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Sunshine Week is a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.
City workshop looks at email, tweets, Facebook as part of public record
By CAMERON KITTLE Staff Writer | Saturday, March 17, 2012
NASHUA – State and local workers should be careful in crafting emails, as well as tweets and posts on Facebook or other social media. It’s …
Meals, flowers listed among Nashua mayor’s personal credit card expenditures
By MARYALICE GILL Staff Writer | Friday, March 16, 2012
NASHUA – Anyone having a working lunch or dinner with the mayor last year likely dined on a meal from Villa Banca or The Seedling …
Bulk of $182k Nashua charged in 2011 done by schools
By MARYALICE GILL Staff Writer | Friday, March 16, 2012
NASHUA – Just as electronic communication has become quicker and easier over the last decade, so has electronic monetary exchange. The city’s increasing use of …
City releases emails detailing who knows what during an emergency, and who determines what is fit for public consumption
By JOSEPH G. COTE Staff Writer | Thursday, March 15, 2012
NASHUA – Joe Citizen isn’t the only one hungry for information from PSNH when the lights go out. Emails requested by The Telegraph show Justin …
Partnership between Nashua PD and Telegraph yields online interactive crime map
By JOSEPH G. COTE Staff Writer | Thursday, March 15, 2012
NASHUA – A commitment to better communication by Nashua’s new police chief is opening up much more police data to public view in the form …
New Hampshire gets D-minus in report gauging transparency in spending
Thursday, March 15, 2012
New Hampshire is nearly failing when it comes to transparency in spending. That was the conclusion of the New Hampshire Public Interest Research Group, which …
Pennichuck directors grapple with unique status as corporate board under city ownership
By PATRICK MEIGHAN Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 14, 2012
If you want to know what the new board of directors of Pennichuck Corp. is up to, just go to one of their Friday morning …
Hollis keeps nonpublic meeting minutes out of public view
By JOSEPH G. COTE Staff Writer | Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Hollis selectmen met in nonpublic session 41 times in 2011 – often twice in a single meeting – and the vast majority of those closed-door …
Bills before Legislature would strengthen state’s Right-to-Know Law
By JOSEPH G. COTE Staff Writer | Monday, March 12, 2012
Several bills before the state Legislature would significantly strengthen New Hampshire’s Right-to-Know Law if they become law. The group of bills address the existing law …
Not all retirees get paid through state’s retirement system
By JOSEPH G. COTE Staff Writer | Monday, March 12, 2012
AMHERST – Not all workers retired from public jobs are created equal. After last fall’s ruling by the state Supreme Court making the names and …
Working for city of Nashua can be lucrative
By JAKE BERRY Staff Writer | Sunday, March 11, 2012
NASHUA – Of the 44 city employees who took home more than $100,000 last year, two-thirds used overtime and other bonus pay to reach six …
Nashua taxpayers spend thousands for city employees’ phones
By JOSEPH G. COTE Staff Writer | Sunday, August 14, 2011
NASHUA – Who is the chattiest Cathy in the city? That would be Ken Lowe, who works at the wastewater treatment facility. Texting Tommy? Well, …
Longevity payouts add up for Nashua
By PATRICK MEIGHAN Staff Writer | Sunday, March 20, 2011
NASHUA – With three and a half months left in the fiscal year, Nashua so far has shelled out $608,715 in longevity pay to workers. …
Anyone can become a government watchdog
By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer | Saturday, March 19, 2011
The idea of Sunshine Week is to help people like you know what your elected officials are doing. So, why shouldn’t you be one of …
Lower newspaper staffing affects investigative reporting
By JAKE BERRY Staff Writer | Saturday, March 19, 2011
EDITOR’S NOTE: Newspapers are watchdogs of government because of laws protecting the public’s freedom of information. Sunshine Week is an annual examination of government’s responsiveness …
Sunshine Week
Can’t ever afford to let our guard down
By SUSAN SCHWARTZ | Friday, March 18, 2011
Pennsylvanians have reason to celebrate during Sunshine Week; we’re entering the third year of the new Right-To-Know Law, which finally allowed us to look at …
Site will allow public to review state checkbook
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Friday, March 18, 2011
