Request 036, 037 and 038 — 2/5 to 2/7/2026

Any way the wind blows

It’s Saturday, happy foiaday!

Wednesday’s request — on the butter cow — is just making me even more excited to get documents back. To be fair, every newsletter yields a new request that makes me more and more excited, but yesterday’s takes the cake.

Couple updates at the end for some requests, but otherwise, I’ll keep it quick. Let’s request:

• records from the National Weather Service! 🌧️

• FCC complaints! 🗣️

and…

• mayoral gifts! 🎁

If there's a coworker or friend you think would benefit from this newsletter, feel free to forward it to them! If they subscribe, they'll also get a link to a template for the tracker I like to use to keep tabs on requests I've filed.

Thursday’s request 🌤️

Way back when, on Halloween in 2014, the internet was alight with ALS Ice Bucket Challenge videos, pictures of Pharrell’s hat and Flappy Bird.

It also was the date of a massively important, underrated relationship: one between the National Weather Service and Twitter.

The NWS often uses social media to communicate everything from cute photos and graphics about weather safety to emergency response information to active severe weather warnings. When Elon Musk purchased, then tanked, Twitter for use of organizations, NWS employees, like many others with API-based integrations into Twitter, found their capacity to post being limited, in turn limiting their ability to communicate emergent issues.

After a delay, the National Weather Service began branching out into different social media platforms, including to some capacity, the Twitter rival Bluesky. But not every local office has a Bluesky account, and not every person who needs a warning about the weather is on there, either.

Last summer, the National Weather Service announced that they were researching the possible switch to and efficacy of Bluesky for their needs, in part by soliciting feedback about their Bluesky accounts.

That feedback window closed on January 26, 2026. So let’s get those records!

I’m also really curious about what else NWS employees are given about social media, and how the transition away from Twitter was handled.

Keeping all this in mind, here’s what we’ll request:

- Survey responses and data created by this survey about use of Bluesky by NWS (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PrototypeNWSUseofBluesky_2025). Please release records in a machine-readable format, like a .xlsx or .csv, or .pdf if necessary. 

- Memos, documents, guidance or procedures about official social media use for both national and local offices of NWS. Please release documents in a .pdf format.

- Memos, documents, guidance or procedures about use of Twitter/X and a transition to a new platform. Please release documents in a .pdf format.

Then, because NOAA is a new agency for us:

- A log, list, document or data to show all records requests filed with this agency (like a "FOIA log") between 1/1/2024 and the present. Please release documents in a digitized format and include a description of the request, the date of the request, the name or affiliation of the requester and the outcome of the request. Please release the document in a .xlsx or .csv if possible, or a .pdf if not.

- The most recent records retention schedule for the agency, which includes a list of documents kept by the agency and for how long each record is retained. This may be called a general records schedule, a records index, or something else. Please release this in a .pdf if possible.

Friday’s request 📺

We’re going to revisit a request from a few weeks ago about FCC complaints, and apply it toward the Olympics. 😃

The opening ceremonies were broadcast last night (even though they happened much earlier) and it’s always interesting how geopolitical issues get put on display.

It’s particularly interesting how different countries frame the same event.

Yesterday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) broadcast the opening ceremonies, including a key moment when Team USA walked out on the spiral-y stage. It wasn’t just cheers for the team, though: as the camera cut to J.D. Vance, people in the crowd booed. Loudly.

But if you watched the official broadcast in the United States, on NBC, there were cheers, sure — and nothing else.

No boos. Same cut to Vance. And people noticed. (Including me.)

So we’ll re-up the request from a few weeks ago for FCC complaints, and see if anyone formally filed anything about the broadcast!

All complaints received regarding the Winter Olympics broadcast on NBC from Feb 1, 2026, until Feb 7, 2026, or whenever this request is processed. Please release documents as a .pdf and redact any PII about the complainant.

Saturday’s request 🎁

Sometimes, officials receive gifts.

And sometimes, like in Chicago, they receive so many that they have a designated gift room.

And sometimes, they fail to log the gifts like they should.

So. To keep it quick, easy and simple, let’s request for records 1. about the gift room, 2. about the gifts received, and 3. about whether any gifts were donated.

- a list, log, data or documents sufficient to show all gifts received and inventoried between 1/1/2025 and present (2/7/2026). Please include a description of the gift, the monetary value, and the name of the gift-giver, as well as the date the gift was given. Please release this in a digitized format, like a .pdf or .xlsx.

- a list, log, data or documents sufficient to show any donations of gifts received by the mayor or the mayor's office. Please include a description of the gift, the name or organization name of the recipient, as well as the date the gift was donated. Please release this in a digitized format, like a .pdf or .xlsx.

- Memos, documents, MOUs, or other records about the mayor's "gift room". Please release documents in a .pdf format if possible.

Some of this is already available online, but I’m curious if there are other fields that aren’t accessible through the searchable table.

Another thing… the public, apparently, can sign up for time slots to visit the gift room, and nonprofits can request a donation from the mayor’s office.

So. Two more for the road:

- All requests for donations from the mayor's office by nonprofits as described here (https://webapps4.chicago.gov/eforms/donation). Please include all fields unless necessary for redaction due to PII. Please release all data currently (as of 2/7/2026) available. 

- All registrations for time slots for a public visit of the mayor's gift room as described here (https://webapps4.chicago.gov/eforms/giftinventorypublicviewings). Please release all data unless necessary to redact due to PII. Please release all data currently (as of 2/7/2026) available.

Full updates on the week will be on Monday, and tomorrow will bring a new request!

I got a little backed up over the past few days between my actual day job (draft edits!) and being under the weather. In the meantime, I’ll be bundled up and sipping cocoa while I watch an excessive amount of curling and figure skating.

Happy filing, stay warm! 🏔️

Cam