Scottsdale’s once-proud reputation for government openness has been fractured often in recent years by a culture of secrecy, maintained through closed meetings that the law requires to be open and the denial of records that it requires to be available.

The Arizona Public Records Law might as well be kept in the Abu Ghraib prison for all the abuse it takes.

A new state law requiring state agencies to tell you why they’re not allowing you to see a taxpayer-funded public document isn't perfect but it's a step in the right direction.

The Goldwater Institute filed suit Friday against Glendale for denying a public records request regarding the potential sale of the Coyotes hockey team.

The public is not entitled to the electronic data that shows when a something that is a public record has been created, the state Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. In a divided decision, the majority said the electronic tags that word-processing programs attach to files and documents are not part of the file or document itself.

Every week of the year has been designated by somebody as National Something Week, designed to bring public attention to issues and causes.

At police departments across the state, police reports cost $5 per copy. The price is the same whether the report is 30 pages or a single page. Why? Because that’s the way everyone does it.

The announcement last week of a deal between Google and four states, including Arizona, to allow direct access to online state-government public records through Google’s own search engine represents a huge leap forward in the cause of keeping government accountable through easier access to public documents.

National Sunshine Week comes to a close today, as newspapers across the country have been discussing why we must insist government officials keep their meetings and record files open to public inspection.

May 25, 2005

Scottsdale altered its public records ordinance last week to ensure that personnel files deemed open by state law are released.

Federal public defenders have accused the Arizona Corrections Department of violating the state public records law by withholding records on the acquisition of execution drugs.

Our View: The public’s right to know what government is up to is under such a relentless assault that advocates for the free flow of information have established a special week to focus on the growing barriers to taxpayer-funded records and other sources.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday to curb access to public records by the county attorney who has indicted one of their own.

Government can’t make people wait for weeks or months for public records, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.

The Tribune is looking for your stories, struggles and successes in requesting public records from local and state government agencies.

The state’s child welfare system has needlessly taken poor children away from their families, according to critics demanding that Child Protective Services open its records to the public.

Parents seeking information about their child’s school have a powerful tool they can use: Arizona’s open records law.

Everything on a public official’s computer is not necessarily a public record, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

The Scottsdale police public records department is opening at a new location on Monday.

The Scottsdale police public records department is opening at a new location on Monday.

March 24, 2005

February 25, 2005