Area briefs

Two arrests made in DUI saturation patrol

Two people were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol during a saturation patrol conducted Friday night and Saturday morning by Douglas County Sheriff’s officers.

Officers made 16 vehicle stops and cited four drivers for speeding. Several citations for other violations also were issued, a sheriff’s spokesman said.

Extra officers were on duty to conduct the patrols and watch for impaired drivers. The Kansas Highway Patrol also participated, but no information was available Tuesday about troopers’ work activities.

Oil tank explosion puzzles authorities

McLouth Jefferson County officials late Tuesday were investigating what might have caused an oil tank explosion north of McLouth.

Emergency dispatchers began receiving reports about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday that the tanks had exploded and were on fire, Jefferson County Undersheriff Jeff Herrig said.

Emergency personnel arrived at the property, just north of Kansas Highway 92 on Union Road, about four miles north of McLouth, and found three 200-barrel oil tanks on fire, Herrig said. The tanks, owned by Pace Oil of Tulsa, Okla., contained approximately 28,000 gallons of crude oil, none of which was thought to have leaked from the tanks, he said.

Firefighters remained on the scene late Tuesday, supervising as the fire burned itself out, Herrig said.

The land is owned by Herb Edmonds of McLouth.

No one was injured in the explosion, which was still under investigation late Tuesday. A damage estimate had not been determined.

Memorial of Honor progress continues

A memorial honoring war veterans and other public servants is less than two years away from going up in front of the Visitors Center at the Union Pacific Depot, 402 N. Second St.

Members of the Douglas County Memorial of Honor Foundation updated the Lawrence City Commission on the project Tuesday night.

Foundation chairman and former Lawrence Mayor Erv Hodges said 75 percent of the funds had been collected for the $250,000 project. The group is still soliciting money for an endowment designated for future maintenance of the “Rise Up in Honor” memorial, to be dedicated on July 4, 2004.

The project includes a bronze sculpture by local artist Jim Brothers, benches, a garden and a computer-based archive system with biographies of the men and women who died serving their country and the Douglas County community.

Donations can be mailed to the Douglas County Memorial of Honor Foundation, P.O. Box 123, Lawrence 66044.

County to review $44 million budget

Next year’s proposed Douglas County budget will be up for public review tonight.

County commissioners will conduct a public hearing on the $44 million plan during tonight’s meeting, which begins at 6:35 p.m. at the county courthouse, 1100 Mass.

Commissioners also will consider an application from Verizon Wireless, which wants to add equipment to an existing communications tower southeast of Lawrence, at 1761 N. 1100 Road.