Postcards
Let it snow
In December, Topeka, Kan., Mayor Bill Bunten received a letter from an Illinois student about the city’s ordinance prohibiting snowball throwing. According to The Associated Press, Bunten did not know about the law and promised to repeal the ordinance “lest our already-crowded prisons are filled up with children who, while making a snowman, got carried away and had a snowball fight.” Individuals who violate the ordinance, which also prohibits hurling stones and other missiles, could be fined $499 and face 179 days in jail.
Eat, drink and be merry
Last month, a Westerville, Ohio, pizza parlor became the first establishment in the city’s uptown district since 1875 to legally sell beer and wine. Businesses and city officials fought to lift a ban on alcohol sales so they could compete with nearby retail developments, according to The Associated Press. Westerville’s 1875 alcohol ban was instituted following the “Whiskey Wars,” during which the town’s saloon was destroyed. When the city’s first new liquor license was approved in November, Michael Evans, the owner of Michael’s Pizza, vowed to auction the first beer, which sold for $150, and donate the proceeds to a local ministry.