electronically transfer data. But not Wyoming County Recorder of Deeds Dennis Montross. He thinks his staff's alleged technological ignorance is a valid excuse to maintain the secrecy of public records.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Pa. State Police ordered to release work records</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>RTK request stories</category><dc:date>2010-07-16T18:37:37-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/1ddb5dca7a4bc4437f3159f2d410cd5e-366.html#unique-entry-id-366</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/1ddb5dca7a4bc4437f3159f2d410cd5e-366.html#unique-entry-id-366</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Pennsylvania's Office of Open Records has ordered the release of documents detailing the moonlighting done by state troopers to the Tribune-Review and the Associated Press.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Yankees lose appeal in open records case brought by Times Tribune</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><dc:date>2010-07-23T18:35:21-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/4c6defae249b4192b45b8c6f4ff66331-365.html#unique-entry-id-365</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/4c6defae249b4192b45b8c6f4ff66331-365.html#unique-entry-id-365</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A state appeals court has ruled against the SWB Yankees LLC - the management group for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees and PNC Field - in its attempt to block The Times-Tribune from obtaining the paperwork concerning how bids were awarded at the Lackawanna County Multi-Purpose Stadium in Moosic.<br />]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Tamaqua board leader denies open meeting law was violated</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Sunshine Act</category><category>Open meetings</category><dc:date>2010-08-15T18:32:38-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/7622eeb91c67992ddc77d7b04ab8ce4f-364.html#unique-entry-id-364</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/7622eeb91c67992ddc77d7b04ab8ce4f-364.html#unique-entry-id-364</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[During the formation of the Tamaqua school district's recently-adopted mandatory drug and alcohol testing policy for students participating in co-curricular activities, an advisory committee met on a regular basis. A question was raised as to whether the meetings, which were characterized as "closed door" sessions, were in violation of Pennsylvania's Open Meetings law, known as the Sunshine Act.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Expert: Riverside vote violated open-meetings law</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Sunshine Act</category><category>Open meetings</category><dc:date>2010-07-23T18:25:38-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/239fa1c479e137aa123b908a2646f26c-363.html#unique-entry-id-363</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/239fa1c479e137aa123b908a2646f26c-363.html#unique-entry-id-363</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A vote by the Riverside School Board to change the logo displayed on football helmets violated the Pennsylvania open-meeting law, a media-law expert said Thursday. The 5-4 decision, reached after a district employee polled school board members by phone, changed the helmet decals for Riverside Junior-Senior High School football players from a wing to a Viking horn.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Superintendent locks down school salary data</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><dc:date>2010-08-11T18:22:58-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/aa9aac9dc74a184647b6b1610f071921-362.html#unique-entry-id-362</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/aa9aac9dc74a184647b6b1610f071921-362.html#unique-entry-id-362</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Days after a Daily News columnist wrote about the high salaries of School District Superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman and several of her top deputies - with salaries higher than those of Mayor Nutter and Gov. Rendell - Ackerman moved to limit the number of district employees able to access the district's payroll system.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Ruling: Highlands violated Sunshine Act</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open meetings</category><category>Sunshine Act</category><dc:date>2010-08-06T18:18:15-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/560044117d27fb955cd310abaf90d459-361.html#unique-entry-id-361</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/560044117d27fb955cd310abaf90d459-361.html#unique-entry-id-361</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A three-judge appeals panel ruled Thursday that the Highlands School District violated state law when it held a closed-door session with shopping center representatives last year to talk about a tax assessment appeal. In the order, Commonwealth Judge Patricia A. McCullough wrote that the private meeting with Heights Plaza Shopping Center representatives "has the odor of favoritism that the Sunshine Act does not tolerate."<br />]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Court ruling broadens open record exemption for courts</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Judicial records</category><category>Office of Open Records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><dc:date>2010-08-12T18:11:57-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/427910e17db648151baea4c8bedfb623-360.html#unique-entry-id-360</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/427910e17db648151baea4c8bedfb623-360.html#unique-entry-id-360</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In a precedent-setting ruling handed down Wednesday by Commonwealth Court, records of ancillary offices to the state's court system have been found exempt from the 2009 Right to Know Law. Addressing whether The Times-Tribune and others were entitled to Lackawanna County records for its Department of Domestic Relations, the court ruled the county and state Office of Open Records were permanently barred from making the information public.