KU invitational concert to draw from 7 states

The Kansas University department of music and dance will play host this weekend to its first honor band invitational.

The Prairie Wind Festival and Mount Oread Woodwind and Brass Summit will start Friday and culminate in a public concert at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Lied Center. Admission is free.

Fifty-five all-state high school musicians from seven states will participate in master classes, chamber ensembles and rehearsals for the concert.

Students from Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Illinois and Iowa will participate.

Advance voting opens this morning

Advance voting begins today for this month’s primaries for Lawrence school board and Lawrence City Commission.

Voters wanting to cast their ballots early may do so from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Mass.

Advance voting closes at noon Feb. 24, the day before polls open for primaries to cull the field of 13 candidates for school board and 11 for the commission.

Top finishers in the primaries — eight for school board and six for the commission — will appear on general election ballots April 1, when voters will elect four board members and three commissioners.

Advance voting is open to registered voters. Voter registration closes for the primary election at 5 p.m. Monday.

Suspect charged in rape

A 21-year-old Lecompton man is in the Douglas County Jail, charged with raping an acquaintance early Monday.

The man is charged with one count of rape and one count of aggravated criminal sodomy. He appeared Tuesday by teleconference in Douglas County District Court, where a judge set his bond at $25,000.

A 20-year-old woman alleged the man raped her about 4 a.m. Monday at a local motel, Lawrence Police Lt. David Cobb said.

“It appears they had been together the evening before,” Cobb said.

The Journal-World’s policy generally is to not name suspects in sex crimes unless they are convicted.

Groups offer rewards to find school vandals

So far Baldwin Police have had no luck finding the culprits responsible for breaking into the high school and causing $25,000 in damages.

An anonymous group calling themselves “Friends of Baldwin High School” have posted a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. Crimestoppers has also pledged up to $1,000 for the same information.

The incident occurred Dec. 18. Police say several people gained entry through an outside door and then kicked in office doors, broke windows, smashed computers, ransacked files and spray-painted graffiti on the vehicle in the shop.

Anyone with information is urged to call police at 594-3850 or Crimestoppers at (785) 843-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.

Commission candidate catches shoplift suspect

Zach Bassin can legitimately claim he’s tough on crime as he vies for a seat on the city commission.

Bassin, a 23-year-old law student and commission candidate, busted a shoplifter last week while working as a shift manager at Cork and Barrel, 901 Miss., according to a police report.

A man tried to steal a $5 bottle of vodka from the store about 9:50 p.m. Friday, according to the report. Bassin said he saw the bottle sticking from the man’s pants, followed him out of the store, saw him put the bottle down and directed police to the man using a cell phone.

Police arrested the 32-year-old man on suspicion of theft, and he was taken to the Douglas County Jail, according to records.

“I think all crimes should go prosecuted in Lawrence,” Bassin said. “If you commit a crime, there’s no reason you should walk away.”