KU camp to welcome Special Olympians

The Special Olympics Sports Camp opens today at Kansas University with the arrival of more than 150 athletes from across the state.

Today through Saturday the athletes will learn more about sports and improve their skills in aquatics, basketball, bocce, golf and many other sports.

Leading the athletes in the clinics will be KU Recreation Services staff and Special Olympics volunteers. For the past 17 years Payless ShoeSource and KU have been sponsors of the event.

Special Olympics is an international year-round program of sports training and competition for people who are mentally retarded.

KU MedWest offers answers on cardiology

Dr. Loren Berenbom, a cardiologist, will be at KU MedWest at noon Wednesday to answer questions about cardiac health.

The informal session is designed to allow patients to ask questions without having to pay for a private office visit.

Registration is required for the free session. To register, or for additional information, call (913) 588-1227, or register online at www.kumed.com.

Storm shelter aid available for rural areas

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Department announced the beginning of a rural storm shelter program. The program will provide low-interest loans to help finance storm shelters for low-income home owners living in rural Kansas.

To qualify, applicants must have a family income less than 50 percent of the median income for the county in which they live and live in a rural community with a population lower than 20,000 people. Financed shelters must meet Federal Emergency Management Agency standards in design, construction and installation.

Applications must be received by Aug. 15. For more information or to receive an application, call (785) 271-2720 or the local USDA Rural Development office or visit www.rurdev.usda.gov/ks.

Teachers group urges national certification

A new organization is being started in Kansas to encourage educators to seek national board certification.

Shelley Aistrup, vice president of National Board Certified Teachers in Kansas, said the new group would work to expand the number of nationally certified educators. Currently, there are 109 teachers with that distinction.

“We want to encourage more teachers in the state to go through the process,” she said.

Aistrup, among three Hays teachers who earned certification in 1996, said research indicated students in classes taught by certified teachers achieved at a higher academic level.

Certification is offered through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, which measures each candidate’s teaching practices against rigorous standards.

Candidates compile a classroom portfolio and participate in a series of tests. The process occurs during most of the school year, taking about 200 hours. It costs applicants $2,300.

LHS Class of 1968 plans 35-year reunion

The Lawrence High School graduating class of 1968 will gather for its 35-year reunion at 6 p.m. July 19 at Raoul’s Velvet Room, 815 N.H.

No reservations are required. The cover charge will be $10 at the door.

For more information, e-mail lhs68@sunflower.com.

New papers of Truman to be unveiled in D.C.

Newly discovered papers of former President Truman will be unveiled today in what federal officials are touting as a major event.

National Archivist John Carlin, a former Kansas governor, called the discovery “the most significant find related to President Truman in 20 years.”

This afternoon the papers will be simultaneously unveiled at a news conference in Washington, D.C., and posted on the Web site of the Truman Presidential Museum & Library at www.trumanlibrary.org.

The Truman Library is in Independence, Mo.