Parks won’t attend honorary event at KU

Renaissance man Gordon Parks will not travel to Lawrence for an event today honoring him, Kansas University officials announced Friday.

The recent snowstorm on the Eastern Seaboard and the 91-year-old Parks’ health led to his decision. KU taped Parks’ comments Friday from his home in New York City, and they’ll be played during “An Evening Honoring Gordon Parks,” which begins at 7:30 tonight at the Lied Center.

Before Parks’ taped comments, a panel will discuss his career. After the program, “Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks,” will be screened. It chronicles the Fort Scott native’s life as a photographer, writer, composer and film director.

In conjunction with the event, six Parks photographs are on display through March 23 at KU’s Spencer Museum of Art.

Lawrence schools Five students suspended

Three students at Kennedy School were suspended Friday after they were accused of putting a cooking spice in a teacher’s drink.

The teacher didn’t drink the concoction prepared by the sixth-grade boys, said Julie Boyle, the district’s communications director.

That follows an incident this week at West Junior High School in which a student sprayed a cleaning fluid on a teacher’s drink and food.

Meanwhile, a ninth-grader at South Junior High School was kicked out for five days Friday for alleged possession of a knife and drug paraphernalia on school property, Boyle said.

Boyle said another South ninth-grader was suspended five days for arriving at school apparently under the influence of alcohol.

Lawrence Police were notified about both cases at South.

Gasoline: Pump patrol tracks down lowest prices in Lawrence

The Journal-World has found a Lawrence-area gasoline price as low as $1.54 a gallon at Citgo at Ninth and Iowa streets.

If you find a lower price, please call us at 832-7154. Be prepared to leave the name of the business, the address and the price. Or go to www.ljworld.com/section/gasoline to join our Pump Patrol message board.