Tradition: Donor to cover cost of new KU whistle

The steam whistle has a savior.

Officials with the Kansas University Endowment Association said Tuesday a donor stepped forward to pay for replacing the steam whistle that broke atop KU’s Power Plant last week.

John Scarffe, an Endowment Association spokesman, declined to identify the Lawrence resident but said the man had agreed to pay for the replacement, which KU officials said would cost at least $2,000.

The whistle cracked last week after being on the Power Plant since the early 1940s. Doug Riat, director of Facilities Operations, said years of expanding and contracting with changing temperatures took its toll on the whistle. Riat said KU workers were still trying to find a company with a pattern to fit the space where the old whistle was located.

‘River City Weekly’: Different Civil War result explored in new film

What would America look like if the South had won the Civil War?

Tune in to “River City Weekly” for an answer as Lawrence filmmaker Kevin Willmott talks about his latest film, “C.S.A.” (“Confederate States of America”).

“River City Weekly” has its premiere on Sunflower Broadband Channel 6 at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, with encore presentations at 7:30 weeknights and 9 a.m. Saturdays.

Investigation: Police believe shoe is tied to robbery

When the shoe came off, the money fell out.

Lawrence Police were pretty sure they had found their man Sunday night after looking for someone who robbed a convenience store.

They were more convinced after the suspect was asked to remove a shoe so officers could compare its tread to tracks in the snow found outside Chip’s Conoco, 2220 Harper St. Stuffed in the shoe was money officers suspected was taken in the robbery, Lt. David Cobb said.

About 7:40 p.m., police were called to the store after a man pulled a knife on a 20-year-old male clerk, Cobb said. The robber took the cash register drawer and fled.