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RAIN 02/15: FOIA in Maine



Washington Post 02/14/01
A tale of love, loss
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1947-2001Feb13.html

by Linda Wheeler
The letters are fragile, the writing turned brown with age. But the tender
words of love sent by a lonely Civil War soldier to a Georgia girl he hopes
to marry still resonate more than a century later.
"I do wish I could see you -- then I could tell you how I feel for you," the
soldier wrote from the battlefield. "One glance from you would afford me
inexpressable joy."
George Boatright is the suitor, Martha Jane "Mattie" Burrows the object of
his affection. The letters, rescued from the trash in 1985, led Mattie's
descendants on a quest to learn more about the two lovers.
More than a century later, this Valentine's story still has no end. It is
told only from the point of view of the suitor because Mattie's letters did
not survive. A persistent correspondent, George addressed his 15-year-old
love as "Miss Mattie." Sometimes he worried that he bored her with all his
talk of battles.



Anchorage Daily News 02/14/01
Judge rules Homer city memos private
Ruling: Kenai court bars public scrutiny of documents on annexation
http://www.adn.com/metro/story/0,2633,239347,00.html

by Tom Kizzia
Homer -- In a decision that extends to municipal officials the same privacy
shield that surrounds the governor, a Superior Court judge has ruled that
internal decision-making memos of the city of Homer are not open to public
scrutiny.
The ruling by Kenai Judge Harold Brown is the first to apply a broad new
state Supreme Court decision restricting public access to records of the
governor's office. It was delivered in a case brought by opponents of a
controversial annexation plan in Homer. They had sued to gain access to
departmental estimates of the costs of annexing surrounding territory.
"The policy underlying the deliberative process privilege is to protect 'the
mental processes of government decisionmakers from interference,' " Brown
wrote, quoting the recent Supreme Court decision. "There is little to
distinguish decision making on the state level from decision making on the
municipal level."



Bangor Daily News 02/14/01
Law Court gives hope to Indians
http://www.bangornews.com/cgi-bin/article.cfm?storynumber=29037

by Susan Young
PORTLAND - Tribal officials were buoyed Tuesday by the reception they
received at the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, where arguments in a case
pitting them against three paper companies were heard.
Chief Justice Daniel Wathen said the paper companies' request for all
Penobscot and Passamaquoddy tribal documents relating to water quality was
"overly broad" and "absurd," if taken to its extreme, because it could
include discussion of all sorts of irrelevant issues such as tribal canoe
races.
When the lawyer for the paper companies, Catherine Connors, said she should
be allowed to hear tribal discussions of any matters that may affect her,
Wathen snapped back: "It's none of your business."



Maine Today 02/14/01
Companies, tribes argue in top court
http://www.centralmaine.com/news/stories/010214tribes_b.shtml

by Rebecca Mahoney
Associated Press
PORTLAND - As the beat of a drum throbbed outside the courthouse, lawyers
for three paper companies told Maine's highest court Tuesday that two Indian
nations are subject to state regulations.
Great Northern Paper Inc., Georgia Pacific Corp. and Champion International
Corp. have sought tribal documents related to water quality under the state
Freedom of Access law.
The Passamaquoddy Tribe and Penobscot Nation, however, contend that under
the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980, they - not the state - have
control of the documents.
Catherine Connors, a lawyer for the companies, told the Supreme Judicial
Court on Tuesday that tribal governments are subject to the same laws as a
municipality because they sometimes make decisions that affect people
outside the tribes.




Portland Press Herald 02/14/01
State's high court weighs tribal rights
http://www.portland.com/news/local/010214tribe.shtml

by Peter Pochna
A legal battle that will help define the sovereign rights of Maine Indian
tribes went before the state Supreme Court in Portland on Tuesday as dozens
of tribal members chanted and banged drums outside the courthouse.
The justices spent about 45 minutes asking questions and listening to
arguments in the case that pits the state of Maine and several paper
companies against the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the Penobscot Nation.
Passions were high among tribal members, who see the state and the paper
companies as continuing a long history of trampling the rights of tribes to
govern themselves.
"They are trying to put their foot down on us. They've done that for far too
long," Gov. Barry Dana of the Penobscot Nation told the crowd outside the
courthouse.



