IDOG

• Rexburg City Council to be investigated

  A special prosecutor will investigate the Rexburg mayor and City Council for alleged violations of Idaho's open meeting laws. The announcement was made in an official letter from the Madison County Prosecutor's Office to Maria Nate, who had filed a complaint with the office regarding the Nov. 4 appointment of Mayor [...]
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  Posted: November 26, 2009, 8:09am EST
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• Idaho AG’s office rebukes Nampa charter school

  The Idaho Attorney General's office has told Nampa Classical Academy officials the state won't back down from pursuing information about the charter school's possible use of the Bible and other religious texts. From the Idaho Press-Tribune' [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 8:06am EST
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• Judge: Name names, Coeur d’Alene

  First names are a matter of public record, even if they reveal gender, First District Judge Charles Hosack ruled on Friday. That means Wayne Hoffman will get the full names of every city of Coeur d'Alene employee as part of his public records request. From the Coeur d'Alene Press [...]
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  Posted: October 20, 2009, 12:38am EDT
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• State energy chief pledges openness, in response to questioning from lawmaker

  When Paul Kjellander, head of the Idaho Office of Energy Resources, briefed a legislative interim committee this morning about the wide-ranging work on options for Idaho's energy future being done out of his office by the Strategic Energy Alliance, an effort launched by the governor that includes task forces, a [...]
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  Posted: October 20, 2009, 12:33am EDT
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• Our View: Fair trial still possible if warrant goes public in Robert Manwill case

  The Robert Manwill disappearance became big news - and the Boise Police Department did nothing to discourage it. The police held frequent and excruciatingly incremental news briefings; several coincided with live local newscasts. The police asked the community to help find clues into the disappearance of the 8-year-old, and 2,300 people [...]
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  Posted: September 30, 2009, 3:11pm EDT
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• Government transparency site launched in Idaho

  BOISE - A nonprofit group on Tuesday launched a new "government transparency" Web site designed to give anyone who's interested details about state and local government spending in Idaho, from a mayor's salary to an agency’s computer purchases. From the Spokesman-Review [...]
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  Posted: August 26, 2009, 10:18am EDT
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• CSI: It’s OK to destroy records

  The College of Southern Idaho says it's common to destroy records that show how it evaluates firms vying for construction projects. But that differs from the way the Idaho Division of Public Works and other public institutions handle documents used in selecting contractors. From the Twin Falls Times-News [...]
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  Posted: August 14, 2009, 10:21am EDT
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• City won’t name names on salaries

  The city of Coeur d'Alene doesn't read Idaho code the way other public Idaho entities do. That's according to Wayne Hoffman, Idaho Freedom Foundation director, who is compiling a list of financial expenditures and employee salaries from dozens of state, city and county entities for a Web site he's creating to [...]
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  Posted: August 01, 2009, 11:34pm EDT
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• Otter calls for transparency on state lands

  Idaho Gov. Butch Otter spoke out Tuesday against limiting public information about state land transfers, saying he wants "total and complete transparency." The governor's comments came after a committee of top real estate professionals, asked to review how Idaho could update its rules for' [...]
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  Posted: July 22, 2009, 9:22pm EDT
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• UI won’t release names of Bulgin investigators

  The University of Idaho refuses to release identities of those investigating whether the head of its Caine Veterinary Teaching and Research Center in Caldwell suppressed a 1994 study on bighorn sheep deaths. From The Associated Press [...]
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  Posted: July 08, 2009, 8:39pm EDT
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• Survey: Idaho still has worst disclosure laws in U.S.

  Idaho recently ranked worst in the nation for public disclosure laws of its elected state officials just months after the House Speaker killed a measure that would've likely elevated its ranking. From the Twin Falls Times News' [...]
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  Posted: July 08, 2009, 8:36pm EDT
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• Watchdog group: City slow to provide financial documents

  NAMPA — An open-government watchdog says Nampa officials are dragging their feet in response to his request for financial records that give employees' salaries. But city leaders said they were reluctant to release employee names, which some workers feared could be used to target them for identity theft and other crimes. From' [...]
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  Posted: July 08, 2009, 8:30pm EDT
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• Deleted e-mails cause public records issue

