Friday, March 14: The First Amendment Center is hosting the 10th annual National FOI Day Conference at the Newseum, co-sponsored by Sunshine Week. Panelists and keynote speakers will look at a variety of Freedom of Information issues, awards will be presented and new reports and publications will be available. There is no fee to attend, but registration is required due to limited space. For more information, go to the First Amendment Center Web site.

Monday, March 17: The Public Interest Declassification Board, an advisory committee to the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, is holding a public hearing to gather reaction to its report, "Improving Declassification." The hearing, scheduled specifically to coincide with Sunshine Week, is open to the public, but due to space limitations and access procedures, anyone planning to attend should register via e-mail no later than March 12. For more information about the hearing and the report, go to the NARA Web site.

Monday, March 17: The Radio-Television News Directors Foundation, SchoolTube.com and Channel One Networks will announce the high school student winners of the RTNDF 5 Freedoms Contest. The students were challenged with creating a 15-second or 30-second TV ad about the First Amendment in general or one of its five freedoms specifically (cheat sheet: press, speech, petition, assembly and religion) and uploading them to the SchoolTube site. Winners for each time category will receive $1,000 be posted on SchoolTube and have their ads shown on Channel One during Sunshine Week.

Monday, March 17: American University's Washington College of Law Collaboration on Government Secrecy is hosting its first Freedom of Information Day featuring panels and speakers addressing new FOIA legislation, the state secrets privilege, pseudosecrecy and international transparency. More information and registration details are on the WCL Web site.

Tuesday, March 18: Associated Press President and CEO Tom Curley will address Freedom of Information and other open government issues during a Sunshine Week dinner event at The National Press Club. The dinner is being jointly presented by Sunshine Week and the Eric Friedheim National Journalism Library. The speech will update Curley's 2004 Hays-Enterprise Lecture, which many view as a defining moment in moving forward the myriad efforts ongoing now to preserve and protect access to information. Curley's 2008 speech will look ahead to priorities in the new administration. For more information, read the event announcement.

Wednesday, March 19: OpenTheGovernment.org and several other associations are sponsoring the third annual Sunshine Week National Dialogue on Open Government and Secrecy. This year's panel discussions will focus on "Government Secrecy: Censoring Your Right to Know." The event will be webcast for free from the National Press Club to sites around the country. Satellite feeds will be available with prior registration and for a fee. Those interested can also attend at the Press Club. To see the additional sponsors and a list of speakers, as well as for registration information, visit the OpenTheGovernment.org Web site.

Wednesday, March 19: The Association for Women in Communications-DC Chapter is celebrating Sunshine Week with a networking reception and tour of W*USA Channel 9 in Washington. The guest speaker is anchor Bruce Johnson. RSVPs must be received by Tuesday, March 18. Registration is available via the AWC-DC Web site.

Thursday, March 20: The Sunlight Foundation and Omidyar Network will host a discussion with Lawrence Lessig, law professor and director of the Stanford Center for Internet and Society. Lessig will introduce a plan called "Change Congress," designed to increase congressional transparency. The lecture is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at the National Press Club and will also be available via webcast. For more information, go to the Sunlight Foundation Web site.

Thursday, March 13: Sunshine Week is hosting a discussion following L.A. Theatre Works' production of "Top Secret: The Battle for the Pentagon Papers." Written by Geoffrey Cowan and the late Leroy Aarons, the play dramatizes events inside The Washington Post newsroom as the Nixon administration fought to restrain publication of the Pentagon Papers. The post-performance discussion is hosted by Peter Scheer, executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition. Part of "The Play's the Thing" series recorded for broadcast on satellite and public radio, performances run March 12-16 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. More information is on L.A. Theater Works' Web site.

Friday, March 21: The League of Women Voters of Torrance is hosting a "Get the Facts" panel discussion and "Get into the Act" fair to celebrate Sunshine Week. The panel, from 7-8 p.m., will feature a number of speakers explaining how to use the Freedom of Information Act and other ways to get government information. The discussion will be taped by the Torrance Cable Department and replayed for two weeks. From 8-9 p.m., attendees can visit with representatives of political parties and other groups. Both events are at Torrance City Hall. More information is on the League of Women Voters of Torrance Web site.

Monday, March 10: The Delaware Press Association and The News Journal, Wilmington, are hosting a panel discussion on FOIA and open government issues with public officials, journalists and lawyers at the University of Delaware's Wilmington Campus. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit the Delaware Press Association Web site.

