Governor hopefuls begin debates Saturday

Gubernatorial candidates Tim Shallenburger and Kathleen Sebelius will kick off a schedule of five debates at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Farm Bureau Arena at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson.

The other debates will be:

Noon-1 p.m. Sept. 16, Wichita Rotary Club luncheon, Hyatt Hotel, 400 W. Waterman, Wichita.

7 p.m.-8 p.m. Oct. 6, Northwest Kansas Cultural Arts Center, Colby Community College, Colby.

l 12:30-1:30 p.m. Oct. 8, Shawnee and Kansas City, Kan., chambers of commerce, Quivira Lake and Country Club, 100 Crescent Blvd., Lake Quivira.

7-8 p.m. Oct. 22, WIBW-TV, Topeka.

The Oct. 22 debate will be televised statewide.

Saturday’s debate will be broadcast live on Kansas Agricultural Network radio stations across the state, including WIBW-AM 580, Topeka.

West Nile now in 55 counties

Topeka Cases of the West Nile Virus now have been confirmed in 55 Kansas counties, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Thursday.

The increase includes 34 new cases of the virus in horses and 20 in birds.

The department said it had added 14 new counties to its list of counties where the virus had been found. The new counties are Butler, Decatur, Harvey, Hodgeman, Labette, Logan, Lyon, Nemaha, Osborne, Pottawatomie, Riley, Sumner, Thomas and Wabaunsee.

The disease is transmitted when a mosquito bites an infected bird and then bites another animal or person. No human cases of West Nile have been reported in Kansas.

Judge unseals documents in diluted drug civil case

Kansas City, Mo. The judge in the civil lawsuit against Robert R. Courtney and two major drug companies unsealed two court filings on Thursday, but a decision about thousands of pages of other documents will not be made until Sept. 12.

Jackson County Circuit Judge Lee Wells unsealed two filings by Michael Ketchmark, who represents hundreds of cancer patients and their families.

Still to be decided is the fate of thousands of pages of documents filed under seal, from drug makers Eli Lilly & Co. and Bristol-Myers Squibb. The Kansas City Star and Ketchmark have argued that the documents should be open for public inspection. The drug companies have said that it might be impossible to find an impartial jury if the documents are released before the Oct. 7 trial.

LMH to stage blood drive

Lawrence Memorial Hospital and Community Blood Center plan a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today in Jayhawk Auditorium at the hospital, 325 Maine.

Donors must be at least 17 years old and in good health. Identification must be presented.

For more information, call 843-5383.

Arthritis walk planned

“A Joint Walk/Run” Saturday at the Shunga Trail in southwest Topeka will benefit the Arthritis Foundation.

The event begins at Crestview Shelter House and includes a 1-mile walk, 4-mile walk and 5K fun run. Registration begins at 8 a.m., with the run beginning at 8:30 a.m. and the walks at 9 a.m.

Proceeds will help the foundation provide services and educational programs for youths and adults and fund research that is developing treatment options.

Osteoporosis is the focus of this year’s event. Walkers who raise more than $100 will receive a free heel bone osteoporosis scan by Dr. Mark Crabtree of the Wichita Clinic. The top fund-raiser will receive a total body scan by Dr. Mark Haub of Kansas State University. All walkers will get a calcium-rich breakfast after the walk.

The registration fee for the 5K fun run is $18 in advance or $20 on the day of the event.

For more information, call Patty Dick at (785) 272-8461.

NASCAR driver to unveil KU-inspired paint job

A NASCAR driver and his new Jayhawk-adorned race car will be at Kansas University on Monday.

Casey Mears, a NASCAR Busch Series driver, will be on campus to officially unveil his Phillips 66 Racing Team’s No. 66 Dodge Intrepid. The ceremony will be at 1 p.m. in front of the Kansas Union, followed by an autograph session from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Car owner Wayne Jesel also will attend.

Phillips 66 officials decided to paint the car crimson and blue after Mears, nephew of four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Rick Mears, attended the Big 12 basketball tournament last spring in Kansas City, Mo.

A 1/24-scale model of the car and car T-shirts will be available at the KU Bookstores.

United Way plans events for Day of Caring volunteers

The Roger Hill Volunteer Center is organizing the ninth annual Day of Caring on Sept. 14.

Volunteers are needed to complete 100 service projects. Many types of projects are available, including yard work, painting and animal care.

The Day of Caring is the official kickoff of the annual United Way campaign. All volunteers will be treated to breakfast, courtesy of Hy-Vee, at Free State High School, where the Wallace Galluzzi Volunteer of the Year Award will be presented and results of early fund-raising efforts will be announced. Volunteers then will work on projects, which are expected to be completed by 1 p.m.

Work is done in groups, so families and friends are encouraged to volunteer together. For more information or to adopt a service project, contact the center at 845-5030 or e-mail at rhvc@ixks.com.