College alarmed by animal rights ‘extremists’

From Courthouse News Service:

DETROIT (Nov 27, 2012) – Wayne State University is exempt from answering a FOIA request about its use of dogs in medical research, because the last time it did “animal rights extremists” threatened its researchers with “torture and death,” the university claims in court.

The university sued the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, in Wayne County Court.

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NFOIC’s State FOIA Friday for October 12, 2012

A few state FOIA and local open government news items selected from many of interest that we might or might not have drawn attention to earlier in the week:

Michigan schools create their own FOIA interpretations

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Mich. school district allows union, employees to exclude material from FOIA requests

From Michigan Capitol Confidential:

Grandville Public Schools is breaking the law by agreeing to a union contract provision that allows teachers and their union to have a say about what is released in Freedom of Information Act requests, according to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s legal expert.

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Things you should have easy access to, but don’t

From Detroit Free Press

About five years ago, finding out whether your new neighbor spent time behind bars for murder, rape, robbery — even writing bad checks — required little more than an Internet connection.

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