1. Someone who works for the City of Bellingham, Washington wrote a report criticizing Matia Contractors, a private company that had done some work for the city on Joe Martin Field.
2. The report was apparently so over-the-top and unfair that an arbitrator said the city had to pay Matia an additional $240,000 for its work. The arbitrator also ordered the destruction of the critical report. (Maybe the arbitrator was trying to shield Bellingham from a defamation lawsuit?)
3. The local newspaper wanted to see the report that was at the center of this controversy. (I do too!)
4. A Washington State Superior Court judge is going along with shielding the injurious report from the public.
5. Matia Contractors and the City of Bellingham both wanted the injurious report squelched.
I can see where Matia Contractors is coming from but at the same time, the situation seems to be that a city employee behaved quite badly. It would be good for the public to have a chance to see just how badly.