  Idaho law does not restrict government officials from deleting e-mails they received concerning public business, even though those e-mails can be considered public record. From the Moscow-Pullman Daily News [...]
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  Posted: July 01, 2009, 8:55pm EDT
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• Open Meeting Law changes take effect July 1

  Important changes to the Idaho Open Meeting Law take effect today, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said. Wasden led a coalition of local governments, journalists and open government advocates in presenting changes to the 2009 Legislature. The proposals were adopted by the Idaho House of Representatives and the Idaho Senate and [...]
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  Posted: July 01, 2009, 8:52pm EDT
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• Study: Idaho car, pickup owners overpay share of fees

  As Idaho prepares to consider raising car or truck fees to address a huge shortfall in road funding, a 2007 state study that showed car and pickup owners pay more than their share and subsidize heavy trucks has languished. A copy of the study, obtained Monday by The Spokesman-Review under the [...]
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  Posted: June 22, 2009, 9:00pm EDT
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• Wayne Hoffman: When seeking transparency is like pulling teeth

  Owyhee County has spent more than $162,000 on something so obviously wonderful, it just has to be kept secret from taxpayers. So the county took a black marker and diligently crossed out 56 entries on a 240-page check register provided to the Idaho Freedom Foundation. County Prosecutor Douglas Emery decided [...]
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  Posted: June 07, 2009, 6:55pm EDT
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• Preston seminar draws top reviews

  PRESTON, Idaho - “I learned to be a better custodian of public records,” said one state employee who attended the IDOG open meetings and public records seminar in Preston, Idaho on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2008. “Great job,” wrote a city clerk, who noted in her evaluation of the session that she [...]
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  Posted: June 05, 2009, 1:47am EDT
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• More than 100 attend Twin Falls seminar

  More than 100 attend Twin Falls seminar TWIN FALLS, Idaho - There were county commissioners, newspaper reporters, interested citizens, school district employees, deputy assessors, library workers, a court administrator, city clerks, and planning and zoning commissioners. There were TV reporters, mayors, cemetery district employees, state legislators, highway district clerks and lots [...]
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  Posted: June 05, 2009, 1:45am EDT
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• UI cuts big check for ‘Chief Inspiration Officer’

  Magaly Rodriguez lives in Minnesota and occasionally travels to the University of Idaho to serve as an independent consultant and "Chief Inspiration Officer." The UI pays her $12,500 a month for her services, according to public records obtained by the Daily News. Rodriguez is held on retainer by the UI, on a [...]
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  Posted: May 30, 2009, 2:03am EDT
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• Health and Welfare told to stop posting inspection reports

  Among its other tasks, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare inspects the state's nursing homes, hospitals and other entities on behalf of the federal government. Since 2006, Health and Welfare has posted its inspection reports on its Web site for public review. But those postings have stopped after the federal [...]
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  Posted: May 27, 2009, 10:04pm EDT
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• Trespassing GOP official gets a light sentence

  The Republican Party's libertarian wing is criticizing the conviction of a Mountain Home GOP official who defied a police order to stay away from Idaho Gov. Butch Otter's office. "Idahoans for Liberty," a group including organizers of recent Tea Party events and backers of Texas Rep. Ron Paul, marched from the [...]
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  Posted: May 13, 2009, 11:09pm EDT
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• Times-News takes legal steps to unseal Jerome murder case

  The Times-News has challenged the closure of hearings and the sealing of documents in the murder case against Fortino Leon of Jerome. From the Times-News [...]
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  Posted: May 05, 2009, 11:07pm EDT
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• Judge seals documents in refugee murder case

  Public documents were sealed from community sight this week in the murder case against Iranian refugee Majid Kolestani. Kolestani, 43 - a man who identifies as a woman and also goes by the first name Nastaran - is accused of shooting 29-year-old Iranian refugee Ehsan Velayati Kababian to death in his [...]
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  Posted: April 28, 2009, 11:05pm EDT
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• Judge: Hearing closed to protect defendant’s rights

  Fifth District Court Judge Jason Walker said Friday that he closed a status hearing on the commitment of an accused murderer "to preserve the defendant's right to a fair trial," even though prior proceedings related to the man's mental competency have been held in open court during the 9-month-old criminal [...]
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  Posted: April 22, 2009, 11:03pm EDT
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• Judge shuts public out of murder case hearing

