Rain dampens Lawrence area

The rain is finished for a while in the Lawrence area and high temperatures through Saturday should remain in the 40s, according to the National Weather Service in Topeka.

Virtually no rain fell in Lawrence most of Wednesday. As of 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Lawrence had received 0.20 inches of rain in the previous 24 hours.

A total of 0.28 inches of rain fell Tuesday and Wednesday in Skyhawk weather spotter Ken Blair’s neighborhood just south of Allen Fieldhouse.

In the Deerfield area, Skyhawk Randy Tongier recorded 0.15 inches of rain in his gauge Wednesday. William Winkler said only 0.02 inches fell in neighborhoods northwest of 26th and Iowa streets.

Flu-shot clinics to open for general public Saturday

The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department will offer flu shots to people at lower risk of flu beginning Saturday.

The first clinic will be from 10 a.m. to noon at the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, 200 Maine. More clinics will be conducted throughout the month at various locations in Douglas County.

Shots cost $14, but no one will be turned away because of inability to pay. There is no charge for people enrolled in Medicare B, Medicaid or HealthWave who have their cards.

It is not too late for those at high risk of flu to get shots. October and November are the best months to get flu shots. Pneumonia shots also will be given at clinics.

For more information, or for a schedule of clinics, call 843-0721.

Ottawa theater burglarized

Ottawa  More than $1,800 in cash and some cell phones were taken in a burglary earlier this week at Plaza Theater, 209 S. Main St., Ottawa Police said.

About 2:30 a.m. Monday, officers responded to a report of an open door at the theater, Capt. Ron Puterbaugh said. Officers couldn’t contact a theater representative so they relocked the door, Puterbaugh said.

Police returned to the theater at 6:35 p.m. Monday after theater employees called and reported the theft. The money had been taken from an office area, Puterbaugh said. Police were still trying to determine how many cell phones might have been taken.

Gymnastics school plans cartwheel fund-raiser

The Lawrence Gymnastics Academy will stage its third annual cartwheel-a-thon from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the academy, 4930 Legends Drive.

Participants will do as many cartwheels in a row as they can. The winners for the most cartwheels and money raised will receive prizes. Contributors can donate a flat amount, or base it on number of cartwheels done.

The money raised will help the academy compete against teams from all over the country.

Participants are divided into age groups, and everyone is welcome to participate; no prior registration is required.

Poet, translator to visit KU

An award-winning poet and translator will speak to Kansas University English classes and present a poetry reading this week.

Elaine Terranova, who translated Euripides’ “Iphigenia at Aulis,” being performed at KU’s Murphy Hall through Saturday, will read her works at 2 p.m. Saturday at Borders Books and Music, 700 N.H.

She is author of “The Cult of the Right Hand,” which won the 1990 Walt Whitman Award of the Academy of American Poets.

KU wins regional award for Hughes symposium

Kansas University has won a regional award for its symposium on poet Langston Hughes.

KU Continuing Education, which staged the symposium, won the Innovations and Contributions to Continuing Education award from the University Continuing Education Assn.’s Region IV/V conference earlier this month in Minneapolis, Minn.

KU’s entry now will be forwarded to national competition. Winners will be announced in April.

The symposium in February drew hundreds of participants to speeches and performances. Presenters included author Alice Walker and actor Danny Glover.