RTK request stories
City releases police-arbitration opinions
January 04, 2011 |
Philadelphia released a second batch of
police-arbitration opinions Monday, further
revealing the previously hidden struggles between
the department's discipline and the police
union's advocacy. The city is releasing the
opinions in batches after a judge's order to make
public about 200 arbitration awards. The city
released 42 on Christmas Eve and 36 on Monday.
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Montco commissioner subpoenaed for possible violation of Sunshine Act
December 11, 2010 |
Montgomery County officials have been subpoenaed
to appear before a grand jury investigating
accusations that two commissioners violated the
state Sunshine Act, according to anonymous
sources. The District Attorney’s Office declined
to comment on grand jury involvement in the case
or whether prosecutors were looking into
pay-to-play allegations that have dogged
Republican Commissioner Chairman James R.
Matthews for nearly a year. Read
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Budgets made available at Gettysburgtimes.com
November 29, 2010 |
The Gettysburg Times recently launched a new page
on its website which allows readers to view the
complete budgets of government bodies.
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Easton firefighter sick time raises eyebrows
November 06, 2010 |
Nearly half of all sick days taken by Easton
firefighters so far this year have been combined
with other paid time off, city records show, a
pattern that city officials say suggests the
department may be misusing its leave. A Morning
Call analysis of city payroll records obtained
through the state Right to Know Law found that 46
percent of the total sick days taken by
firefighters through mid-October have been
combined with holidays, personal days or vacation
days for extended time away from work.
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Former director of Pennsylvania's Homeland Security destroyed original intelligence reports
November 06, 2010 |
James Powers, former director of the Pennsylvania
Office of Homeland Security, destroyed the
original intelligence reports he received from
the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response.
That may have violated multiple provisions of the
state’s record retention policy. Read
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South Mountain forestry study details types, number, conditions of trees
August 05, 2010 |
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. Read
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University lodges appeal to keep foundation records private
July 16, 2010 |
A Pennsylvania state university and its nonprofit
fundraising foundation have asked the state’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. Read
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Pa. State Police ordered to release work records
July 16, 2010 |
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.
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Pa. state police ordered to disclose moonlighting
July 15, 2010 |
HARRISBURG (AP) — 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. Read
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ESU appeals court's open-records ruling
July 14, 2010 |
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.
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State court: ESU must open records
May 25, 2010 |
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. Read
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Office of Open Records rules text messages from Wind Gap police chief's cell phone are public record
March 25, 2010 |
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. Read
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Ex-official: Show me the money
March 01, 2010 |
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’ campaign finance spending over the
past two years. Read
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Montgomery County requests more time
February 24, 2010 |
Montgomery County has stated it will require
another month to provide the county’s
professional services contracts and related
documents requested earlier this month by The
Times Herald. Read
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Court says government must prove need to keep information secret
February 09, 2010 |
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.
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Yankees file brief in court fight with The Times-Tribune over concessionaire bid records
January 29, 2010 |
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. Read
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Allentown sues Morning Call, reporter, open records office
January 27, 2010 |
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. Read
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Judge rules to release names as sewer records fight ends after 8 months
January 27, 2010 |
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.
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WGAL-TV appeals ruling barring it from information on college student's death
January 26, 2010 |
A midstate TV station is appealing a Cumberland
County judge’s ruling barring it from information
on a Shippensburg University student’s death.
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Prison board OKs release of inmate photographs
January 26, 2010 |
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. Read
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Bucks County appeals state Office of Open Records decision
January 23, 2010 |
Bucks County officials do not believe the record
of when two employees – opponents in a county
election – entered the courthouse each day should
be a matter of public information. Read
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Beaver Co. Times' open records appeal upheld
January 13, 2010 |
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’s
open-records law. Read
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Ruling: County must make prison receipts public
January 13, 2010 |
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.
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Ruling: County must make prison receipts public
January 13, 2010 |
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.
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Allentown fights open records ruling
January 10, 2010 |
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.
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