  JEROME - Fifth District Court Judge Jason Walker Thursday shut the public out of a criminal hearing in a first-degree murder case without saying if 73-year-old Fortino Leon is mentally fit to stand trial or why he was sealing the case. From the Times-News [...]
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  Posted: April 18, 2009, 11:00pm EDT
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• Attorney wants reporter’s notes

  An attorney for the former director of the Idaho Falls-based Family Care Center believes notes from a Post Register reporter could help his client's case. From the Idaho Falls Post Register [...]
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  Posted: April 15, 2009, 10:10pm EDT
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• Governor signs open meeting law reforms

  Idaho Gov. Butch Otter has signed into law legislation revamping and strengthening Idaho’s Open Meeting Law. The bill, SB 1142, sponsored by Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, passed the Senate unanimously and the House on a 59-10 vote. It was endorsed by an array of media, civic and local government groups, [...]
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  Posted: April 14, 2009, 10:19pm EDT
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• Open-meeting bill awaits Otter’s signature

  BOISE - A bill that would put teeth in Idaho's Open Meeting Law is on its way for Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's signature, despite opposition Wednesday from a handful of House members. From the Twin Falls Times-News [...]
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  Posted: April 03, 2009, 8:19pm EDT
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• Prosecutors should justify blanket disqualification of judge

  Blaine County Prosecutor Jim Thomas and Twin Falls County Prosecutor Grant Loebs owe the public an explanation as to why they are automatically disqualifying Fifth District Judge Robert Elgee from hearing any and all felony criminal cases that originate in their counties. Editorial from the Idaho Mountain Express [...]
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  Posted: April 03, 2009, 8:16pm EDT
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• Idaho House passes open meetings law

  Idaho's open meetings law just got a little tougher under Senate Bill 1142, which passed the House on a 59-10 vote on Wednesday and now goes to Gov. Butch Otter. Under the bill, boards, councils and commissions could face fines of $50 if they make a simple mistake and close a [...]
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  Posted: April 02, 2009, 2:28am EDT
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• House Democrats bar the door to meeting

  A Statesman reporter was denied entry to the brief closed caucus held Tuesday, but Caucus Chairman Bill Killen later apologized and said the party's open-door policy has not changed. From the Idaho Statesman [...]
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  Posted: April 01, 2009, 2:24am EDT
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• Open-meeting laws could become clearer

  Idaho's open-meeting law would be revised for the first time in 17 years, under a measure backed by Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden and media groups. Supporters said the bill will make the 35-year-old law clearer for public officials to understand while strengthening the safeguards [...]
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  Posted: March 24, 2009, 11:44pm EDT
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• Senate passes open meeting law changes

  BOISE, Idaho (AP) - The Idaho Senate has passed a bill to toughen the state's open meeting laws. Boise Republican Sen. Kurt McKenzie said Thursday the bill will be easier to understand and will have punishments that can be enforced. The bill, SB 1142, was approved unanimously. It now goes [...]
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  Posted: March 21, 2009, 10:16pm EDT
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• ‘Sunshine’ forecast: Very good in Idaho

  This is Sunshine Week across America. It began in 2002 as an effort by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors to draw attention to state legislators' attempts to create exemptions to Florida's public records law. It's really great to see local government providing so much easily accessible light on records these' [...]
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  Posted: March 19, 2009, 11:57pm EDT
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• Some good open government news

  Earlier this week, I wrote about Idaho's lackluster efforts in making public records available online. I researched the issue on behalf of Sunshine Week, a national organization that spotlights the value of public access to government records. Idaho wound up tied for No. 40 in a national ranking of online [...]
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  Posted: March 19, 2009, 11:55pm EDT
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• Idaho lags near bottom in online records access

  We’re No. 40. When it comes to online access to public records, we could do better. Editorial from the Idaho Statesman [...]
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  Posted: March 16, 2009, 8:45am EDT
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• Shine Light on Openness in Government

  On his first day in office, President Barack Obama directed his Administration to develop recommendations for an "Open Government Directive" that moves government towards being "transparent," "participatory" and "collaborative." [...]
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  Posted: March 06, 2009, 7:57pm EST
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• Confused computers

