Done for the day

Jones, who said she came voluntarily, left with attorney Stephen Dobson around 2:15. I may have forgotten to mention that Shad also came voluntarily, not by subpoena.

The grand jury broke just moments later. Someone asked about possible outcomes of this investigation. They can issue indictments, do nothing or write a report of their findings called a presentment.

Officials who violate the law can be removed from office, jailed for up to 60 days and fined up to $500 for intentional violations. They also could face civil lawsuits in which votes they have taken can be overturned.

Earlier this week I read a story out of Tennessee about elected officials conducting business in private. A judge there removed them from office. Read more here:

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/oct/06/judge-tosses-12/ <https://webmail.morris.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/oct/06/judge-tosses-12/>

Not the paparazzi

Rohan left, declining comment other than "It's a pleasure to perform my public service." He came under a subpoena.

Councilwoman Mia Jones came around 1:40. I tried to speak with her, but she went straight into the grand jury room. I realize council members and other witnesses aren't thrilled to see the media, but this isn't exactly the paparazzi gaggle Britney Spears deals with when she shows up for a custody hearing.

What's your reaction?

OK, so only one person has left a comment so far. I know more people are reading than that, and I know you have opinions on this stuff. Here's how you do it: Click the link below each posting where it says "0 comments" or "1 comment" and you'll go to a page where you can type your thoughts. Let's hear them.

Keeping up with the council

Shad left at 12:30 p.m. with his attorney.

The grand jury investigation is not the only thing to come from the Times-Union sunshine story. The council has made several changes in how it conducts business, including posting all public meeting notices online. You can find them here:

http://apps.coj.net/CouncilPublicNotices/MembersWithMeetings/ShowMembersWithMeetingsTablePage.aspx

Not the most easy-to-navigate site. Click the magnifying glass to see the meeting for a particular council member. If you want to see meetings listed by date, go to the "MEETINGS" link at the top of the page, or click here:

http://apps.coj.net/CouncilPublicNotices/Meetings/ShowMeetingsTablePage.aspx)

You'll have to click back a few pages to get to more timely meetings... unless you're really curious about committee meetings scheduled in December.

Juicing up

Third plug for a new courthouse: Can you say 'technology upgrade'? My laptop battery died, so it's been awhile since my last post. Here's what happened: Councilman Art Shad arrived at 11:45, with his attorney. Shad came informed - he said he had checked in on this blog.

Fussell left about 15 minutes ago. He declined comment.

Now back to technology. There is one outlet in the main hallway, and it's not working. I'm juicing up at another one way further down the hallway. The courthouse also is notoriously bad for cell phone reception.

Investigation far from finished

A judge has approved extending the grand jury by 90 days. Foreman George Schulz and Shorstein requested the extension through Jan. 31. They cited the complexity of the investigation into possible Sunshine Law violations and the review of city contracts. The grand jury started its work on May 14 and originally was supposed to wrap up Nov. 2.

They're still coming

Council Vice President Ronnie Fussell arrived at 11:05 a.m. with two people, presumably his attorneys. He shook hands with both Pemberton and me. Five minutes later Hyde left the grand jury room with attorney David Wells. Fussell's testimony could be interesting. We didn't have much to go on during our investigation, and here's why: His aide threw away all but seven months of his calendars, a violation of state guidelines on document retention. They are supposed to be kept for at least a year. Fussell told us that the mistake was unintentional.

Revolving door

Must be getting crowded in there. Deputy General Counsel Steve Rohan just came in, solo, pulling a large briefcase. Thanks to photographer John Pemberton for catching this one while I was momentarily away. Rohan is the head of the Legislative Affairs Department, which means he offers legal advice to council members and drafts bills. He also has served as the city's ethics officer and trained the council members on how to follow the Sunshine Law.

'City Hall west annex'

Hyde is testifying right now. He was the council president during much of the 18-month period we investigated for possible Sunshine violations. His calendar was the one that called the Fox diner in Avondale "City Hall west annex." Hyde's calendar also contained a number of entries labeled "client breakfasts" or "client meetings" that actually turned out to be meetings with other council members. Hyde has said that was simply to indicate they were discussing non-city business.

Inmate crossing

Second plug for a new courthouse: Better security. A group of 17 inmates - 15 men and 2 women - chained together just walked past me in the narrow hallway. One man asked how I was doing. The police kept order and kept them moving, but the atmosphere is zoo-like with the inmates trekking across the floor, people coming on and off the elevator and attorneys and their clients all in the hallway together.