Fourth suspect arrested in 2001 homicide case

A fourth suspect in the case of a Topeka man whose body was found last year was arrested Friday and held on suspicion of first-degree murder, according to law enforcement reports.

The 41-year-old Topeka man was arrested at 9:47 a.m. by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. In addition to first-degree murder, he is being held on suspicion of aggravated kidnapping and conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping. Bail was set at $500,000.

The badly decomposed body of Dale A. Miller, Topeka, was found in April 2001 in a Lecompton field. An autopsy report showed he died of multiple gunshot wounds to the neck and torso.

Gary F. Holmes, 52, Topeka, and Curtis D. Callarman, 23, Topeka, have been charged with aggravated kidnapping and conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping in connection with the case. Michael W. Reece, 33, Topeka, also faces the conspiracy charge.

The man arrested Friday is the first suspect to be held on suspicion of murder in the case.

Rainstorm in city drops much-needed precipitation

After 20 days without rainfall, Lawrence finally got some relief.

Friday night’s rainstorms had dropped slightly more than a quarter-inch of rain on Lawrence by 10:45 p.m., according to the National Weather Service in Topeka.

Another quarter-inch was forecast for the area today.

Some areas received more rainfall. Weather Skyhawk Bruce Stucky reported 0.49 inches in southeast Lawrence by 9:20 p.m. Randy Tongier in the Deerfield area said 0.45 inches had fallen by 8:30 p.m.

Free State, Central earn test-score honors

Two Lawrence public schools have been recognized for achievement on state standardized tests.

Free State High School and Central Junior High School are among 74 recipients of the inaugural Challenge Award, which goes to Kansas schools exceeding expectations on state exams.

Free State was among 11 high schools honored for good scores on the 10th-grade math exam.

Central was among a dozen schools recognized for doing well on the eighth-grade reading test.

A new organization, Confidence in Kansas Public Education Task Force, honored schools with high enrollment of poor or minority students that posted assessment scores above what normally would be expected.

Studies indicate the greatest achievement gaps occur in schools with high ethnic populations and schools with a high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches.

Selections were announced this week at a Kansas State Board of Education meeting in Topeka.

Peace coalition plans second rally today

The second peace rally in as many weeks will protest U.S. military force against Iraq.

The rally, sponsored by the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice, will begin at noon today in front of the Douglas County Courthouse, 11th and Massachusetts streets.

Nearly 300 people took part in a similar rally last Saturday, and coalition coordinator Allan Hanson said many had expressed interest in additional demonstrations.

At the start of today’s rally, participants will have a chance to make brief statements about a possible military strike against Iraq. The group then will march along Massachusetts Street to Eighth Street and back to the courthouse.

Tenants to Homeowners Inc. completing two more houses

By late October, two new homes on Atherton Court in East Lawrence should be completed and available for purchase by low-income families, said Rebecca Buford, associate director of Tenants to Homeowners Inc.

The three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes will join six others that have been built by the nonprofit organization since spring 2001. These homes are all occupied, and five were sold at cost to qualifying families, Buford said.

The organization, 2518 Ridge Court, Suite 209, depends on support from area businesses and donations, and Buford said she hoped to continue to cooperate with the city.

“As long as the city partners with us and we have lots to build on, we’ll continue to build,” she said.

Tickets remain for lecture by founder of C-SPAN

About 200 tickets remain for Brian Lamb’s lecture next week at Kansas University.

Lamb, founder and CEO of C-SPAN and host of the network’s Booknotes program, will speak at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union. The speech is sponsored by the Dole Institute of Politics.

So far, about 300 people have claimed free tickets, said Erik Nelson, the institute’s associate director. To claim up to two tickets, visit the Student Union Activities box office in the Kansas Union or the Lied Center box office, or call 864-2787.

Lamb’s lecture will be followed by a question-and-answer session and a book signing.

Health-care advocates meet

More than 20 people met Thursday night at the Lawrence Public Library as part of a new group advocating universal health care.

The group, Kansas Health Care for All, wants to make sure that all 224,000 uninsured people in the state can have affordable access to proper health services. It is affiliated with the Universal Health Care Action Network.

Members on hand Thursday were mostly current and retired social workers, health experts and providers. Most were from Lawrence.

“Our main concern is our children and grandchildren, how they’ve been unable to afford health-care insurance and how devastating that can be,” said Janney Burgess, a retired nurse who is part of the group.

Kansas Health Care For All will meet again Oct. 22 at the library.

Art guild meeting features supply swap

The Lawrence Art Guild will meet from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday in the auditorium at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt.

An art supply swap meet will start at 7 p.m. Participants can swap, trade or sell new materials or old art supplies they no longer use.

The free event is open to the public.