  In 2006, Idaho legislators caught the state's public records law up with the Internet, inserting that "a request for a public record - may be conducted by electronic mail." But the optional language, while giving public agencies the control they need over requests, has resulted in a patchwork of records policies [...]
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  Posted: February 26, 2009, 1:07am EST
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• Nuke plant slander suit dismissed

  A slander suit over comments on a proposed nuclear power plant in Elmore County seems to be over, with both sides declaring victory. From the Twin Falls Times-News [...]
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  Posted: January 27, 2009, 8:06pm EST
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• Public records show Gov. Otter may be ready to back local option law

  A passage that Gov. Butch Otter cut from his State of the State address two weeks ago suggested that he may be more flexible about permitting voter-approved local sales taxes than he was last year. From the Idaho Statesman [...]
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  Posted: January 27, 2009, 8:01pm EST
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• Washington, Idaho rank far apart on openness

  A new national survey ranks Washington fourth in the nation for governmental integrity, openness and accountability – and Idaho 44th. From The Spokesman-Review [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2008, 9:37pm EST
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• IDOG bucks World Series

  Draws 100+ in Idaho Falls By Dean Miller IDAHO FALLS – Reporters and public officials pored over Idaho's open meetings and open records law together at an Oct. 27 workshop even as the World Series was under way. [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2008, 11:08pm EST
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• Pocatello Seminar

  POCATELLO – A code of ethics is just words on a page, until you act on it. KPVI, Channel 6 walked the talk last week. Anchor/News Director Brenda Baumgartner and a half-dozen staffers spent the night of Oct. 14th at Highland High School putting on a series of skits that are [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2008, 9:39pm EDT
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• Nothing to see here, move along, move along…

  A dead body lay on the steps of the church adjacent to Temple View Elementary School in Idaho Falls Friday morning. It was in plain view of kids who were walking to school and being dropped off behind the church. Principal Natalie Peters saw fit to send out a [...]
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  Posted: October 13, 2008, 7:27pm EDT
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• ‘Top 10 Tips’ for Idaho judges

  At the recent 2008 Idaho Judicial Conference, more than 100 Idaho judges from around the state participated in a session on media/court issues, ranging from cameras in the courtroom to access to court records to handling high-visibility cases. [...]
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  Posted: October 13, 2008, 7:12pm EDT
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• Ketchum works to furnish records request

  The city of Ketchum agreed Monday evening to work with Idaho Mountain Express staff to furnish a records request made by the newspaper on Aug. 6. It was unclear, however, whether or to what extent the city would waive the $1,000 fee it proposed to charge for the labor involved [...]
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  Posted: September 24, 2008, 11:05pm EDT
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• Public access to evidence a constitutional right

  BOISE -- NewsChannel 7 talked to a well-known local attorney about the public's access to a trial or hearing like Joseph Duncan’s despite the victim's request that they not be allowed. Steve Groene did not hide the fact that he didn't want the public to see a graphic videotape of his [...]
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  Posted: August 21, 2008, 8:28am EDT
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• Appeals court rejects move to keep courtroom open

  The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected an appeal from The Spokesman-Review of a federal judge’s decision to close the courtroom for key testimony in Joseph Duncan’s federal sentencing trial. From the Spokesman-Review [...]
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  Posted: August 13, 2008, 8:40pm EDT
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• Courtroom closure appealed

  BOISE – The Spokesman-Review has submitted notices to the parties in the Joseph Duncan case saying it will file an appeal (8/7/08) today with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals opposing closure of the courtroom for any proceedings in Duncan's death penalty sentencing trial. From the Spokesman-Review [...]
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  Posted: August 08, 2008, 9:59pm EDT
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• Our View: Kempthorne shares blame with state law

  Dirk Kempthorne is lurching toward releasing papers from his seven-year tenure as governor - a mere 27 months after leaving office. No one can accuse the governor-turned-interior secretary of rushing into this one. Editorial from the Idaho Statesman [...]
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  Posted: August 06, 2008, 9:53pm EDT
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• AG: Cassia Co. commissioners did not violate law

  Members of the Cassia County Board of Commissioners sometimes eat lunch together, sometimes bump into each other around town, sometimes discuss personal opinions privately. But according to a report issued by Attorney General Lawrence Wasden's office Wednesday, they have not violated the Idaho Open Meetings Act. From the Twin Falls Times-News [...]
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  Posted: August 01, 2008, 9:49pm EDT
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• Media argue for open court

