KU’s student president headed to Mideast

The Kansas University student body president this week will travel to Israel to visit Israeli soldiers and learn about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Jonathan Ng, Leawood senior, was selected along with 12 other university student body presidents from Midwestern, Western and Southern states to take part in the nine-day travel seminar from Thursday through Aug. 9. The seminar is organized by Project Interchange, an educational institute of the American Jewish Committee.

“I understand this may not be the safest time to go, but I know this will be a great learning experience nonetheless,” Ng said.

The seminar which seeks to provide participants with a balanced overview of Israeli society and politics, U.S.-Israel relations and the Middle East peace process will include meetings with Israeli government officials, Israeli soldiers, Palestinians, Israeli Arab community leaders, academic experts and journalists.

Burlingame resident killed in one-vehicle accident

A Burlingame man died early Saturday in Osage County after being thrown from his Chevrolet Blazer.

Christopher L. Chisham, 28, was northbound on U.S. Highway 75, about two miles north of Carbondale, when he drove off the road, struck the metal guard rail, veered to the left, crossed both northbound lanes and the center median and struck the middle guard rail for the southbound lane, a Kansas Highway Patrol accident report said.

Chisham’s 1999 Blazer then continued across both southbound lanes, overturned on the west shoulder and came to rest on its top, the report said.

Chisham, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected, the report said. He was taken by ambulance to St. Francis Hospital in Topeka, where he died at 7:35 a.m.

The exact time of the accident still is under investigation.

Phone business falls victim to robberies

Burglars struck a Massachusetts Street business twice in two days, making off with thousands of dollars in merchandise.

The crimes occurred early Thursday and Friday mornings at Simply Wireless, 1901 Mass., a Lawrence Police report said. In both cases, suspects gained access to the store by throwing a rock through its glass back door, causing $900 damage, Sgt. Dave Hubbel said.

Taken were more than 100 pre-paid phone cards, cellular telephone face plates, cellular phones and phone holsters. The total value of the items removed in the burglaries was $5,638.17.

Hubbel said a witness to one of the burglaries saw two suspects leaving the store with trash bags and getting into a vehicle where a third suspect was waiting. The witness was unable to get a plate number from the car, Hubbel said.

Police have no suspects, and the investigation continues.

Freight cars derail in Johnson County town

Edgerton Several cars of a freight train derailed Saturday night in southern Johnson County, mangling a stretch of track and closing a heavily traveled city street.

No one was hurt and no hazardous material spilled when 15 to 20 cars jumped the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks about 6:25 p.m., said Lt. Charles Black of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department.

Black did not have further details about the train or its route. The derailment occurred on a flat stretch of track and closed a crossing along a street that carries traffic into Edgerton from Interstate 35, he said.

“It could take days to clear the tracks,” Black said.

Kansan drowns trying to push raft in Missouri lake

Smithville, Mo. A Kansas man drowned on Smithville Lake as he tried to push a raft back toward shore, authorities said.

Hector Macias-Tableros, 37, of Kansas City, Kan., was floating on the raft with two young relatives about 2:50 p.m. Saturday when the wind blew them away from shore, the Missouri State Water Patrol said.

Macias-Tableros tried to push the raft back toward shore but began to struggle and slipped under the water, the patrol said. His body was recovered less than an hour later.