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Judge bars release of county official&#x27;s e-mails </title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Office of Open Records</category><category>Judicial records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><dc:date>2010-08-13T18:05:01-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/ac814a678cf819322b5aad6495571a17-359.html#unique-entry-id-359</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/ac814a678cf819322b5aad6495571a17-359.html#unique-entry-id-359</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) &mdash; Pennsylvania courts' broad exemption from the Right-to-Know Law shields judicial records from public scrutiny even when they are in the hands of agencies that are subject to the law, a three-judge panel of the state Commonwealth Court has ruled.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>State court: ESU must open records</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>RTK request stories</category><category>PaFOIC</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>ESU</category><category>Open meetings</category><category>PaSSHE</category><dc:date>2010-05-25T20:20:46-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/2ec250b18dbf510a8e9ab3696222f930-358.html#unique-entry-id-358</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/2ec250b18dbf510a8e9ab3696222f930-358.html#unique-entry-id-358</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Donor records relating to scholarships and a signature East Stroudsburg University building must be made available to the Pocono Record, a state court ruled Monday in the most recent turn in a 15-month-long legal battle. In a precedent-setting decision, the Commonwealth Court ruled 7-0 to uphold the substance of a previous ruling by the state's open records agency.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>ESU appeals court&#x27;s open-records ruling</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>RTK request stories</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Open records</category><category>PaSSHE</category><category>ESU</category><dc:date>2010-07-14T20:17:10-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/a12004a6f66c2f7d32d3ff96856ced5b-357.html#unique-entry-id-357</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/a12004a6f66c2f7d32d3ff96856ced5b-357.html#unique-entry-id-357</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[East Stroudsburg University and its foundation have asked the state's highest court to reverse an appellate court ruling that would force the foundation to turn over records to the Pocono Record. In the latest turn in an ongoing legal battle, ESU and the private ESU Foundation, which raises money for the university, filed an appeal in the Middle District of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, arguing that a unanimous decision of a full panel of judges of the Commonwealth Court in May should not be allowed to stand because it is overbroad and intrusive.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Pa. state police ordered to disclose moonlighting </title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>RTK request stories</category><category>Open records</category><category>Pa. State Police</category><dc:date>2010-07-15T20:13:09-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/2e31a1800d577b8af5d3212f0182eb56-356.html#unique-entry-id-356</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/2e31a1800d577b8af5d3212f0182eb56-356.html#unique-entry-id-356</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[HARRISBURG (AP) &mdash; The Pennsylvania State Police must release most of its records about work that its employees perform while they are off-duty, the state Office of Open Records has ruled. The office concluded in Wednesday's decision that the state police erred in withholding information about employee moonlighting in response to a right-to-know request filed in April by The Associated Press.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Lackawanna County stadium naming contract must be made public&#x2c; state says</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Office of Open Records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><dc:date>2010-04-20T19:30:48-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/f3a5ad76727b9faa067cc7a8dba0b046-355.html#unique-entry-id-355</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/f3a5ad76727b9faa067cc7a8dba0b046-355.html#unique-entry-id-355</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[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.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Newspaper contends Highlands violated state Sunshine Law</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Sunshine Act</category><category>Open meetings</category><dc:date>2010-04-20T19:27:36-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/ff74cacc5c96f71680a6878d9e9fa06f-354.html#unique-entry-id-354</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/ff74cacc5c96f71680a6878d9e9fa06f-354.html#unique-entry-id-354</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[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.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Public matters can&#x27;t hide behind law</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Sunshine Act</category><category>Open meetings</category><category>Opinion</category><category>Government transparency</category><dc:date>2010-04-03T18:56:20-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/22b786eee2209cd0bc781da84ba3d90d-353.html#unique-entry-id-353</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/22b786eee2209cd0bc781da84ba3d90d-353.html#unique-entry-id-353</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[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.