Boston Globe 02/14/01
Sealed criminal cases mistakenly exposed to public view
<http://www.boston.com/dailynews/044/region/Sealed_criminal_cases_mistaken:.
shtml>

Associated Press
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) Scores of criminal cases in New York, ranging from
drunken driving to rape, have mistakenly been made available for public
scrutiny over the last three years despite being ordered sealed.
Most of the defendants had either been acquitted or had their charges
dismissed. But the records were left open for anyone to read, including
potential employers carrying out background checks, the Rochester Democrat
and Chronicle reported Tuesday.
During a month-long investigation, the newspaper said it was able to obtain
85 files that were supposed to have been sealed.



Arkansas Democrat Gazette 02/14/01
Clinton foundation subpoenaed
http://www.ardemgaz.com/search_week/wed/ark/a01xsubpoena14.html

by Elisa Crouch
Congressional investigators issued a subpoena Tuesday to the Little Rock
foundation raising money for the Clinton presidential library, directing it
to disclose by next week all contributors who have given or pledged more
than $5,000 toward the project.
The House Committee on Government Reform is looking into whether there's any
connection between donations to the William J. Clinton Presidential
Foundation and the last-minute pardon of Marc Rich, a commodities trader who
fled the country after he was indicted on fraud, racketeering and
tax-evasion charges in 1983.



Roanoke Times 02/14/01
Federal court gets technology update
Equipment will 'level the playing field' for many litigants
http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/news/story107403.html

by Jen McCaffery
Termites accompanied the unveiling of new technology in federal court
Tuesday.
Attorneys John Fishwick and Tony Anderson argued against each other in a
mock trial involving the insects in front of the Roanoke Bar Association to
demonstrate the wonders of the new electronics.
A new document camera will enable litigants to project photos, documents,
and even fingerprints on a wide screen in the mahogany-walled Ted Dalton
Memorial Courtroom on the first floor of the courthouse. Video- conferencing
also can be projected onto the screen and attorneys and litigants will be
able to mark up documents, and be able to order real time transcripts. Law
clerks Monica Mroz, Hunter Eley and Jonathan Campbell served as judge and
witnesses in the mock trial.



Bergen Record 02/10/01
History on the move in Somerset County
http://www.bergen.com/region/george10200102107.htm

by Hanah Cho
Associated Press
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP -- Gen. George Washington spent the last days of the
Revolutionary War in the Rockingham mansion, now preserved as a historical
museum.
Shortly, the house in this Somerset County town is slated to be moved for a
third and hopefully final time to a site about a mile from where it
originally stood.
It has taken nearly 10 years for the state to prepare for the move, which is
expected to begin in late spring.



Miami Herald 02/14/01
IBM says Nazis got help from German subsidiary
http://www.miamiherald.com/content/today/news/world/digdocs/091537.htm

form Herald Wire Services
SAN FRANCISCO -- IBM acknowledged Sunday that its German subsidiary provided
the Nazis with a tabulation machine used in their administration of the
Holocaust, according to a statement that the company has made to its
employees.
The company also told its employees that the IBM Hollerith machine, an early
precursor to the personal computer, has long been known to Holocaust
researchers and authorities.
In the statement, the company said the device has been on display in the
Holocaust museum in Washington, D.C.




The Tennessean 02/14/01
Missing historic documents surface at estate sale
<http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/01/02/02515876.shtml?Element_ID=25
15876>

by Sue McClure
COLUMBIA - It's a historical whodunit, fraught with unanswered questions.
No one knows who removed 140 historic documents from the Maury County
Courthouse.
Or when. Or how. Or why.
In fact, no one even knew they were gone.
But history-lovers are rejoicing at their return Saturday. ''We are just
tickled,'' said Bob Duncan, director of Maury County Archives. ''They are in
pristine condition.''
The documents, dating from 1814 to 1872, were purchased at a recent
Winchester, Tenn., estate auction by Bill Barron of Huntsville, Ala., Duncan
said.



