Teenager reports indecent exposure

A 17-year-old girl told police she saw a man walking downtown with partially exposed genitalia.

She said the incident happened about 11 p.m. July 21 on East Seventh Street near Massachusetts Street.

She said the man, a white male in his 30s, stood about 5 feet 6 inches tall with a thin build. He was wearing white shorts and a gray T-shirt, according to a report.

AT&T Wireless leases space on county tower

AT&T Wireless will pay Douglas County $1,500 a month for access to a downtown communications tower, which will become part of the company’s growing network in the area.

County commissioners approved the lease Monday morning for access to the tower at the Judicial & Law Enforcement Center, 111 E. 11th St.

The company intends to locate its equipment at 11 sites in and around Lawrence. The goal is to offer customers complete wireless coverage by year’s end, to compete with the likes of Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and other carriers that already have a foothold in northeast Kansas, said Trevor Wood, who represented AT&T as an employee for Selective Site Consultants Inc. in Overland Park.

Commissioner Charles Jones argued that the county should demand higher lease payments, but Bob Johnson, commission chairman, urged restraint.

“Greed is a good thing,” Johnson said, “but a lot of it can get you in trouble.”

Health officials report new West Nile cases

Cases of West Nile virus appeared last week in six Kansas counties, bringing the total number of counties with reported cases in birds or horses this year to 15. No human cases of the disease have been reported in the state this year.

Newly infected counties are Comanche, Kearny, Osage, Saline and Woodson.

A toll-free hot line for people to report dead birds has been established at (866) 452-7810. Only crows, blue jays, magpies or birds of prey such as owls and hawks will be tested. The birds must have been dead less than 24 hours and be stored intact in double plastic bags in a freezer. No more birds from Johnson, Reno, Russell or Shawnee counties will be tested this year, although residents in those counties are still encouraged to report sightings of dead birds.

Other counties with confirmed cases are Franklin, Clay, Ellis, Gray, Riley and Wichita.

For questions about West Nile virus in humans, call the Kansas Department of Health and Environment at (877) 427-7317.

KU pianist to preview performance for contest

A Kansas University piano student tonight will showcase some of the material she’ll use during a national competition next month.

Melanie Hadley, a senior from St. Louis, will perform at 6:30 tonight at the Lied Center. The performance will last about an hour and will include a performance of the “Second Concerto” by Rachmaninoff with Jack Winerock, a piano professor, on the second piano.

Hadley will compete Aug. 4-7 in the National Federation of Music Clubs competition in Nashville, Tenn.