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Panel provides insight into Pennsylvania&#x2019;s Right to Know Law</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Open records</category><category>Office of Open Records</category><dc:date>2010-04-09T18:49:29-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/7352fce7166538f7975b3e21dc63a9e4-352.html#unique-entry-id-352</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/7352fce7166538f7975b3e21dc63a9e4-352.html#unique-entry-id-352</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[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.<br />]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>NCC forum discusses new Right to Know law&#x2c; open records</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Open records</category><category>Terry Mutchler</category><category>PaFOIC</category><dc:date>2010-04-14T21:51:36-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/b2b9f504ba776f899d34f9b075cfd095-351.html#unique-entry-id-351</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/b2b9f504ba776f899d34f9b075cfd095-351.html#unique-entry-id-351</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[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.<br /><br />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.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: OOR can&#x27;t order payment of legal fees</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Opinion</category><category>PNA Legal</category><category>Open records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><dc:date>2010-04-08T19:13:22-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/21d327df890fbcd8e48b804c641853ea-350.html#unique-entry-id-350</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/21d327df890fbcd8e48b804c641853ea-350.html#unique-entry-id-350</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<em>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&rsquo;s legal fees related to the appeal. The agency argues that my request is &ldquo;frivolous&rdquo; 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&rsquo;s legal fees resulting from the OOR appeal?</em>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Stadium Authority meeting criticized</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Sunshine Act</category><category>Open meetings</category><category>Pittsburgh</category><dc:date>2010-03-31T17:28:22-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/c12c355a68dca2578a7ea33148c8bc15-349.html#unique-entry-id-349</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/c12c355a68dca2578a7ea33148c8bc15-349.html#unique-entry-id-349</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Pittsburgh's Stadium Authority violated state open-meeting rules when a majority of members spoke privately by phone a day before the authority's first public meeting this year, a media law expert said Tuesday.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Ex-official: Show me the money</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>RTK request stories</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Open records</category><category>Montgomery Co.</category><dc:date>2010-03-01T16:16:57-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/0ee623548e7be7f4fd8e3b1465e865aa-348.html#unique-entry-id-348</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/0ee623548e7be7f4fd8e3b1465e865aa-348.html#unique-entry-id-348</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In light of recent accusations about undue political influence in Montgomery County government, a former county official has asked the Board of Elections for details about the commissioners&rsquo; campaign finance spending over the past two years.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Coroner rulings are a matter of public record</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Opinion</category><category>Lancaster Co.</category><category>Coroner records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Open records</category><dc:date>2010-03-02T16:13:16-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/0609febb6596b5c6c2258024851247ec-347.html#unique-entry-id-347</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/0609febb6596b5c6c2258024851247ec-347.html#unique-entry-id-347</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Just over a year old, Pennsylvania's Right to Know Law remains a work in progress. That fact is clearly evident through a court case brought by our colleagues at WGAL-TV. In what should be a clear-cut situation, the television station has been forced to go to the Commonwealth Court in an effort to determine not if a record is public - on that point everyone agrees - but when it should be released.<br />]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Troopers criticized over withholding</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Pa. State Police</category><category>Open records</category><category>Government transparency</category><category>Court records</category><dc:date>2010-02-25T16:10:33-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/11bfcb0e84f41d28432765d7d088510d-346.html#unique-entry-id-346</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/11bfcb0e84f41d28432765d7d088510d-346.html#unique-entry-id-346</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[HARRISBURG - A new Pennsylvania State Police policy requires troopers to withhold names and other information about victims and witnesses when they issue citations for certain minor crimes - drawing criticism from open-government advocates and raising concern among judges and defense lawyers.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Clean Streams Act makes DEP records public</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Opinion</category><category>PNA Legal</category><category>Open records</category><category>DEP</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><dc:date>2010-02-25T16:06:27-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/70163c9cbdc86071ccab5cad42c9c476-345.html#unique-entry-id-345</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/70163c9cbdc86071ccab5cad42c9c476-345.html#unique-entry-id-345</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<em>Q: I want to look at applications filed with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Can the DEP deny my request?