State resumes smallpox vaccinations

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment lifted the temporary suspension of its smallpox vaccination program.

Vaccinations were suspended while the department waited for guidance materials from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices recommended excluding people with certain heart conditions from vaccination. KDHE uses CDC-approved materials, which include instructions to screeners who review medical records of vaccination candidates, in its smallpox vaccination clinics.

The department has vaccinated 435 Kansas health care workers, who will be the first to react if a case of smallpox occurs in the state.

Oread meeting to focus on homeless services

Residents in the area of 10th and Kentucky streets who have questions about a cluster of homeless services in their neighborhood will have a chance to discuss them Wednesday.

A forum will be at 7 p.m. at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt., as part of the Oread Neighborhood Assn.’s spring meeting.

Property and business owners and residents will be able to learn about the services provided in the area and their policies and procedures. They also will be able to make suggestions.

Guests attending will be Loring Henderson and Eileen Schartz from Lawrence Open Shelter, Tami Clark from Community Drop-In Center and Ellie Pederson from Lawrence Interdenominational Nutrition Kitchen.

Moore adds Iraq information to site

Rep. Dennis Moore has added information on his Web site, www.house.gov/moore, to inform Kansans on the situation in Iraq and ways to help.

The site includes resources for troops, reservists and families; guides for parents and teachers to discuss war with children; ideas to support troops with greetings, virtual messages or donating phone cards; information on military relief societies; ways to help rebuild Iraq after the war; citizen preparedness information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and news about the war on terrorism from the U.S. Department of Defense.

Drainage officials elected as expected

Voters picked nine representatives to Douglas County drainage district boards during last week’s election.

In the Douglas County/Kaw Drainage District, Danny Brune, Stephen Glass and Roger Pine were picked for four-year terms.

In the Wakarusa/Haskell/ Eudora Drainage District, William Meairs Jr., Clay Meseraull and Steven Meseraull were elected.

And in the Wakarusa/Kaw Drainage District, Al Pendleton, Bill Penny and Larry Schaake were elected.

None of those on the ballot were opposed.

Antiwar march planned Saturday in downtown

Antiwar demonstrators have planned a Saturday march through downtown Lawrence.

Anyone wanting to march should meet at 10:30 a.m. in Buford M. Watson Jr. Park at Seventh and Kentucky streets. The march begins at 11 a.m. and will go from Sixth and Massachusetts streets to the Douglas County Courthouse at 11th and Massachusetts streets.

The Lawrence Anti-Imperialists and the Lawrence Coalition of Peace and Justice are organizing the march.

In February, more than 1,300 people marched in an antiwar rally through downtown.

Baker ed programs earn accreditation

Baldwin — Teacher education programs at Baker University have received accreditation from a national agency, university officials said.

The undergraduate program, which received accreditation in 1997 from the National Council of Accrediting Teacher Education, was reviewed and received accreditation.

The graduate program received accreditation for the first time. Baker officials had never applied for graduate accreditation from the council.

The accreditation announcement came after a two-year process of self-study and review by an accreditation committee, which considered standards including campus diversity, faculty statistics and student performance.