CONCORD – The new website of a free-market think tank will allow the public to examine the checkbook of New Hampshire state government. The Josiah …
Gun permits more common in smaller towns
By JOSEPH G. COTE Staff Writer | Friday, March 18, 2011
EDITOR’S NOTE: Newspapers are watchdogs of government because of laws protecting the public’s freedom of information. Sunshine Week is an annual examination of government’s responsiveness …
Sunshine Week
Citizens key to rebooting transparency
By EDWIN BENDER | Thursday, March 17, 2011
The promise of the developing transparency movement in this country is greater accountability of our elected officials. Embedded in that promise is a hope for …
Ease of following the NH money? Wrong, F
Thursday, March 17, 2011
New Hampshire flunks when it comes to openness about government spending, according to a report released by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group on Wednesday. …
Sunshine week: Nashua reviews public record keeping
By PATRICK MEIGHAN Staff Writer | Thursday, March 17, 2011
NASHUA – City departments that create public records are responsible for maintaining them, disposing of them at the proper time and making sure the records …
Average teachers pay shown up in city by 20% in 5 years
By MICHAEL BRINDLEY Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Nashua teachers on average are making 20 percent more this year than they did five years ago, when their current contract took effect. The average …
Salaries, pay in Nashua are on record
By PATRICK MEIGHAN Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 16, 2011
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article includes a way to search through a database of Nashua city and school salaries. NASHUA – Some predictable names make the …
Lawmakers out to improve state government finances site
By ANDREW WOLFE Staff Writer | Tuesday, March 15, 2011
EDITOR’S NOTE: Newspapers are watchdogs of government because of laws protecting the public’s freedom of information. Sunshine Week is an annual examination of government’s responsiveness …
Judge state pay levels yourself
By ANDREW WOLFE Staff Writer | Tuesday, March 15, 2011
For a few years before he retired, Chief Justice John Broderick spoke out frequently about the court’s budget and how the state courts are starved …
Sunshine Week
Forecast mostly cloudy across USA
By KENNETH F. BUNTING | Monday, March 14, 2011
Heading into Sunshine Week, many open-government advocates across the country feel they have much more to bemoan than they have to celebrate. Even if no …
Sick-time bonuses healthy hits
By MICHAEL BRINDLEY and PATRICK MEIGHAN Staff Writers | Monday, March 14, 2011
EDITOR’S NOTE: Newspapers are watchdogs of government because of laws protecting the public’s freedom of information. Sunshine Week is an annual examination of government’s responsiveness …
Battle brews over paying for burgeoning costs of system
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Sunday, March 13, 2011
CONCORD – The recovering stock market helped translate to nearly $600 million of investment profits for the New Hampshire Retirement System in 2009. But the …
Retirement System protects privacy of pensioners in state
By ALBERT McKEON Staff Writer | Sunday, March 13, 2011
At any time, state residents can see the salary of any public employee, from the governor to a mayor to a trash collector. But once …
My Turn
Don’t turn clock back on open government
Nick Pappas | Sunday, March 13, 2011
Here are a few things for a longtime New England newspaper editor to be thankful for this time of year: The can’t-come-soon-enough first day of …
All fired up over right to know
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Today marks the beginning of Sunshine Week, a time when the media and open-government advocates across the country mark the importance of the public’s right …
To Our Readers
Deadline today to nominate Sunshine Week Local Hero
Friday, February 18, 2011
DEADLINE TODAY TO NOMINATE SUNSHINE WEEK HERO The American Society of News Editors will recognize “Local Heroes” of open government in conjunction with Sunshine Week …
Sunshine Week
Open government for more than just a week
By ERIC HARTLEY | Saturday, March 20, 2010
Every year around this time, when media organizations mark Sunshine Week to highlight the importance of open government, the dominant public response seems to be …
C-SPAN’s archives bring history to life
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Wonks and nerds, rejoice. People with lives can play, too. C-SPAN, that faithful recorder of all things Congress and much more, has put 23 years’ …
