Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab violated state open records law when he ordered a software vendor to disable the ability to produce a public record, the Kansas Court of Appeals ruled on Friday.
A KBI case file leaves one prevailing question which may ultimately be lost to history: Why did Lawrence Police Officer William Garrett shoot and kill Rick “Tiger” Dowdell on July 16, 1970?
“There could be no better time to observe National Sunshine Week, a time for citizens and elected officials alike to recommit themselves to the ideals of open government.”
A Kansas Senate panel is considering how best to proceed with amending the state’s open records act to increase transparency without triggering unintended consequences and placing an undue burden on municipalities.
August Rudisell/The Lawrence Times
Incoming Lawrence Chief of Police Rich Lockhart will start his job with an annual salary of $156,035, expenses for moving, and a vacation perk on par with city staff employed 6-10 years.
Carlos Moreno / KCUR 89.3
Emails between an auditing firm and Kansas show how quickly the state bent to the company’s wishes to keep information out of public view. Experts say this reflects a disturbing national trend.
Crysta Henthorne / KCUR 89.3
A state agency is defending its blacking out of much of a report commissioned with tax dollars. It says it was accommodating a contractor that argued the redactions were needed to protect trade secrets.
Kylie Cameron / KMUW
The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and Kansas Bureau of Investigations continue to investigate the death of a teen who died while in custody earlier this week.
KU Libraries Exhibits
The KBI will, at least temporarily, continue to keep in the dark records that could finally shed light on a case of police violence that has been imprinted in the fabric of Lawrence for exactly 51 years.
Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector
An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas says the state’s open records law might as well not exist if Secretary of State Scott Schwab is allowed to keep public information hidden by reconfiguring software.