</em>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Dad seeks to block report in son&#x27;s death</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Open records</category><category>Cumberland Co.</category><category>Coroner records</category><dc:date>2010-02-17T16:04:19-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/64404add89373613a0b67f34a5544514-344.html#unique-entry-id-344</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/64404add89373613a0b67f34a5544514-344.html#unique-entry-id-344</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A new legal battle could be brewing over a Shippensburg University student's death that already has prompted a court duel over the state's Right to Know Law.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Montgomery County requests more time</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Montgomery Co.</category><category>Open records</category><category>RTK request stories</category><dc:date>2010-02-24T16:01:56-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/d5638508361b9a3a8b8e184a54a1eb7b-343.html#unique-entry-id-343</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/d5638508361b9a3a8b8e184a54a1eb7b-343.html#unique-entry-id-343</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Montgomery County has stated it will require another month to provide the county&rsquo;s professional services contracts and related documents requested earlier this month by The Times Herald.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Office of Open Records requests higher funding</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Office of Open Records</category><dc:date>2010-02-18T15:57:54-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/5e3ea8e5d2dbb1560cfcdb4539b99d54-342.html#unique-entry-id-342</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/5e3ea8e5d2dbb1560cfcdb4539b99d54-342.html#unique-entry-id-342</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The head of Pennsylvania&rsquo;s Office of Open Records spoke before the House Appropriations Committee today to requesting more tax funds than proposed in the Governor&rsquo;s budget due to the high number of appeals filed by agencies contesting the release of information, and the additional lawyers the Office requires to handle these cases.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Minutes public after next meeting; recordings public when created</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Opinion</category><category>PNA Legal</category><category>Open meetings</category><category>Sunshine Act</category><dc:date>2010-02-18T15:52:39-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/b9a740ca289584ce24f580bf6e5f9296-341.html#unique-entry-id-341</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/b9a740ca289584ce24f580bf6e5f9296-341.html#unique-entry-id-341</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<em>Q: I requested copies of a local agency&rsquo;s minutes and audio recording from a meeting held in early December, 2009. I was denied on the basis that meeting minutes aren&rsquo;t public until they have been formally approved, and the audio recording is exempt as a &ldquo;personal use&rdquo; record. There have been three meetings since early December. Can the agency deny access to minutes and the audio recording at this point?</em>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Yankees file brief in court fight with The Times-Tribune over concessionaire bid records</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>RTK request stories</category><category>Lackawanna Co.</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><dc:date>2010-01-29T15:47:59-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/3f14fd658e2bf628f3813a042e087161-340.html#unique-entry-id-340</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/3f14fd658e2bf628f3813a042e087161-340.html#unique-entry-id-340</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The management group for the Lackawanna County-owned Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees argues a judge erred in a case that will decide whether concessionaire bids for the baseball team and stadium are public records.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Cell phones may be used to record meetings</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Sunshine Act</category><category>PNA Legal</category><category>Open meetings</category><category>Opinion</category><dc:date>2010-01-14T15:44:03-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/5eb0074b7149f745f35852b9ca191b6f-339.html#unique-entry-id-339</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/5eb0074b7149f745f35852b9ca191b6f-339.html#unique-entry-id-339</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<em>Q: I recently attended a public meeting and was told that I could not use my cell phone to record the proceedings because cell phones are not approved by the board as an appropriate recording device and because I didn&rsquo;t get permission to record in advance. Can the agency do that?</em>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Ruling: County must make prison receipts public</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>RTK request stories</category><category>Open records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Lackawanna Co.</category><dc:date>2010-01-13T15:40:51-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/cbc19f161eae4d2c55bd491326010ea2-338.html#unique-entry-id-338</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/cbc19f161eae4d2c55bd491326010ea2-338.html#unique-entry-id-338</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Lackawanna County must obtain and provide to The Times-Tribune any receipts and invoices related to the cost of medical care at Lackawanna County Prison between November 2004 and November 2009, the state Office of Open Records has ruled.