  BOISE - Attorneys for The Spokesman-Review and an array of news media organizations in Idaho and eastern Washington filed arguments in federal court today in favor of keeping court proceedings in the Joseph Duncan case open. From the Spokesman-Review [...]
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  Posted: August 01, 2008, 6:11pm EDT
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• Defense wants open court for video

  BOISE – Attorneys for Joseph Duncan argued Friday that the courtroom should remain open when prosecutors play graphic videotape evidence during his sentencing hearing, but that it should be closed if Shasta Groene testifies. From the Spokesman-Review [...]
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  Posted: July 26, 2008, 9:53pm EDT
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• Duncan lawyers: Secrecy in court case has gone too far

  Attorneys for admitted multiple murderer and child molester Joseph Duncan now say there’s been too much secrecy in the killer’s death sentence proceedings, and they’re objecting to a planned closed court hearing on Thursday. From the Spokesman-Review [...]
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  Posted: July 17, 2008, 11:08pm EDT
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• Wasden, other a.g.’s stand up for reporters

  Forty-one attorneys general — including Idaho's own Lawrence Wasden — support a federal shield law for journalists. And on Monday, they wrote a letter to key senators, urging them to get moving on a shield law. As the a.g.'s point out, shield laws that allow reporters to protect the anonymity of unnamed [...]
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  Posted: June 26, 2008, 11:08pm EDT
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• Purported news outfit closes door to reporters

  Television station KTVB in Boise calls itself "Idaho's news channel," but it acts like anything but a news organization. Editorial from the Lewiston Morning Tribune [...]
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  Posted: May 20, 2008, 4:55pm EDT
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• If these papers could talk, what would they say about Idaho?

  Recent talks between officials with former Gov. Dirk Kempthorne and the Idaho State Historical Society finally could open Kempthorne's gubernatorial records, which he has controlled since leaving office two years ago. From the Idaho Statesman [...]
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  Posted: May 13, 2008, 9:27pm EDT
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• Man’s battle with Ada County leads to an award

  Curtis Massood wasn't looking for a fight when he asked Ada County for permission to build a billboard adjacent to a small coffee shop at 1035 E. Fairview Ave. But he got one. From the Idaho Statesman [...]
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  Posted: May 13, 2008, 12:56am EDT
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• ‘Open Idaho’ wins 1st Amendment Award

  BOISE – The "Open Idaho" project is the winner of the 1st Amendment Award from the Idaho Press Club, announced on Saturday at the club’s annual awards banquet in Boise. [...]
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  Posted: May 07, 2008, 7:09pm EDT
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• Kempthorne holds on to his records

  Two years ago, the Idaho Attorney General's office told Dirk Kempthorne to give his gubernatorial records to the Idaho State Historical Society - like every governor before him. Kempthorne never complied. From the Idaho Statesman [...]
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  Posted: May 06, 2008, 7:06pm EDT
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• Results of Duncan’s tests should be open, group argues

  The public should be able to know results of the psychological exam that will help decide whether admitted murderer Joseph Duncan is competent to act as his own attorney in his sentencing hearing, lawyers for Idaho and Washington news organizations said Friday. Click here to read the brief. From the [...]
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  Posted: May 06, 2008, 10:53pm EDT
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• Federal prosecutor wants Duncan proceedings closed

  The U.S. Attorney for Idaho says the courtroom should be closed to the public during any testimony from Shasta Groene at the death penalty proceedings for confessed killer Joseph Duncan. From the Spokesman-Review [...]
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  Posted: May 01, 2008, 10:59pm EDT
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• Wasden focuses on open meeting law

  Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said the Legislature needs to act during its next session to address ambiguities in the state's open meeting law that can make enforcement difficult. From the Lewiston Tribune [...]
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  Posted: April 23, 2008, 11:13pm EDT
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• State probes Cassia County on Jackson decision

  The Idaho Attorney General's office is investigating claims Cassia County commissioners in November 2006 broke state laws governing public meetings when they voted to change address coordinates in the Jackson area to fit Cassia County's grid. From the Times-News [...]
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  Posted: April 23, 2008, 10:06pm EDT
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• Open death penalty proceedings urged

