Area briefs

Baker professor to have preliminary hearing

A Baker University professor accused of stealing intellectual property from his former Lawrence employer will have his preliminary hearing at 2 p.m. May 13.

Alexei V. Nikitin, 40, Lawrence, is charged in Douglas County District Court with theft and computer crime. He had his first appearance Tuesday afternoon.

The charges stem from a claim by Lawrence research company Flint Hills Scientific LLC, where Nikitin worked while attending graduate school at Kansas University, that he used a company computer to steal source code software used for implimenting a system for signal analysis. The complaint alleges the crime took place in April 2000.

Neither Nikitin nor his attorneys have commented on the case.

The criminal charges come after nearly two years of still-pending civil litigation in federal court. In July 2000, Flint Hills filed a breach of contract suit against Nikitin and a coworker, claiming that the two had broken a signed agreement when they took inventions they developed while they were working at the company.

Video game store burglarized

A safe was taken early Tuesday when someone broke into Game X Change, 800 W. 23rd St., Lawrence Police said.

Officers responded shortly after 6 a.m. after receiving an alarm. They found the front and back doors to the business had been forced open. A safe containing about $1,300 was taken, police reported.

Police are asking that anyone with information about the burglary call the Crime Stoppers hot line at 843-TIPS. Callers remain anonymous.

Public officials raise funds for Habitat for Humanity

While a group of women prepares to build a house for Habitat for Humanity, a group of Lawrence men is heading to the kitchen.

The men are having a bake sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in front of the U.S. Bank building at Ninth and Massachusetts streets to raise money for Habitat.

The food will include pepper jelly by City Commissioner Marty Kennedy; bread from state Rep. Tom Sloan; brownies from City Manager Mike Wildgen and buttermilk brownies from Sheriff Rick Trapp.

Others scheduled to bring food include City Commissioner Mike Rundle, former KU football player John Hadl, Lawrence Police Chief Ron Olin and Lawrence School Supt. Randy Weseman.

A group of women, including U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Deanell Tacha, Mayor Sue Hack, state Sen. Sandy Praeger and state Rep. Barbara Ballard are building a house beginning May 11, which is Mother’s Day.

KU museum awarded grant

Kansas University’s Museum of Anthropology has been awarded a grant for its upcoming exhibit on American Indians’ use of fireplaces.

The $5,000 grant is from the Kansas Humanities Council.

Mary Adair, the museum’s acting director, said the exhibit would discuss how prehistoric fires were used as social gathering places. It will run from December to August 2003.