Ottawa Citizen 02/14/01
RCMP seize financial records from N.S. band accused of misappropriating
funds
<http://www.southam.com/ottawacitizen/newsnow/cpfs/national/010213/n021367.h
tml>

Alison Auld
HALIFAX (CP) - RCMP have seized financial records from a Cape Breton native
reserve that has been mired in allegations of corruption, fraud and breach
of trust by its former leader. Several officers moved into the reserve
outside Sydney, N.S., Tuesday to sift through computer records, purchase
orders and other financial accounts.
"We are searching the band council office at Eskasoni for documents and
records in relation to breach of trust and theft over $5,000," said RCMP
spokesman Sgt. Wayne Noonan.



Canada Newswire 02/14/01
New secure document system will deliver maximum confidentiality, increased
efficiency to the medical profession
http://www.newswire.ca/releases/February2001/14/c3488.html

ArcamedX(TM) service provides digital storage, delivery, transcription
for voice, image and text

    TORONTO, Feb. 14 /CNW/ - A unique new digital service designed to
improve the efficiency and security with which healthcare professionals
handle their patients' information was launched today by Arcamatrix
Corporation of Toronto and Denver, Colorado.
    ArcamedX(TM), is a patented, comprehensive and highly secure online
document delivery, storage and transcription system, specially designed for
physicians, healthcare professionals, clinics and hospitals. A physician, or
other healthcare professional, can have digitally-recorded voice files
securely stored, transcribed at the click of an icon (when required), and
electronically transmitted to other healthcare providers. Storage and
transmission are also available with text and image files.



St. Louis Post-Dispatch 02/14/01
Transit agency charges big fees to track down records
<http://www.postnet.com/postnet/stories.nsf/News/6887947A8BDCD674862569F3000
C1629?OpenDocument&Headline=Transit%20agency%20charges%20big%20fees%20to%20t
rack%20down%20records%20>

by Ken Leiser
Boarding a typical Bi-State bus or MetroLink train costs about $4 a day, if
you buy a pass. But ask for a public record under the Bi-State Development
Agency's disclosure policy and you may wind up paying research fees up to
$20 an hour for somebody to track down your document.
A Feb. 6 request by the Post-Dispatch for documents detailing the progress
of MetroLink construction in St. Clair County, for instance, was priced by
the agency at $600 to $1,200 to cover its research costs.



Poughkeepsie Journal 02/14/01 (Thanks to Christine at the other CIA)
History revealed in local cemeteries
Ulster poor's graves are long neglected
<http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/monday/community/stories/co021201s1.shtm
l>

by Gabriel J. Wasserman
NEW PALTZ -- In 1892, a New Paltz weekly newspaper reported that a former
slave had been sent to the Ulster County Poorhouse, ''like an old horse ...
put out to die.''
His name was Julius Caesar Wyncoop, a reader pointed out in an informal
obituary months later. Wyncoop, he wrote, was a faithful, honest, sober and
industrious citizen.
''A good horseman and expert reinsman,'' Wyncoop was said to have carted
children home from parties during the 1840s. No matter what the trail
conditions, ''the sleepy young folks felt secure.''
More than a century later, local resident Susan Stessin-Cohn is eagerly
exploring such vignettes of history, combing through whatever records have
survived pertaining to the poorhouse and its occupants.



Poughkeepsie Journal 02/14/01
Preserving cemeteries at a glance
<http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/monday/community/stories/co021201s2.shtm
l>

The following advice for preserving historical cemeteries is a digest of
what is offered by Saving Graves, a national volunteer organization based in
Georgia:
- Tell your children and grandchildren about an old, little-known cemetery.
If you can, take them out to the property and show them what you know about
it.
- Document your knowledge of the cemetery and place a copy of it in your
local library or historical society.



