Lawrence Salvation Army welcomes new directors

After serving in numerous states in the Midwest as well as the Caribbean and South America Rich Forney is now working a little closer to home.

The Emporia native and his wife, Judy are new directors at the Lawrence Salvation Army, 946 N.H.

The couple have more than 32 years of service with the charity organization, and most recently served in the Westport area of Kansas City, Mo.

They were welcomed to Lawrence during a Thursday reception at the Salvation Army shelter.

Rich Forney has goals for the Salvation Army’s efforts in Lawrence.

“I’d like to see our social services expanded and the shelter work that we’re doing here expanded,” he said. “And, of course, we’re looking for another facility because we’ve outgrown this one considerably.”

The Forneys replace Kirk and Carolyn Schuetz, who were reappointed in August to the Salvation Army’s Northland Corps in Kansas City, Mo.

Investigation

Ottawa post office opens after anthrax scare

Ottawa The Ottawa post office reopened Thursday afternoon after an anthrax scare closed the building Wednesday and halted mail delivery.

An unmarked envelope with a powdery substance in and around it prompted the closure on the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Tests on Thursday still read negative for anthrax, although final confirmation from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment won’t come until today, said Barbara Conus, Franklin County Health Department director.

Officials there gave the go-ahead for the post office to resume operations Thursday afternoon.

Employees Thursday morning set up a contingency operation at the National Guard Armory in Ottawa, where they sorted and delivered mail that had accumulated Wednesday in collection boxes throughout town, Conus said.

A post office employee early Wednesday discovered the suspicious envelope which was not addressed or postmarked and contained no written threat in a nonpublic area of the building, 401 S. Hickory St.

Ottawa Police continue to investigate the envelope’s origin.

Crime

Police investigate report of drive-by shooting

A 22-year-old Lawrence woman reported she was the target of a Thursday drive-by shooting.

She told Lawrence Police she was driving east about 3:25 p.m. on Clinton Parkway near Kasold Drive when she heard what sounded like multiple gunshots, Sgt. Paul Fellers said.

Officers found no bullet holes in the woman’s car and received no other reports of gunshots from people in the area at the time, Fellers said.

The woman, who was wearing a veil, thinks she may have been singled out because of her religion, Fellers said.

She contacted Lawrence Police from the Islamic Center of Lawrence, 1917 Naismith Drive, where she drove after the alleged shooting. She told police she worked there, Fellers said.

The woman described the suspects as two white men in a large pickup truck, possibly with black lettering on the side, Fellers said.

The woman did not see a weapon, and the men did not look at her or threaten her in any other way, Fellers said. Officers had not located the truck Thursday evening.