Tuesday, March 18: During Sunshine Week, Gov. Charlie Crist will announce the winners of the state's first essay contest for public school students in grades 9-12. The essays must be no more than 500 words and written on the topic: "What role does open government play within a democratic society and a democratic government?" The first place winner receives a $5,000 scholarship. More information is available on the governor's Web site.

Monday, March 17: The Honolulu Community-Media Council, East-West Center, Society of Professional Journalists, University of Hawaii School of Communications, Student Equity Excellence and Diversity (SEED), and University of Hawaii West Oahu are hosting the Ah Jook Ku Lecture Series FOI Day luncheon, featuring Sheila Coronel, director of the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism at Columbia University, who will discuss investigative reporting in troubled times. The luncheon, which begins with registration at 11:30 a.m., will be held at the East-West Center Hawai’i Imin International Conference Center. More information and registration details can be found online.

Monday, March 17: The League of Women Voters of the Midland Area is hosting a Sunshine Week panel discussion featuring educators, journalists and city officials. The event begins at 7 p.m. at the Strosacker Building in Midland and is free and open to the public. Those who celebrate St. Patrick's Day are encouraged to wear green. More information is in the League's March newsletter.

Friday, March 14: The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information is hosting a free, public Freedom of Information Day and Awards Ceremony at the Minneapolis Central Library. The event's keynote speaker is Jane Kirtley, director of the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota. FOI awards will be presented to journalists for their work using public records to enhance their coverage of the Minneapolis bridge collapse last year; honorable mentions also will be presented. For more information, go to the MNCOGI Web site.

Monday, March 17: The National Institute on Money in State Politics will launch a new online, interactive Committee Analysis Tool (CAT). The CAT is a mash-up of state legislative committee rosters from Project Vote Smart and the Institute's 50-state campaign donor data. This and other online research tools can be found on the National Institute on Money in State Politics Web site.

Tuesday, March 18 and Wednesday, March 19: The New Jersey Foundation for Open Government is hosting two Sunshine Week events. The first is in Trenton on March 18 when state Sen. Loretta Weinberg will introduce legislation to update the Open Public Meetings Law. In addition, Assemblyman Joseph Cryan will speak about a bill he's introduced to limit copying fees for public documents. Following the legislative presentations, NJFOG will host a panel discussion on government transparency and an award presentation. The following day, March 19, NJFOG will host a viewing at the Rutgers University Newark Campus of the national webcast from the National Press Club in Washington, followed by a discussion of local issues. For more information, go to the NJFOG Web site.

Wednesday, March 12: The Greenwich Free Library will host an evening discussion with Robert J. Freeman, executive director of the New York State Committee on Open Government. Joining Freeman will be local residents discussing their use of the state's open government law. The event, sponsored by Main Street newspaper, is free and open to the public. More information is available in a Glens Falls Post Star article.

Tuesday, March 18: The New York Press Association is co-hosting a conference on Freedom of Information and open government in New York City featuring the lieutenant governor, attorney general and executive director of the state's Committee on Open Government. The state attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo, will serve as Honorary Chair of Sunshine Week activities in New York. More information is available on the conference flier or by contacting the NYPA.

Thursday, March 20: The Sunshine Center of the North Carolina Open Government Coalition is hosting a Sunshine Week program examining public records case studies, a discussion of a new report from the state attorney general and N.C. Press Association, and a look at the year's open government successes and failures. The program at Elon University begins at 9 a.m. and concludes with a luncheon that runs until 1: 30 p.m. Cost is $30 (including lunch) and $15 for students. Registration information can be found online.

Saturday, March 1: FOI Oklahoma Inc. and the Society of Professional Journalists Oklahoma Pro Chapter are co-hosting a Sunshine Campaign workshop on making open government a campaign issue in state and local elections. The even is free to the group's members, $15 for others. Click here for more information and registration.

Monday, March 10: The Rhode Island Press Association and ACCESS/RI are hosting a panel of legislative leaders to discuss state open government issues. The forum is free and open to the public, and questions will be taken at the event as well as submitted in advance. More information is on the event filer or available via e-mail.

Tuesday, March 18: Austin Peay State University will host its third Library Athenaeum with a Sunshine Week discussion of right-to-know laws with Melony Jones, a communication specialist in the Office of Public Relations and Marketing. More information can be found on the Web site of The Leaf-Chronicle of Clarksville.

Friday, March 14: Riverton High School is holding its third annual Sunshine Week celebration with a school assembly featuring Brigham Young University journalism professor Joel Campbell, a First Amendment quiz contest and Sunshine Week T-Shirt raffles. Teacher and newspaper adviser April Squires opens the event by playing "Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In" as the students gather.