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Agency can&#x27;t take additional extension</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>PNA Legal</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Open records</category><dc:date>2010-01-07T15:34:49-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/c5dedf267a8c2615b0c0e08cb05aef06-337.html#unique-entry-id-337</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/c5dedf267a8c2615b0c0e08cb05aef06-337.html#unique-entry-id-337</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<em>Q: An agency requested an additional 30 calendar days in which to respond to my Right to Know Law request. On the 30th day, I received a letter stating that the records are public but the agency will take an additional three months to compile and copy them due to staffing limitations. Can the agency extend their time for response like that?</em>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Open records ruling goes against county</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><dc:date>2010-01-03T15:32:17-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/b1fe99608a87768b6b3f42ebd719909a-336.html#unique-entry-id-336</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/b1fe99608a87768b6b3f42ebd719909a-336.html#unique-entry-id-336</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Ben Vonderheide spends a lot of time at the Lancaster County Courthouse, pursuing fathers' rights and inconveniencing local officials in the process. As such, Vonderheide said, he's been tossed out of many a county office and courtroom. But his ejection from one courtroom this fall prompted him to request copies of the surveillance tapes for his records. The county refused to provide the tapes, saying it would constitute a security breach. The Pennsylvania Office of Open Records disagreed. In a Christmas Eve ruling, appeals officer Lucinda Glinn ordered the county to turn them over to Vonderheide.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Office of Open Records rules text messages from Wind Gap police chief&#x27;s cell phone are public record</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>RTK request stories</category><category>Open records</category><dc:date>2010-03-25T14:56:38-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/c9cbf85331aa502dd8e4c3d1be19a4b3-334.html#unique-entry-id-334</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/c9cbf85331aa502dd8e4c3d1be19a4b3-334.html#unique-entry-id-334</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Pennsylvania Office of Open Records has granted The Express-Times access to the Wind Gap police chief's text messages in a ruling that a government transparency watchdog group called groundbreaking.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: House passes damaging open meetings bill</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Opinion</category><category>Open meetings</category><category>Sunshine Act</category><dc:date>2010-03-18T14:30:35-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/22c9baf755b8de8660865d296aa0be9c-333.html#unique-entry-id-333</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/22c9baf755b8de8660865d296aa0be9c-333.html#unique-entry-id-333</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The past few weeks have seen an increase in activity at the Capitol that causes concern. We were discouraged on March 10, when the full House, reviewing a bill intended to strengthen sanctions dished out (theoretically) for violating the Sunshine Act, voted to insert a &lsquo;safety and security&rsquo; exemption for going into executive session, for school boards.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Bill puts open meetings in peril</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Opinion</category><category>Sunshine Act</category><category>Open meetings</category><category>Government transparency</category><dc:date>2010-03-21T14:24:25-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/40f92bdfa3ac1705499925d966e2c353-332.html#unique-entry-id-332</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/40f92bdfa3ac1705499925d966e2c353-332.html#unique-entry-id-332</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The devil is in the details and, if you're the pessimistic type, you can find Lucifer's fingerprints all over a small item in legislation passed by the state House five days ago. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Clouding up Sunshine Law</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Opinion </category><category>Sunshine Act</category><category>Open meetings</category><category>Government transparency</category><dc:date>2010-03-22T14:20:55-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/105eebf6c4f2e99cc2f9ce5fa9c6e55f-331.html#unique-entry-id-331</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/105eebf6c4f2e99cc2f9ce5fa9c6e55f-331.html#unique-entry-id-331</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The "good old boys (and girls)" in Harrisburg are covering each other's butts again. We aren't supposed to notice, because a House-passed bill imposes higher fines for violating the open-meetings "Sunshine Act." That's all we are supposed to notice: Higher fines. But the House, which is in bed with school directors and teacher unions, tacked on a provision allowing secretive closed meetings for "safety and security" reasons.<br />]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Open records still a work in progress</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Opinion</category><dc:date>2010-03-18T18:57:56-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/3cdde64c37c382ad83105da847a14ce4-330.html#unique-entry-id-330</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/3cdde64c37c382ad83105da847a14ce4-330.html#unique-entry-id-330</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s a pretty good law. But having a good law and having a universally good &ldquo;open government&rdquo; attitude across the state are two different things. Pennsylvania&rsquo;s new &ldquo;Right to Know Law&rdquo; took effect Jan. 1, 2009, more than a year ago. Has it been successful? It depends whom you ask and how you measure success when it comes to citizens being able to keep track of what their government is doing.