NC Open Government

From the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication: In late May, President Barack Obama took the podium in front of the White House press corps in his first full, open-ended news conference in 10 months, a gap that exceeds the record set by his predecessor.

From the Fayetteville Observer (6/5/10): Robeson County Attorney Hal Kinlaw said he didn't mean to let the Board of Commissioners begin its budget forum two weeks ago by gathering in an illegal, closed-door meeting.

From Carolina Weekly (6/4/10): Most folks believe in the idea of open government. I believe the buzz word these days is "transparency."

From the Lexington Dispatch (5/26/10): Public records laws guarantee citizens the rights to certain government documents. From time to time, individuals or organizations will test the accessibility to those documents, and far too often they find roadblocks erected by government employees.

From the Raleigh News and Observer (5/14/10): A Superior Court judge rejected today arguments that the Wake County school board violated the state's Open Public Meetings Law by not moving recent meetings to accommodate large crowds opposed to changing the diversity policy.

From the Burlington Times-News (5/21/10): A local bill submitted to the General Assembly wasn't meant to make real-estate deals secret or skirt public records laws -- and it mimics a rule already in effect in another North Carolina city -- Burlington leaders said this week.

From the Burlington Times-News (5/19/10): Questions as to whether a local bill now before the General Assembly would allow the city of Burlington to make secret real estate deals and circumvent required public notices about those deals has prompted a meeting between Alamance County's state delegates, a First Amendment attorney and city leaders.

From the Cary News (5/23/10): Fervor over the Wake County school board - and whether its members violated the state's Open Meetings Law by not moving recent meetings to accommodate large crowds - have spread to Morrisville.

From the Fayetteville Observer (5/23/10): The students in Ed Johnson and Dan Maynard's research class at Campbell University have done the people of North Carolina a favor.

From the Raleigh News and Observer (5/21/10): A top state public information officer says that he was directed by close staff of former Gov. Mike Easley to shred a letter that had been sent in 2007 to Easley from the mayor of Southport.