Chalk this one up to poor planning: The law that went into effect last month in San Leandro, Calif., requiring freestanding newsracks to be replaced by multi-paper boxes is not unusual. Similar laws have popped up in cities across the country. But as the East Bay Express reports, the new boxes the city chose came with a prohibitively high price tag of more than $600 per distribution slot, which kept everyone but the big dailies from ponying up. There wasn't even enough demand to fill one six-publication rack, so most of downtown San Leandro is now paperless.

Continue ReadingOne City’s Newsrack Ordinance Drives All Papers Off the Street

The House of Representatives today passed a FOIA reform bill by a vote of 308-117, the AP reports. The White House voiced opposition to the legislation, saying it was "premature and counterproductive." The Sunshine in Government Initiative, a coalition of media groups that includes AAN and that has promoted FOIA reform since 2005, issued a statement applauding the House's action. The House also approved bills that would make contributions to presidential libraries public and overturn a 2001 presidential directive giving the president authority to shield his records from public view. Meanwhile, the Senate Judiciary Committee today held a hearing on a companion FOIA reform bill.

Continue ReadingFOIA Reform Passes House, As Do Two Other Open Government Bills

Felix Gillette is leaving the Voice to report on media for the salmon-colored broadsheet tabloid, according to an internal e-mail leaked to Gawker. Gillette, who also previously served as a staff writer for the Washington City Paper, joins a procession of young writers with alt-weekly experience who have been hired to do media reporting for the Observer. Other hires include Tom Scocca and Sridhar Pappu. CORRECTION: The New York Observer has not been a "salmon-colored broadsheet" since Feb. 14, when it switched to a tabloid format.

Continue ReadingVillage Voice Staff Writer Heads to New York Observer

Sandra Camille Powers was arrested in South Carolina last week with an assist from the Dallas alt-weekly, the Brunswick Beacon reports. Powers, a two-time Observer cover subject, faces five felony fraud charges for swindling an elderly woman. Powers' con unraveled when a suspicious local realtor did a Google search and discovered the articles written by the Observer's Glenna Whitley. The crucial information on Powers' past motivated the realtor to report her, and led to her eventual arrest.

Continue ReadingDallas Observer Stories Play Key Role in Nabbing ‘Religious Charlatan’