  The public should be able to "observe all matters" considered by a U.S. District Court jury that will decide if confessed killer Joseph Duncan should face the federal death penalty, 16 media and open-government organizations argued in a legal brief filed on Tuesday. Organizations participating in the filing include: The Spokesman-Review, [...]
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  Posted: April 17, 2008, 10:25pm EDT
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• Our View: Make your right to know an issue for candidates

  Looking for a landslide winner in a divisive political year? We nominate openness in government. A new nationwide survey, conducted by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University, demonstrates an overwhelming interest in open government... From the Idaho Statesman [...]
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  Posted: March 17, 2008, 10:12pm EDT
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• Sunshine Week

  Sunshine Week is a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. It's our annual confab about open government in all its forms. The Southwest Chapter of Idaho Press Club is sponsoring two [...]
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  Posted: March 15, 2008, 12:03pm EDT
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• State proposes public ‘digital repository’

  Under the "digital repository" system, one electronic copy of every state publication would go to the state Commission for Libraries, which would preserve it in the new digital repository. If the publication is available in print, agencies would send two print copies – one to the Idaho Historical Society and [...]
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  Posted: February 24, 2008, 7:35pm EST
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• ID attorney general says state Ed Board may have broken law

  BOISE, Idaho (AP) _ The Idaho attorney general says members of the state Board of Education may have violated the state open meeting law when they briefly discussed the possible cancellation of a test behind closed doors during a December meeting in Pocatello. From the Associated Press [...]
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  Posted: February 22, 2008, 7:09pm EST
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• Idahoans for Open Government Project Distributes DVDs About Open Records and Open Meeting Laws

  Nearly 500 DVDs are being distributed statewide this week by the Open Idaho project of Idahoans for Openness in Government (IDOG) to Idaho city and county officials, media and school districts. From Idaho Public Television [...]
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  Posted: January 16, 2008, 11:29pm EST
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• Woman wants neighborhood groups to make decisions in public

  June Sparks says better communication equals less conflict and harmonious neighborhoods. So Sparks, who lived through a bitter dispute over landscaping in her own Foothills subdivision, is pushing for the state to require open meetings between homeowners associations and residents. From the Idaho Statesman [...]
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  Posted: December 18, 2007, 8:39pm EST
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• Newspaper files open-meeting complaint after ID Ed Board session

  The Idaho State Board of Education held a four-hour closed meeting last week to discuss eliminating a statewide ninth-grade test due to a cash crisis, despite a state law requiring most of its sessions be open to the public. The Spokesman-Review newspaper, which first reported details of the executive session, on [...]
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  Posted: December 13, 2007, 9:06pm EST
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• Idaho drops test, but process questioned

  Idaho ninth-graders won't take the state's standardized tests this spring because of a budget shortfall, the state Board of Education announced this week. However, the board hasn't taken a vote to make that change, and discussed the matter during a closed session at its Pocatello board meeting last Thursday in apparent [...]
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  Posted: December 13, 2007, 8:36pm EST
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• IDOG seminar trains highway district clerks

  About 80 clerks from highway districts around the state participated in an IDOG seminar on open records on Nov. 14, 2007, at the Doubletree Hotel Riverside in Boise. The seminar was conducted by Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, Deputy Attorney General [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2007, 4:58pm EST
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• Sali hurt public’s right to know

  Today we catch up, belatedly, on another unusual "no" vote from 1st District Rep. Bill Sali. Sali was among just 21 House members to vote no on HR 2102, a federal "shield law" governing journalists' ability to protect the anonymity of unnamed sources. From the Idaho Statesman [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2007, 4:30pm EST
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• Meeting record erasure alleged

  Coeur d'Alene police are investigating whether a Kootenai County senior planner broke the law by ordering the destruction of a recording of a public meeting. After the Sept. 24 Planning Commission workshop adjourned, some members allegedly criticized the Kootenai County Commission and county Planning Director Scott Clark. The planners realized that [...]
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  Posted: October 21, 2007, 5:38pm EDT
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• No Deal in Sight: Melaleuca and former employee can’t agree on what should be public record in civil case

  The argument about what the public should know about a civil case between Melaleuca Inc. and its former vice president of marketing remains unresolved. From the Post Register [...]
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  Posted: September 27, 2007, 8:56pm EDT
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• Idaho AG won’t require Ada commissioners to pay fine

