Backlog of data requests still bulging

Despite President Bush's order for improvements more than two years ago, much of the federal government has barely made a dent in the huge backlog of unanswered requests under the Freedom of Information Act.

An audit by the National Security Archive~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB246/eo_audit.pdf of 90 government agencies found mixed results from the Dec. 14, 2005, executive order that agencies clear the backlog and be more responsive.

"Behind its ambitious facade . . . the order lacked both carrot and stick," the audit said. The order provided no additional money and no way to force agencies to step up efforts.

Some agencies did well: The Energy Department cut its backlog from 1,162 requests in 2005 to 438 last year. The CIA cut requests more than five years old by 25% in 2006 and by 74% in 2007.

NEW YORK

Pioneer governor being sworn in

In Harlem and other predominantly black neighborhoods, residents don't much care how David Paterson becomes governor.

They just care that he is taking over the state's top job.

The ascension of Paterson, the Democratic lieutenant governor, longtime lawmaker and heir to a Harlem political dynasty, has fueled a surge of black pride.

The 53-year-old Paterson will be sworn in today as New York's first black and first legally blind governor, succeeding Democrat Eliot Spitzer, who announced his resignation after getting caught in a federal prostitution investigation.

The new governor, who served as lieutenant for 14 months, lives in an apartment complex in Harlem.

NEW YORK

Three missing after crane's fall

Three people were still listed as missing as rescue teams picked through the rubble of a Manhattan town house crushed by a toppling construction crane in an accident that killed four.

The fallen crane had stood at least 19 stories high and was attached at various points to the side of a half-built apartment tower. A piece of steel fell and sheared off one of the ties holding it to the building, causing the structure to detach and topple, said Stephen Kaplan, an owner of the company that manages the site.

Twenty-four others were injured.

WASHINGTON STATE

Olympic is recent park storm victim

Winter storms have devastated the Pacific Northwest's popular national parks each of the last two years. After last year's enormous repair effort in nearby Mount Rainier National Park, the major repairs this year are taking place in Olympic National Park.

The biggest storm struck in the first week of December, pouring more than 10 inches of rain on some areas in 24 hours. Total damage has been estimated at more than $4 million.

TEXAS

Space robot passes most tests

The International Space Station's giant new handyman robot got its first checkup, with astronauts and flight controllers testing its electronics, joints and brakes.

The Canadian-built robot, named Dextre (for "dexterous"), passed all but one of the tests. One of the wrist-joint brakes in Dextre's left arm slipped a bit, but Canada's acting space station program manager said he wasn't too concerned.



From Times Wire Reports