<br />]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: Citizens have duty to monitor government</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open meetings</category><category>Opinion</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><category>Government transparency</category><dc:date>2010-03-14T18:52:17-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/7a6a58b0f62240b062cf577febafe929-329.html#unique-entry-id-329</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/7a6a58b0f62240b062cf577febafe929-329.html#unique-entry-id-329</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today marks the beginning of Sunshine Week, a celebration of open government &mdash; and an exhortation to demand it ceaselessly. Open government is a core principle of our American form of democracy. Government employees &mdash; both elected officials and non-elected workers &mdash; are directly accountable to the people. In a citizens' government, citizens and the press are the watchdogs, making sure officials remain accountable to the people. Keeping access open to officials and to public documents is essential if citizens are to maintain their freedom.<br />]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Pennsylvanians have better access to their government &#x2014; but there&#x27;s room to improve</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Right to Know Law</category><dc:date>2010-03-14T00:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/4ab4770d70cbb4f8f217ad4f8db30a09-328.html#unique-entry-id-328</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/4ab4770d70cbb4f8f217ad4f8db30a09-328.html#unique-entry-id-328</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It's been more than a year since Pennsylvania enacted its new Right-to-Know law, but experts say it's going to be years before it gets perfected. Case law and trial-and-error still are taking place across the state when citizens ask for &mdash; and expect to receive &mdash; government records they believe to be accessible to the public. While officials familiar with the law admit there is room to improve it, everyone agrees on one thing &mdash; Pennsylvania is more open than it was before the Right-to-Know changes.<br />]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Pennsylvania Sunshine Act: Improvements needed</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open meetings</category><category>Sunshine Act</category><category>PNA Legal</category><dc:date>2010-01-18T18:26:49-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/d532886b3fa8427b2d1d3ed4b469b064-327.html#unique-entry-id-327</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/d532886b3fa8427b2d1d3ed4b469b064-327.html#unique-entry-id-327</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Pennsylvania Newspaper Association's fsummary of improvements needed in Pennsylvania's open meetings law, known as the "Sunshine Act."]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Court says government must prove need to keep information secret</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>RTK request stories</category><category>Open records</category><category>Office of Open Records</category><category>PEMA</category><dc:date>2010-02-09T13:36:28-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/78c57130b7aa2783b8da35d3ee9adace-326.html#unique-entry-id-326</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/78c57130b7aa2783b8da35d3ee9adace-326.html#unique-entry-id-326</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A state appeals court's first ruling on the new Right to Know Law upholds the idea that government agencies must prove they have a good reason for withholding information, lawyers and others said yesterday. "It's a strong decision for open government," said Barry Fox, spokesman for the state Office of Open Records.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Opinion: No blanket exemption for email on personal account</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>PNA Legal</category><category>Opinion</category><category>Open records</category><category>Email</category><dc:date>2010-01-28T19:35:28-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/4ce7b306204c117a596e8cd320e143f0-325.html#unique-entry-id-325</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/4ce7b306204c117a596e8cd320e143f0-325.html#unique-entry-id-325</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[<em>Q: I requested access to e-mails sent between council members and the mayor of a local agency. The agency denied my request on the basis that the agency does not provide e-mail accounts to council or the mayor, and the e-mails are sent from personal e-mail addresses. Can they do that?</em>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>WGAL-TV appeals ruling barring it from information on college student&#x27;s death</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Office of Open Records</category><category>Open records</category><category>RTK request stories</category><category>Cumberland Co.</category><dc:date>2010-01-26T21:55:12-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/ffa0e5c9bc2cb29644d2808cb58c48ee-324.html#unique-entry-id-324</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/ffa0e5c9bc2cb29644d2808cb58c48ee-324.html#unique-entry-id-324</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A midstate TV station is appealing a Cumberland County judge&rsquo;s ruling barring it from information on a Shippensburg University student&rsquo;s death. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Bucks County appeals state Office of Open Records decision</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Office of Open Records</category><category>Open records</category><category>RTK request stories</category><category>Bucks Co.