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donal brown

Policeman fired for opinions has lawsuit reinstated in federal appeals court

donal brown April 21, 2011

A federal appeals court said a Pennsylvania police officer could pursue his claim that his town council had fired him in retaliation for critical online comments. After a fellow police officer was killed by a man with superior fire power, the policeman went online to attack the opinions of council members against supplying the police with better weapons. The appeals court ruled that the case could not be dismissed under the Supreme Court’s decision Garcetti

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California: St. Helena council accused of holding illegal ‘serial meeting’

donal brown April 21, 2011

The California Newspaper Publishers Association (CNPA) is claiming that the St. Helena City Council violated the Brown Act, California’s open meeting act, when a town administrator sent a memo to council members of instructions to its Housing Subcommittee. In a series of e-mails, council members suggested changes to the instructions and approved them. Jesse Duarte in the St. Helena Star quoted Jim Ewert of the CNPA, “This is exactly the kind of back-room discussion that

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Federal appeals court rules federal advisory committees can withhold ‘predecisional’ records

donal brown April 21, 2011

A federal appeals court held that the State Department could withhold records concerning the U.S. import policies on cultural artifacts from China, Italy and Cyprus. The State Department argued that the recommendations of an advisory committee were “predecisional” or “deliberative” and under the Freedom of Information Act qualify as exemptions. However, Christine Beckett quotes Sean Mouton of OMB Watch disputing the “predecisional” nature of the recommendations, “I don’t understand how [the recommendations] can be considered

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California: St. Helena council agrees to redress alleged open meeting violation

donal brown April 21, 2011

The St. Helen City Council will redo its separation agreement with a former city manager after the St. Helena Star alleged that the council had violated the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law. The  council had led the public to believe the meeting at which the agreement was approved was to be held at the City Hall but instead was at the Stonebridge Apartments. -db From the Napa Valley Register, April 14, 2011, by Jesse

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Acclaimed author Greg Mortenson may face defamation lawsuit

donal brown April 21, 2011

When renowned international philanthrophist and author Greg Mortenson said in one of his best-selling books that he was captured by the Taliban on one of his trips to Pakistan, he was actually under the protection of a friend, Mansur Khan Mahsud, and his relatives, claims Mahsud who is now threatening to sue Mortenson for defamation. Mortenson published a photo of himself and his supposed Taliban kidnappers, fierce-looking men with guns, but actually Mahsud’s relatives. -db

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