Local briefs

Body found inside store

A man in his mid-20s was found dead Thursday morning inside Ernst & Son Hardware, 826 Mass.

Lawrence Police Sgt. Mike Pattrick said the death was not considered suspicious, but said the man did not die of natural causes. He would not say whether suicide was suspected.

Police received the call about the death at 9:21 a.m. from the storeâÂÂs owner, Rod Ernst.

The manâÂÂs identity was being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The store remained closed Thursday. Above, officers confer outside the store.

Crime

Nativity scene recovered

A stolen Nativity scene is safe at home — two days after its disappearance.

Tuesday morning Ken Meyers woke up to find three wise men, three shepherds, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus missing from his yard at 401 Cattleman Court.

âÂÂI was surprised,â Meyers said of the figuresâ return. âÂÂI don’t have much faith in people.”

A passing jogger alerted Meyers at 7 a.m. Thursday that the missing Nativity figures were in a neighborâÂÂs yard, one house down.

âÂÂIt’s just nice to know I have such great neighbors that would recognize my things and alert me,â Meyers said.

Thieves may want to think twice before striking again.

âÂÂI plan to start buying security equipment that will catch the next people who do this,â Meyers said.

This is the ninth year the Meyers family has placed the Nativity scene in its front yard. The nearly 9-foot-tall manger was hand-cut and painted by Meyers and his wife, Patricia.

Area

3 arrested in drug case

Oskaloosa – A routine check of a suspicious vehicle Wednesday night led Jefferson County SheriffâÂÂs officers to arrest three people on suspicion of drug activity.

Charges were pending Thursday against a 19-year-old Atwood man, a 24-year-old Colby man and a 19-year-old Oskaloosa woman. They were being held in the Jefferson County Jail on $100,000 bond each.

About 8:40 p.m. Wednesday officers responded to the 1400 block of 46th Street in Oskaloosa after receiving a report of a suspicious vehicle. Officers didnâÂÂt find anyone in the car or around a house at the address.

After taking a closer look at the car, however, officers saw what appeared to be items used to manufacture methamphetamine, according to a SheriffâÂÂs report. Officers checked the house about 11:30 p.m. and stopped two cars leaving from the area of the house. The three suspects were arrested.

No other details were released.

Higher education

KU chosen top pick in Hispanic magazine

Kansas University is one of four colleges in Kansas listed this month as a top pick for Hispanic students in a national magazine.

KU, Garden City Community College, Washburn University and Wichita State University were listed on the PublisherâÂÂs Picks List in Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine.

The magazine listed hundreds of universities that received favorable reviews from students and from data at the Center for Education Statistics.

There are 742 Hispanic students enrolled at KU this fall, or 2.6 percent of the student population. The number of Hispanics at KU has increased 18.3 percent in the past year.