By Katie Mulvaney The Providence Journal will appeal a ruling denying the newspaper access to records related to a state police investigation into a 2012 graduation party hosted by Gov. Lincoln Chafee’s teenage son that left a young partygoer hospitalized and the governor’s son accused of violating a state law that prohibits providing alcohol to […]
By Sigmund D. Schutz Something needs to change when state employees in Maine conduct public business using instant messages that cannot be archived or made available to the public as required by the state’s freedom of access laws. Under Maine law, all electronically stored information, including e-mail and text messages, qualifies as a public record. […]
By Shawn Musgrave On March 28, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority launched its extended late night service pilot program. For the next year, Boston’s subway and select bus routes will run during the weekend until early morning hours. While the MBTA cites specific cost and labor figures for introducing late night service, officials say they have […]
By Robert J. Ambrogi In June 2012, the police chief of the city of Waltham, Thomas LaCroix, was arrested on charges of assaulting his wife at the couple’s home in Maynard. He later resigned as chief after he was convicted of the crime and sentenced to 18 months probation. Under a bill passed by the […]
By Sean F. Driscoll When the Cape Cod Times hears of police misconduct, reporters routinely ask for records of the police department’s internal investigation. In some cases, departments delay their release, or decline to do so all together. That was the case with the town of Falmouth, which refused on two occasions to release internal […]
By Samantha Allen At about 5 p.m. on Aug. 29, 2012, a Westford police officer was racing to a domestic call on the other side of town down Oak Hill Road. Going about 50 in a 30 mph zone on the Westford, Mass. street, he had his lights flashing, but no siren sounding. At that […]
By Pam Wilmot The MBTA Retirement Board recently voted to deny a request to turn over records relating to a controversial deal that cost the pension fund $25 million. The vote was tied 3-3 with directors loyal to Governor Deval Patrick voting in favor of making the records public, and union representatives voting against. An […]
By Matthew Kauffman From the millions of tax dollars spent on Medicaid bills to the racial breakdown of public-school discipline to the condition of each of 4,218 highway bridges, the state of Connecticut — like all states — collects massive piles of data that often sit just beyond the reach of researchers, journalists and average […]
By Steven Brown Is a public record “public” if nobody can afford to see it? That’s not a philosophical question, but rather one at the center of a lawsuit the ACLU of Rhode Island filed last month on behalf of a small community advocacy group. In an effort to obtain information relating to law enforcement […]
By Samantha Allen Sometimes a little persistence goes a long way. My editors at The Sun of Lowell came across a tip last summer, just after we learned the Westford fire chief of 37 years was announcing his retirement rather suddenly. His announcement came just a week before it was effective, and on the day […]