Public debate
What do you think about criminal records being made public? The topic came up at last night's county-commissioner candidates' debate.

Good, uncleaning fun
So I started to clean house Friday night (gasp!). I didn't get very far, because I hate cleaning. Once I get sort of started, a dust bunny shaped even a little like Elvis can knock me completely off track. Needless ...

Hey! Follow that cash!
Here's an appropriate open-records site to look over this election season. Here's what I've learned, just this morning: dentists and beer distributors are alike, in that they donate scads of money  and lean Republican. The folks at AFLAC and the National ...

ring-ring
The Victoria Police Department has a new phone system. Need to talk to them? Call 361-485-3700.  

Let the Sunshine in!
I spend a lot of time looking at public records. Public -- that's the operative word. You can look at them too. And you should. Maybe you want to know the average assessed value of homes on your block, what ...

No, for YOUR information
I'm getting the blog ready for Sunshine Week, March 16 to 22. This is not, as some have guessed a festival of vegetarianism and recycling. It's an exciting, fun-filled time to learn about why public records and open government are important. A fellow reporter actually ...

re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-dact
Recently, the Victoria County Sheriff's Department has been blacking out the age and some dates of birth on reports. I called Sheriff T. Michael O'Connor this afternoon to ask why. He said the birthdays should have been crossed out in ...

For the sake of all that's accessable!
So after about four months here, by beat still uncovers oddities (at least I think they're oddities) that remind me, yeah, I'm the new kid. Example: Last week, I was looking for the state group that regulates natural gas lines. ...

Some slippers and coffee would make me comfy...
So I was reading through the Texas public information law, when I happened upon this delightful little paragraph: § 552.224.  COMFORT AND FACILITY.  The officer for public information or the officer's agent shall give to a requestor all reasonable comfort ...