FOI Blog

It's not a waste, it's the law

Posted 3/29/19 by Megan Rhyne

OK, this story makes me tetchy.

You can read the whole thing on The Southwest Times website or you can read it below, but here's the set-up: at a Pulaski County Board of Supervisors meeting, a supervisor and the county administrator engaged in an exchange over a projected slide showing the number of FOIA requests filed each year for the past nine years.  The total was 361, which equals 35.4/year, which equals fewer than 3/month.

One of these is not like the others

Posted 3/15/19 by Megan Rhyne

The agreements Amazon signed with the state and Arlington County contain unique public records provisions unlike those in other company deals.

Sunshine Week op-ed: The Real FOIA Heroes

Posted 3/13/19 by Megan Rhyne

Versions of the following were wrtiten on the encouragement of Lawrence McConnell, VCOG board member and editor of The Roanoke Times, and published in:

  • Bacon's Rebellion (online)
  • Bristol Herald-Courier
  • Daily Press (Newport News)
  • The Daily Progress (Charlottesville)
  • The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg)
  • Richmond Times-Dispatch
  • The Roanoke Times
  • The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk)

Virginia, Amazon & FOIA

Posted 12/3/18 by Megan Rhyne

Secrecy surrounding the Amazon decision to locate half of its HQ2 operation in Virginia comes with a heavy price tag.

Why a judge's decision exempting the judiciary from FOIA matters

Posted 10/31/18 by Megan Rhyne

A judge in Richmond decided in October 2018 that Virginia’s judiciary was not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Here's why that matters.

VCOG: Why you need us, and why we need you

Posted 9/30/18 by Megan Rhyne

Government accountability doesn't end on election day. Stay engaged by supporting open government and open government organizations (like VCOG!).

Thinking of the Old Dominion in New England

Posted 8/24/18 by Megan Rhyne

There was much to remind me of Virginia in New Hampshire. And even more to leave me wondering.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you must

Posted 7/30/18 by Megan Rhyne

Public bodies often use secretive processes to hire a chief administrator, also known as a manager, executive or superintendent. It doesn't have to be that way.

Private texts? Not if they're about public business

Posted 7/19/18 by Megan Rhyne

How the record was created, how it was delivered, how it was sent, whose equipment was used (and even whether it was a final report or a draft one), none of that matters when it comes to determining what a public record is.

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