Fourth peace rally draws about 80 participants

Passing vehicles honked horns Saturday in support of some 80 people gathered for a peaceful demonstration against U.S. military action against Iraq.

Saturday’s noon protest was the fourth this month organized by the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice in opposition to an attack on Iraq.

Nearly 300 area residents marched down Massachusetts Street in the first protest on Sept. 7.

Coalition coordinator Allan Hanson said the peace rallies would continue as world events deemed.

“I think we’re just planning to carry on for a while,” he said.

Atchison alcohol plant sustains second explosion

An explosion in a holding tank at an Atchison alcohol plant early Friday morning was the second such accident in just two weeks.

The blast Friday at Midwest Grain Products Inc. followed a Sept. 13 explosion of the plant’s distillery. Four people were injured in that accident, which left a gaping hole in the building and blew debris across the street.

No one was injured in Friday’s accident, which may have been caused by static or friction as wheat starch was unloaded into the tank around 5 a.m., said Steve Pickman, the company’s vice president of corporate communications.

As it was designed to do, the tank blew off its top, Pickman said, estimating that damages were less than $100,000.

“It was extremely, extremely minor compared to the distillery,” he said.

Officials don’t know the cause of either explosion, Pickman said, and the amount of damage caused by the Sept. 13 explosion is still under investigation.

Midwest Grain Products Inc. manufactures wheat proteins and starches in addition to producing beverage and industrial alcohol and ethanol.

Tour offers chance to learn about Amish colony

Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department is sponsoring a trip Saturday to Jamesport, Mo., the largest old-order Amish colony in Missouri.

The tour departs from the Community Building, 115 W. 11th, at 8 a.m. The cost is $56 per person and includes transportation, tour and lunch.

After arriving in Jamesport, participants will eat lunch at the Dutch Pantry Restaurant, take a tour of the Amish farmlands and stores, and browse Amish shops. The group will return by 6 p.m. to Lawrence.

Space is limited. For more information or to make reservations, call Jo Ellis, recreation program supervisor, at 832-7930; or stop by the South Park Recreation Center, 1141 Mass.

LMH offers post-trauma workshop next week

Jo Potestivo, a specialist in the fields of trauma and substance recovery, will present the workshop “You’ve survived a traumatic experience .. what now?” from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 6 at the auditorium in Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

Potestivo will focus on defense mechanisms, coping strategies and overcoming a victim mentality. She will not focus on the specific traumas participants have endured.

The workshop is designed for both members of the community and professionals and is free of charge.