Politics: KU presidential historian to discuss State of Union
Presidential historian Richard Norton Smith will speak about the State of the Union Address during two national TV appearances today.
Smith, director of the Dole Institute of Politics at Kansas University, will appear with historians Doris Kearns Goodwin, Michael Beschloss and Roger Wilkens during an interview on "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer" on PBS, airing locally at 6 p.m. on Sunflower Broadband channels 7 and 11.
Smith also will be interviewed by anchor Brian Williams on MSNBC sometime between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. MSNBC is not available on Sunflower Broadband.
President George W. Bush delivers his State of the Union Address at 8 p.m. today.
Anniversary: Kansas celebrates 141 years of statehood
Local schools and museums commemorate Kansas Day today, the 141st anniversary of statehood.
Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass., will have presentations about William Quantrill's Civil War raid on Lawrence in 1863, two years after statehood was granted. An interactive kiosk will show museum patrons what the town looked like then.
Broken Arrow School kindergarten teacher Val Howland said she's teaching her students about the Kansas settlers and the American Indian tribes that lived here before they arrived.
Her class spent Monday making bread and butter, using the recipes and methods of early settlers.
"I think it's important to know where you've come from," Howland said. "I think it's important for children to get a sense of their place in their family, the community and in history."
Financial support: Applications available to fund local art projects
The Lawrence Arts Commission is taking applications for grants to fund Lawrence visual, literary or performing arts projects.
Grant applications are available at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt.; The Lawrence Arts Center, 200 W. Ninth St.; and City Hall, Sixth and Massachusetts streets. Applications can also be downloaded from the Internet at www.lawrenceks.org. Completed applications must be delivered or mailed to arrive at City Hall no later than 4:30 p.m. March 11.
The grants, up to $500, are intended to serve as startup money; ongoing projects will not be considered.
Applications for individual and group projects are reviewed by the arts commission, which recommends winners to the Lawrence City Commission.
Fire: Electrical problem said to be cause of blaze at residence
An electrical problem caused the fire that destroyed a house Friday at 1216 Ohio, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical investigators said.
Electrical appliances in the front room were the only sources that could not be ruled out as possible origin for the fire, Fire Marshal Rich Barr said.
Investigators also determined there was only one smoke detector in the house located on the first floor and it did not have a battery in it, Barr said. City ordinances require a working smoke detector on each floor of a house and for them to be near a sleeping room.
No citations have been issued to the owner of the house, Ashley Funderburk, but that remains a possibility, Barr said.
Fire & Medical doesn't inspect single-family homes for smoke detectors unless requested, Barr said.
At least two of the people sleeping in the house were alerted to the blaze by a barking dog, which did not survive the fire.
City government: New staff member joins human relations department
Michelle Smith has joined the city's human relations department as a human relations specialist.
Smith spent 25 years working for the Kansas Human Rights Commission, most recently as a special investigator. Her duties in Lawrence are to investigate complaints filed under various anti-discrimination laws and acts, including allegations of unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and public contracts.
Smith replaces Victor Glover, who took a job in another state.
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.