Fund-raiser: Event for cancer patient to include bands, raffle

A benefit to help a recent Kansas University social welfare graduate with cancer is scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday.

The fund-raiser for Bonnie Luther, 25, will be at Kaspar’s Pub and Grill, 3115 W. Sixth St., where she previously worked.

The event will include music by three area bands, Punk Freud Project, Torque Converter and Snotrockets. Between music sets, donated items, including a basketball signed by the 1998-99 Kansas University men’s basketball team, gift certificates, books and flags, will be raffled.

Luther earned her master’s degree in 2002 and had taken a job as a social worker in the Lawrence school district. In September, a routine checkup found cervical cancer. During a hysterectomy in October, it was discovered the cancer had spread.

She has since had to leave her school job and is trying to cope with medical bills and living expenses.

Legislature: Senate majority leader arrested for DUI

Senate Majority Leader Lana Oleen was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence early Tuesday.

Oleen, R-Manhattan, the chamber’s No. 2 leader, failed both a field sobriety test and Breathalyzer test, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Department said.

“I regret this has happened,” Oleen, 53, said in a statement she distributed after Tuesday’s Senate session. “As a Kansas citizen, I am subject to the same rules as any other person. I intend to answer the charges against me. In the meantime, it is my intention to continue to diligently carry out my responsibilities in the Senate as I always have.”

Senate President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson, said he and Oleen discussed her situation. Kerr said he would not seek to remove Oleen as majority leader.

Tuesday, the Senate debated and voted on a bill requiring those convicted of DUI to attend at least a 10-hour alcohol and drug treatment program. Oleen voted for the measure, which passed 33-6.

6Productions: Authors set to speak on ‘River City Weekly’

Two authors are scheduled guests this week on “River City Weekly.”

Ann Hagedorn, author of “Beyond the River: The Untold Stories of the Heroes of the Underground Railroad,” talks about the courage of abolitionists and fugitive slaves. She also discusses her research, which included moving to the book’s primary setting, Ripley, Ohio.

Author Paule Marshall discusses her New York and Barbadian roots as well as the influence of Langston Hughes on her life and work. Marshall also touches on unity, the major theme of her work, and what it means for the world today.

“River City Weekly,” hosted by Greg Hurd, premieres on Sunflower Broadband Channel 6 at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays with encore presentations at 7:30 weeknights and 9 a.m. Saturdays.