Russia Today 02/14/01
Parliament Commission to return archive documents to Uzbekistan
http://www.russiatoday.com/uzland/uzland.php3?id=289432

TASHKENT, Feb 14, 2001 -- (Uzland.uz <http://uzland.narod.ru>) The Oliy
Majlis (Uzbek Parliament) commission for the restitution of archive
documents from overseas held its meeting.
The commission, with the help form various ministries and government
agencies, discovered the locations of numerous valuable documents related to
the history of Uzbekistan.



Savannah Morning News 02/14/01
New way of fighting an age-old crime
<http://www.savannahmorningnews.com/smn/stories/021301/LOCdomesticviolence.s
html>

by Anne Hart
More and more, Savannah police Detective Aulmon Giles runs into the same
obstacle when responding to 911 domestic violence calls.
The victim claims to have a temporary protective order against the abuser,
but can't produce it. Maybe the victim lost the court document. Or the
abuser tore it up.
It's simply out of reach.
Having the protective order in hand can often mean an arrest - either a
felony or misdemeanor - for the person who violates it.
But without that piece of paper, officers like Giles are limited -
especially at night or on weekends with no access to court files.



Dallas Morning News 02/14/01
Mandela recording restored
Defiant '64 speech considered anti-apartheid watershed
http://www.dallasnews.com/world/286738_mandela_14int..html

by Gregory Katz
LONDON - British Library experts have managed to restore audio recordings of
Nelson Mandela's most important speech, bringing back to life the
impassioned call for freedom he made at his 1964 trial on sabotage charges.
The library's triumph was achieved by using modern techniques to modify
1950s Dictaphone machines. It means there is now an audio record of the
speech in which Mr. Mandela - a skilled lawyer-turned-guerrilla leader - set
forth the legal justification for the armed struggle against apartheid rule
in South Africa and laid out the framework for the nonracial democracy he
would help create about 30 years later.
The three-hour address, known as the "Rivonia speech," has long been
regarded as a landmark in the African freedom struggle. And it marked the
final words spoken in public by Mr. Mandela before he was imprisoned and
totally silenced for 27 years.




Waste News 02/14/01
Michigan billl would ensure medical record confidentiality
http://www.wastenews.com/headlines2.html?id=981985088

LANSING, MICH. (Feb. 12) -- A newly proposed provision in a medical privacy
bill could affect the disposal practices of Michigan health care facilities.

Michigan Attorney General Jennifer M. Granholm has proposed a provision that
for the first time would guarantee residents the legal right to medical
privacy and their own medical records.



CNET News.com 01/24/01
DEA data theft raises privacy concerns
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-201-4583028-0.html?tag=pt.abc.tech..ne_458
3028>

by Robert Lemos
The prosecution of a Drug Enforcement Administration officer in Los Angeles
on charges of selling data from a variety of restricted databases has
privacy advocates again questioning whether government protections on
private data are strict enough.
"I think this case points to the necessity that such (database) systems have
a foolproof electronic audit trail and sanctions so serious that no officer
would dream of stealing the data," said Beth Givens, director of the San
Diego-based Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit consumer information,
research and advocacy program.



Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 02/12/01
States push for privacy on Internet
http://www.ardemgaz.com/tech/D1_bcookies-crackdown_12.html

by Dee-Ann Durbin
Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. -- For several years, Jennifer Granholm watched, frustrated,
as Internet companies secretly gathered personal information from
unsuspecting Web surfers.
There were simply no state or federal laws to hinder what Granholm,
Michigan's state attorney general, considered objectionable commercial
behavior.
Now she is one of a growing number of attorneys general taking on Internet
companies directly. Their mission is to curb the surreptitious use of
Internet cookies -- files that collect information, usually for advertisers,
after being uploaded to a user's computer.






Peter A. Kurilecz CRM, CA
Manager, Records Management Group
Woodside Summit Group Inc
Midlothian, Virginia
Office: 804-744-1247 x23
Fax: 804-744-4947
mailto:peter.kurilecz@woodsidesummitgroup.com

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