As part of national Sunshine Week (sunshineweek.org), March 14-20, 2010, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is bestowing its fourth annual Opee Awards to people and institutions that have had an impact on open government in Wisconsin.
Category: WisWatch Blog
Posted inWisWatch Blog
Guest column for Sunshine Week
Citizen oversight of the workings of government is essential to democratic government and our confidence in it. Citizen access to public records and meetings of governmental bodies is a vital aspect of this principle. As the state’s chief law enforcement officer, I am deeply committed to promoting compliance with Wisconsin’s open meetings and public records laws.
Posted inEconomy, WisWatch Blog
Spending and debt increase in Wisconsin’s largest cities in past five years
Municipal spending and debt both increased in Wisconsin’s biggest cities between 2003 and 2007.
Posted inEnvironment, WisWatch Blog
Investigative reports, news and updates
News and notes: New tools for monitoring environmental data in Wisconsin; the governor’s campaign contributors favor keeping him in control of DNR; DOJ hosts free seminars on government sunshine; and tax revenue was down last year.
Posted inDairyland Diversity, WisWatch Blog
Center to probe growing role of immigrants on state dairy farms
Upcoming coverage: Dairy farmers have new incentives to expand. Meanwhile, national estimates indicate that half of the immigrant dairy workers — who make up 40 percent of the dairy work force — lack immigration papers. The Center is collaborating with The Country Today to cover the nexus of dairy and immigration in Wisconsin.
Posted inWisWatch Blog
Wisconsin receives “C” for lawmakers’ disclosures
The state’s financial disclosure requirements rank 22nd in a Center for Public Integrity survey, partly because elected officials don’t need to report information about their spouses’ property.