  The state has put an end to the ongoing lawsuit over a closed-door meeting more than two years ago between the Ada County commissioners and a Boise city councilman. From the Idaho Statesman [...]
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  Posted: September 01, 2007, 11:43pm EDT
  by Administrator

• Health care talks without docs, and without you

  Holding invitation-only talks on health care policy without inviting someone representing physicians, as Idaho Gov. Butch Otter is doing, is screwy. It's like holding talks on education policy without inviting someone representing teachers. From the Lewiston Tribune [...]
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  Posted: August 21, 2007, 11:02am EDT
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• Records show prison problems led to suicide

  After months alone in his cell, Scot Noble Payne finished 20 pages of letters, describing to loved ones the decrepit conditions of the prison where he was serving time for molesting a child. Then Payne used a razor blade to slice two 3-inch gashes in his throat. Guards found his body [...]
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  Posted: July 09, 2007, 9:40pm EDT
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• School data requests spark ‘Passing’ report

  The Times-News initially requested copies of district policies regarding student retention and absences from 20 school districts in the Magic Valley. All complied. The newspaper followed up by sending to six districts - chosen to represent size and demographic diversity - written requests for information such as class grades, Idaho Standards [...]
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  Posted: July 09, 2007, 10:00pm EDT
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• Officials upbraided for costly litigation

  The Idaho Supreme Court on Friday scolded Ada County commissioners for their protracted litigation over an open meeting violation, but ruled partly in their favor and partly against them. From The Spokesman-Review [...]
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  Posted: May 30, 2007, 10:14pm EDT
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• Taxpayers deserve to know why Cabela’s gets a breaklight

  Unfortunately, not all of last week's public records news was good. On Thursday, District Judge Michael McLaughlin said the State Tax Commission does not have to release records justifying a tax break granted to Cabela's. Editorial from the Idaho Statesman [...]
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  Posted: May 14, 2007, 9:46pm EDT
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• Judges stand up for open records

  To: Public Employees-All. From: The Idaho Statesman editorial board. Date: May 8, 2007. Re: BTW ... ... if you're a public employee using a public e-mail account on taxpayer time, you have generated a public record. Editorial from the Idaho Statesman [...]
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  Posted: May 14, 2007, 9:43pm EDT
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• E-mails ruled public records

  The Idaho Supreme Court ruled unanimously Friday that more than 1,000 e-mails exchanged between Kootenai County Prosecutor Bill Douglas and a woman administering a federally funded juvenile court drug program are public records, not exempt from disclosure. From the Spokesman-Review [...]
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  Posted: May 06, 2007, 11:20pm EDT
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• Court denies Statesman’s bid for Cabela’s documents

  Newspaper plans to appeal decision; judge says state law clearly exempts tax information from disclosure. From the Idaho Statesman [...]
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  Posted: May 06, 2007, 11:13pm EDT
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• Lawyers to edit Melaleuca case

  The Post Register is trying to prevent a closed courtroom in Melaleuca's suit against a former vice president of marketing. From the Post Register [...]
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  Posted: April 19, 2007, 10:12pm EDT
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• $15M question may be decided in closed meetings

  Bad ideas surface at the end of any legislative session. Some zip through both houses during the rush to adjournment. Editorial from the Idaho Statesman [...]
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  Posted: April 18, 2007, 10:52pm EDT
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• Idaho’s own corporate cover-up

  Smoothies at the Idaho State Tax Commission seem to regard the public as undeserving rubes who just fell off the turnip truck. Why else the full-fledged commission cover-up to conceal paperwork involved in handing out a major tax break to a Wall Street corporation? Editorial from the Idaho Mountain Express [...]
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  Posted: April 17, 2007, 10:36pm EDT
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• Court case should reveal new tenets of record law

  Observe carefully how the Idaho Supreme Court decides a case involving improper e-mail messages between two public employees. Pay even closer attention to how the court rules on a financial settlement related to the same matter. From the Times-News [...]
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  Posted: April 17, 2007, 10:22pm EDT
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• Otter’s water summit should be open to all

  No public resource is more important to Idaho than water. It's unacceptable, then, for Gov. Butch Otter to plan nearly half a day of closed meetings at his water summit next week. Editorial from the Idaho Statesman [...]
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  Posted: April 11, 2007, 7:24pm EDT
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