</category><dc:date>2010-01-23T00:00:27-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/8e2349bef13bb5c4cfcf25aa37a2aff4-323.html#unique-entry-id-323</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/8e2349bef13bb5c4cfcf25aa37a2aff4-323.html#unique-entry-id-323</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Bucks County officials do not believe the record of when two employees &ndash; opponents in a county election &ndash; entered the courthouse each day should be a matter of public information.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Prison board OKs release of inmate photographs</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>RTK request stories</category><category>Open records</category><category>Mercer Co.</category><dc:date>2010-01-26T20:53:18-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/b2009c4b8f80c70a040c5f695dd63423-322.html#unique-entry-id-322</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/b2009c4b8f80c70a040c5f695dd63423-322.html#unique-entry-id-322</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Mercer County Prison Board on Tuesday ruled that inmate photographs from Mercer County Jail can be released to the press after a Herald request made earlier this month.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Judge rules to release names as sewer records fight ends after 8 months</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Sharon</category><category>Office of Open Records</category><category>RTK request stories</category><dc:date>2010-01-27T08:23:25-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/73361b3766d1de8a8f34d0a8459cc590-321.html#unique-entry-id-321</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/73361b3766d1de8a8f34d0a8459cc590-321.html#unique-entry-id-321</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[An eight-month fight over the identities of Sharon sewer customers who collectively owe about $1 million in unpaid bills ended Tuesday with a judge agreeing with the state Office of Open Records and ordering the records be released.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Allentown sues Morning Call&#x2c; reporter&#x2c; open records office</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Allentown</category><category>Office of Open Records</category><category>RTK request stories</category><dc:date>2010-01-27T19:14:44-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/f0a54b701adad2d9307191b3ba818041-320.html#unique-entry-id-320</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/f0a54b701adad2d9307191b3ba818041-320.html#unique-entry-id-320</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Allentown is suing The Morning Call, reporter Jarrett Renshaw and the state Office of Open Records, claiming the agency improperly ruled on Renshaw's request under the year-old Right-to-Know Law for the official e-mails and schedules of Mayor Ed Pawlowski and other administration officials.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>State revises access policy for court documents</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>Judicial records</category><dc:date>2010-01-27T22:09:07-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/8fc0e4eb343b8abfe52b918d106dc8ea-319.html#unique-entry-id-319</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/8fc0e4eb343b8abfe52b918d106dc8ea-319.html#unique-entry-id-319</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The prevalence of identity theft is one of the reasons the state has revised its paper record access policy for magisterial district courts. &ldquo;Personal financial and Social Security information are two key elements of the kind that will not be included in court files for public review,&rdquo; said Stuart Ditzen, assistant for communications, Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.<br />]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Beaver Co. Times&#x27; open records appeal upheld</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>RTK request stories</category><category>Office of Open Records</category><dc:date>2010-01-13T18:24:52-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/b84871341ddce9e553b8c1e946a0f5fc-318.html#unique-entry-id-318</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/b84871341ddce9e553b8c1e946a0f5fc-318.html#unique-entry-id-318</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The state Office of Open Records this week upheld an appeal by The Beaver County Times of a fee imposed by the State Employees Retirement System for providing information under Pennsylvania&rsquo;s open-records law.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Ruling: County must make prison receipts public</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Lackawanna Co.</category><category>RTK request stories</category><category>Open records</category><dc:date>2010-01-13T16:23:20-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/3daf739ace3e6fad88e32c3147100846-317.html#unique-entry-id-317</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/3daf739ace3e6fad88e32c3147100846-317.html#unique-entry-id-317</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Lackawanna County must obtain and provide to The Times-Tribune any receipts and invoices related to the cost of medical care at Lackawanna County Prison between November 2004 and November 2009, the state Office of Open Records has ruled.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Allentown fights open records ruling</title><dc:creator>info@openrecordspa.org</dc:creator><category>Open records</category><category>RTK request stories</category><category>Office of Open Records</category><category>Allentown</category><dc:date>2010-01-10T16:19:31-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/b3da2354babd693d3c2920de0bd6d0fd-316.html#unique-entry-id-316</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.openrecordspa.org/news_files/b3da2354babd693d3c2920de0bd6d0fd-316.html#unique-entry-id-316</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Allentown officials are appealing an administrative ruling ordering the city to provide the e-mails and records of daily schedules for Mayor Ed Pawlowski and two Cabinet members to a reporter from The Morning Call.]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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