Week in Review: Bad press, books and fraud

By Travis Perry │ Kansas Watchdog

OSAWATOMIE, Kan. — The Fourth of July and its annual celebration of freedom is upon us!

But while you celebrate being an American by blowing things up and firing up the grill, make sure you review what you might have missed in the run-up to the holiday weekend.

Small town checks out a stack of controversy in little library move

It’s hard to believe the city of Leawood didn’t see this one coming, but that’s the line from municipal officials. After the city chose to enforce an ordinance regulating detached structures against a little boy’s Little Free Library, community members — and anyone else with an Internet connection — unloaded their opinion on the city. Take a look.

Another Kansas town enters latest chapter in Little Free Library fray

But wait, there’s more! For some reason, a number of Kansas cities are getting caught up in a sticky thicket surrounding the trend of Little Free Libraries. Who knew promoting literacy could be such a dicey issue? The city of Fairway says it doesn’t intend to block the small book nooks, but rather wants to establish a set of guidelines. Above all, they just don’t want to make the same mistake as Leawood. Read all about it.

Kansas’ punishment for voter fraud ‘a slap on the wrist’

For more than a decade now, Sherman County Clerk Janet Rumple has watched one Kansas man openly flaunt and get away with voting in multiple states at least once. The facts are there, and he readily admits — even boasts — the crime. But according to the Secretary of State’s office, sometimes prosecuting voter fraud just isn’t a high priority. Check it out.

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