officials
In face of threats, election workers vow: ‘You are not disrupting the democratic process’
Hundreds of election workers in Washington state’s second-largest county were busy opening mail-in ballots earlier this month when one of them came across a plain white envelope. As she cut it open, white powder leaked out. She carefully took off her gloves, put them down, backed away and called her supervisor. Workers evacuated the building […]
Less driving but more deaths: Spike in traffic fatalities puzzles lawmakers
Traffic deaths are lingering near historic highs in most states despite less driving overall, prompting policymakers to consider deploying more police or installing automated monitoring such as speed cameras to curb speeding and reckless driving. People are driving fewer miles than they were in 2019, but more are dying on roadways. Traffic deaths spiked 18% […]
Arkansas’ FOIA is The People’s Law, not government officials’ law
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s recent call to modernize the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (AFOIA), along with Gov. Sarah Sanders‘ proposal for amendments during her announcement of the special legislative session, have each raised important questions about the balance between transparency and privacy in government operations. In her announcement of the special session, the […]
Sunshine breaks through? Three bills cast a ray of hope
Just in time for Sunshine Week come several bills affecting Arkansas’ landmark Freedom of Information Act. Usually, legislative proposals involving the FOIA seek to remove more records or government activity from public scrutiny, not make things more transparent. In fact, a couple such bills have been filed in the current session. But I’d like to […]
White House unveils $2B in weapons for Ukraine on one-year anniversary of Russian invasion
WASHINGTON — On the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration announced an additional $2 billion in weapons and a host of new sanctions targeting Russia’s key industries and government officials. The Friday announcement came on the heels of President Joe Biden’s historic and surprise visit to Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, where […]
An Arkansas reporter’s election eve travel diary
Advocate Senior Reporter Antoinette Grajeda visited a number of county seats in southern Arkansas on Monday to assess the election environment on the day before Arkansans finish selecting a new governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, among numerous other federal, state, county and local officials. She tweeted throughout her journey, and here were a few […]