stAR MAnager Monthly - Greater Cincinnati ARMA Monthly Newsletter
ARMA International Newswire
ARMA International Newswire alerts you to the most significant information-related topics in the news and provides expert analyses that put them in context for you as an information professional.
Local and Regional News
The links to stories provided here were active at the time of publication. News links tend to expire quickly due to Associated Press regulations. Apologies for any dead links.
City legal opts out of handling records requests for prosecutor's office
Indystar.com, May 14, 2010
The city of Indianapolis' law office delivered a surprise to Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi this week: A letter dated Tuesday communicates the Office of Corporation Counsel's refusal to handle public records requests for Brizzi's office any longer because of an undisclosed conflict of interest that is "unavoidable and concurrent."
Ohio lawmakers spent nearly $2M on mailings
Zanesville Times Recorder, May 15, 2010
U.S. House members from Ohio spent close to $2 million in 2009 on taxpayer-funded mass mailings, phone calls and electronic messaging to trumpet their records to constituents, alert them to town hall meetings and seek feedback, a review of House documents shows.
Lancaster City Schools recognized for records
Lancaster Edge Gazette, May 20, 2010
Lancaster City Schools, for the third consecutive year, was recognized by the State Auditor's Office for keeping some of the best financial records in the state.
Judge rules Kentucky New Era entitled to records
Times Leader Online (Princeton and Caldwell County KY), May 23, 2010
A Christian Circuit Court judge has ruled the Kentucky New Era was within its right as a news organization to inspect hundreds of reports relating to threats reported last year to the city’s police department.
Public Safety Attorney Disciplined For Alleged Plot To Leak Documents
10TV.com (Columbus), May 24, 2010
The top attorney for the Ohio Department of Public Safety was demoted and suspended on Monday, after a being accused of plotting to discredit the state's Inspector General. Josh Engel was accused of planning to leak classified documents, 10TV News reported.
See also Department of Public Safety's top lawyer demoted, Columbus Dispatch, May 24, 2010
Gag Order Issued On Detective’s Records
KyPost.com, May 26, 2010
The lead detective in the Widmer case, Hamilton Township Lieutenant Jeff Braley, is disputing information in his personnel file.
Missing records on stolen laptop from Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Cincinnati.com, May 28, 2010
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is beefing up its computer security after a laptop computer containing more than 61,000 patient records was stolen.
Anderson Twp. may publish records requesters' names
Cincinnati.com, May 28, 2010
Anderson Township Trustee Russ Jackson has proposed publishing the names of anyone requesting public records on the township's website.
Nortonville [KY] denies open records request
WFIE.com, May 31, 2010
The city council of Nortonville and city attorney John Whitfield have decided to turn down an open records request made by the Hopkins County attorney.
Taylor Releases Audits of Related Cincinnati Charter Schools
Ohio Auditor, June 1, 2010
The related schools, which operated under the same sponsor, had a combined total of $196,579 in findings for recovery due to inaccurate student reporting to the Ohio Department of Education, an improper sublease agreement and inappropriate service payments.
Insurers wooed in records switch
The Columbus Dispatch, June 7, 2010
Ohio officials want insurance companies to help get nearly 7,000 primary-care doctors to switch to electronic medical records by early 2012.
Kentucky's Transparency Website Receives Accolades
WBKO, June 8, 2010
Bowling Green-Warren County Human Rights Commission Executive Director, Linda McCray is a fan of the state's transparency website. Among the things it provides her office is a chance to look at information regarding open state records.
Judge tosses out higher fee for driving records
The Columbus Dispatch, June 9, 2010
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Richard A. Frye said lawmakers violated the state constitution when they increased the cost of certified abstracts of driving records to $5 from $2.
Disclosure law doesn’t cover misplaced documents
Oxford Press, June 13, 2010
If a government misplaces a pile of documents containing confidential information in a Dumpster, they don’t have to tell anyone. If they lose a password protected laptop computer, state law requires public disclosure within 45 days. That is why Butler County wasn’t required to tell the 10,600 people potentially affected by a security breach in 2008 that their records may have been tossed in a public trash bin — where at least one member of the public saw it — according to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
County improperly disposed of documents, told no one
Oxford Press, June 13, 2010
When a mound of Middletown city documents containing people’s private information was found in a public Dumpster this spring, it wasn’t the first — or largest — such security breach by a local government.
Legislation
Zanesville v. Rouse, Slip Opinion No. 2010-Ohio-2218
In this case the Supreme Court of Ohio declared "a party “files” by depositing a document with the clerk of court, and then the clerk’s duty is to certify the act of filing. In short, the time or date stamp does not cause the filing, the filing causes the certification."
See the decision at http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0/2010/2010-ohio-2218.pdf
See also Ohio Supreme Court rules in favor of city in file-stamp case, Zanesville Times Recorder, May 27, 2010
State ex rel. Hubbard v. Fuerst, 2010-Ohio-2489
In this public records case the Court of Appeals of Ohio, Eighth Appellate District, County of Cuyahoga, denied a writ of mandamus ordering the Clerk of Court of Cuyahoga County to turn over jury verdict forms in a common pleas case. The basis of the denial was that the records were not in the possession or control of the Clerk's office and therefore they were not compelled to produce them.
See the decision at http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/8/2010/2010-ohio-2489.pdf