Apartment fire blamed on stray cigarette

A discarded cigarette was blamed for a fire that damaged an apartment building Tuesday afternoon at Pinnacle Woods apartments, 5000 Clinton Parkway.

The cigarette had been left by a balcony door, according to a fire report. The fire broke out shortly before 3 p.m. No one was injured in the incident.

Damage to the apartment building was listed at $5,000 and content losses in the apartment were listed at $1,000.

Sebelius’ office plans ceremonial bill signings

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will hold ceremonial bill signings Friday on two pieces of legislation that she has said would spur the economy.

The signings will be at 11 a.m. in Wichita and 1:30 p.m. in Kansas City, Kan.

One bill will extend unemployment benefits for Kansas workers by two weeks. The other measure will establish special bonds that local governing bodies may use to develop commercial and tourist areas. The bonds will be paid off by taxes collected within the redevelopment area.

Humane Society warns of phony fund raising

The Lawrence Humane Society is warning residents to be wary of anyone going door to door soliciting on its behalf.

“Door-to-door is not typically our way of raising funds,” executive director Midge Grinstead said.

The Journal-World and 6News Wednesday received a report of someone going door to door asking for money for the Humane Society shelter.

The shelter usually contacts the media for publicity about any fund-raising efforts, Grinstead said. The shelter conducts various fund-raisers throughout the year.

KU barbershop quartet takes second at contest

A Kansas University barbershop quartet took second place in the Collegiate Barbershop Quartet Contest at the Central States District convention of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America.

The group, Random Harmony, competed April 5 in Lincoln, Neb., and sang “If You Had All the World and Its Gold” and “I Never See Maggie Alone.”

Members are Dustin Peterson, senior from Douglass; Joshua Abel, senior from Eudora; Shaun Whisler, senior from Olathe; and Michael Brown, junior from Perry.

University sets exams

Kansas University has announced the following final examinations:

• Christina Lee Hebert, physics and astronomy, “Search for New Particles Decaying into Two Jets with the DO Detector,” 3 p.m. today, 6092 Malott Hall.
• Adorian Ardelean, ecology and evolutionary biology, “Revision of the Family Actinodendridae (Cnidaria: Actiniaria),” 3:45 p.m. today, 1005 Haworth Hall.
• MeiChen Lin, communications studies, “Intergenerational Communication Schemas in Taiwan and the United States: Cognitive and Communicative Variables,” 4 p.m. today, 116K Bailey Hall.