If today's newsletter were paper...

VCOG All Access News, 11/18/25: rebuilding Louisa; this is BS; construction dashboard #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 11/17/25: advance justification for closed meeting; cannabis secrecy; Peace Corps #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

There is no newsletter today, but here's a piece about the Michigan House voting to prohibit public bodies from releasing a slew of personal info, including addresses/employment info, about them or their family members. www.mlive.com/politics/202...

VCOG All Access News, 11/13/25: hiring without warning; cloudy data centers; Flock data is public in Washington #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 11/12/25: AI registry; no phone backrup; metal detectors; prayers; no going to do it #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 11/11/25: hiring package; student journalists; screen capture v. archiving; not an afterthought #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

There is no newsletter today. Instead, here's an interesting read on how localities differ in measuring emergency response times, making apples-to-apples data comparisons difficult. www.governing.com/management-a...

VCOG All Access News, 11/7/25: nominations are open! censure; First Amendment issues?; property sale #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 11/6/25: employee accountability through audits, camera footage; missing materials #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

There's no newsletter today because, well, you know...#elections

VCOG daily access news, 11/4/25: behind the scenes friction; the cost of legal services; ICE flights #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

Sunshine Report for November 2025: athlete payments; meeting materials; online FOIA library; near-total redactions #FOIA opengovva.org/sunshine-rep...

VCOG All Access News, 11/3/25: DOC data; just VPAP it; following Eptstein's money opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 10/30/25: shouting match; preserving history; misuse of public funds opengovva.org/transparency...

Remember "Ghostbusters?" "Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!" This school board member wants to ban kids from wearing ears or tails in school. And sports uniforms? Two colors only! Don't hand me a gray one!

VCOG All Access News, 10/29/25: COA on dog bites; getting materials to the public; registries #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 10/28/25: public records confirm/deny; statistics; FBI requests #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

Sometimes when government officials/employees complain about a provision in FOIA and how FOIA needs to be changed, what they're really complaining about the fact that their systems aren't set up to follow those provisions.

VCOG All Access News, 10/23/25: about fees or #FOIA; pepper spray video; embezzlement; email access; 2:30 a.m. opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 10/22/25: dueling libraries; where'd the money go; dangerous precedent #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

Another unpublished opinion from the Court of Appeals on defamation. The court said an individual's comments that the then-chair of the Prince William County school board was a sexual predator/harasser were "non-actionable expressions of opinion." www.vacourts.gov/static/opini...

VCOG All Access News, 10/21/25: defamation ruling; censure; divorce intervention; $42K fees; don't share pix #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 10/20/25: he said/she said; a right to support/oppose; body cams tell the story #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 10/17/25: courts on immunity and Flock data; supervisor's #FOIA primer; question, not a request opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 10/16/25: retreat backlash; video manipulation?; first responder database #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 10/15/25: hidden grant info; firings, resignations & threats; refusal to sign #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 10/14/25: quorum, meeting, action; argument censure; Pentagon pledge #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 10/13/25: #FOIA Library part II; nonprofit review; asbestos; transparency & the shutdown opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 10/10/25: p-card indictment; raised temperature; #FOIA, comedy and bluegrass opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 10/9/25: pepper spray records; no pursuit of funds; utility dashboard; disbanded #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 10/8/25: #FOIA event; subpoenas; whistleblower comments; 6.5/6.5 pages redacted opengovva.org/transparency...

Hey, that's me!

VCOG All Access News, 10/7/25: athletes are paid, but how much?; 2/3 majority?; AI in fed #FOIA; local journalism opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 10/6/25: uncollected taxes; budget presentation; video pilot; damage assessment #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 10/3/25: #FOIA Friday; meeting exit; report to be posted opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 10/2/25: campaign finance; higher ed here & further south #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 10/1/25: delayed invoices; forensic audit; 9/11 enviromental health risks; water consumption #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

"Sometimes officials are nervous about including money in the budget expressly for legal settlements, fearing this will invite fraudulent claims." Same reason they frequently balk at revealing how much they paid to settle. www.governing.com/magazine/mas...

VCOG All Access News, 9/30/25: amount, but still no details; knew all along; quake resistant? #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 9/29/25: already public; surprise plan/meeting; perils of repair #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

The records are already public. Proposal would transform individual requests into a shared resource of accountability meganrhynevcog.substack.com/p/the-record...

VCOG All Access News, 9/26/25: sued over town halls; trial delayed; budget transparency measures #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 9/25/25: secret meeting; #FOIA library & liability?; lost phone; minutes melee opengovva.org/transparency...

👇👇👇

VCOG All Access News, 9/24/25: minutes formatting?; budget projections; one year and counting #FOIA opengovva.org/transparency...

Stripping down to a bikini at a school board meeting is certainly an unconventional way to make your point, but we disagree that qualifies as a "disruption" under the Brown Act. 👙 www.sacbee.com/news/local/e...

I am writing up some new VFOIA FAQs for our website. These are mostly for newbies, but I'm not opposed to including some more advanced questions. What would you include?

VCOG All Access News, 9/23/25: #FOIA Council recap; no criticism; going after Ryan records; ICE/CBP opengovva.org/transparency...

VCOG All Access News, 9/22/25: #FOIA Council meeting links; Pentagon publishing promise; FEMA threats opengovva.org/transparency...