46 city employees made $100k in 2009
By PATRICK MEIGHAN Staff Writer | Friday, March 19, 2010
NASHUA – Nearly half the city’s top 40 salaries for 2009 went to school department employees, but once overtime and other stipends were factored in, …
Help on government affairs just a call away for towns
By ALBERT McKEON Staff Writer | Thursday, March 18, 2010
Every municipality in the state contracts with the New Hampshire Municipal Association, hiring the nonprofit business to provide legal, political and fiscal assistance. This year, …
Quasi-public nonprofit opened up
By ALBERT McKEON Staff Writer | Thursday, March 18, 2010
EDITOR’S NOTE: Newspapers are watchdogs of government because of laws that protect the public’s freedom of information and right to know. Sunshine Week is an …
Sunshine Week
Bill would strengthen public’s right to know
By RICK WATROUS | Wednesday, March 17, 2010
We need to strengthen New Hampshire’s Right-to-Law Law by applying it to nonprofit corporations that receive the majority of their funding from the state or …
Right to Know | Open records of private nonprofits, some argue.
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 17, 2010
CONCORD – The records of private nonprofits who rely on taxpayer money to survive should be subject to the Right-to-Know Law, legislative advocates and state …
Stimulus puts recently retired teachers right back to work
By MICHAEL BRINDLEY Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 17, 2010
EDITOR’S NOTE: Newspapers are watchdogs of government because of laws that protect the public’s freedom of information and right to know. Sunshine Week is an …
Sunshine Week
Open records law still a work in progress
By KIM de BOURBON | Tuesday, March 16, 2010
It’s a pretty good law. But having a good law and having a universally good “open government” attitude across the state are two different things. …
Not much sunshine in these two reports
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
You don’t have to be a career executive to understand that just because you want something to happen means that it’s going to happen – …
Agencies slow in following Obama’s openness order
By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN The Associated Press | Tuesday, March 16, 2010
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is having difficulty getting all federal agencies to follow his order to deliver “a new era of open government,” according …
City had powerful requesters, too
By JOSEPH G. COTE Staff Writer | Tuesday, March 16, 2010
EDITOR’S NOTE: Newspapers are watchdogs of government because of laws that protect the public’s freedom of information and right to know. Sunshine Week is an …
Concerns on illegal vote stopped it
By PATRICK MEIGHAN Staff Writer | Monday, March 15, 2010
EDITOR’S NOTE: Newspapers are watchdogs of government because of laws that protect the public’s freedom of information and right to know. Sunshine Week is an …
NH rep pushing online
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Sunday, March 14, 2010
The New Hampshire Legislature stands among a minority of states in the country requiring every bill to get a public hearing, a public committee vote …
John Q. Public: The truth is still elusive
By THOMAS HARGROVE Scripps Howard News Service | Sunday, March 14, 2010
Public cynicism that the federal government operates in an atmosphere of secrecy is as strong as ever, despite President Barack Obama’s promises to make government …
Legislators need to maintain openness
By KEVIN LANDRIGAN Staff Writer | Sunday, March 14, 2010
Editor’s note: Newspapers are watchdogs of government because of laws that protect the public’s freedom of information and right to know. Sunshine Week is an …
Information is not truly public until it is on the Internet
By Gabriela Schneider | Sunday, March 14, 2010
Every day, the federal government releases vast amounts of useful information about every aspect of our nation and how government works. This public information has …
Unlocking data in Washington
Sunday, March 14, 2010
During the presidential campaign of 2008, it was not usual for then-candidate Barack Obama to talk about transparency and the importance of open government. So …
The Editor’s Corner
We could really use a few troublemakers of our own
Nick Pappas | Sunday, March 14, 2010
Several weeks ago, for four consecutive days, we published a box on our Opinion page seeking nominations for Sunshine Week “Local Heroes,” citizens who have …
