ECWd - We have conducted a few minutes worth of research on what consequences other units of government face after they violated the Open Meetings Act. Here is some of what we found: -City Council and Mayor indicted on felony official misconduct charges for violating the Open Meetings...
ARCOLA, IL. (ECWd) - This is an update on this request for review (here) (2013 PAC 25511) and I believe it is the only remaining FOIA request for review with Arcola Township left with the Attorney General's Public Access Counselor. I have closed the other ones...
ORLAND PARK, IL. (ECWd) - We live in Illinois, so we're accustomed to all sorts of schemes, stunts, and shenanigans. If you've been following the saga of the Orland Park Public Library Child Porn Scandal then you've seen eight months' of high drama and unbelievable intrigue...
GRUNDY CO. (ECWd) - County Health Departments appear to have given rise to an epidemic from within. We reported on the Edgar County Health Department's now convicted felon Chandra Smith who used the same tactics deployed in Grundy County, and we reported the Effingham County Heath...
SPRINGFIELD, IL. (ECWd) - Before entering the office of Illinois Attorney General, Lisa Madigan swore an oath that among other things, "...
SPRINGFIELD, IL. (ECWd) - The Illinois Attorney General's Public Access Counselor's office is supposed to be issuing opinions and assisting in the interpretation of the Illinois Freedom Of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act. While they do assist a good number of citizens every year,...
SPRINGFIELD, IL. (ECWd) - House Bill 3796 was an amendment to the Freedom Of Information Act, which makes a whole new category of FOIA requestors. This bill does not affect us or other non-profit, news media, etc, organizations but it does effect the average citizen that...
IL. SUPREME COURT (ECWd) - In an opinion filed on May 22, 2014, the Illinois Supreme Court decided the case of Nelson v. Kendall County. This determination came as we expected it would: That State's Attorneys are "public bodies" and are subject to the Freedom Of...
SPRINGFIELD, IL. (ECWd) - With a motion filed to limit Governor Quinn and his successors from what is known as "clout" hiring, is anyone really surprised that it goes on at all? Seriously, is anyone surprised that the Governor has been accused of political hiring to...
ARCOLA, IL. (ECWd) - Will they ever learn? That is the million dollar question. On April 12, 2014, I submitted a Freedom Of Information Act request to the Township of Arcola requesting the following public records (pdf here): Copy of all bid notices, requests for bids, requests for...
