Two-vehicle accident kills one, injures one

Westmoreland — A 66-year-old woman died in a two-vehicle accident Tuesday morning north of Westmoreland in Pottawatomie County, the Kansas Highway Patrol said.

Juanita J. Wyant, Westmoreland, was driving a 1992 Ford car when it slid into an oncoming van on Kansas Highway 99, 4 miles north of Westmoreland, the Highway Patrol said. Both vehicles ended up in a ditch.

The driver of the van, James D. England, Council Bluffs, Iowa, was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Wamego.

KU Classified Senate backs living wage law

The Classified Senate at Kansas University has endorsed efforts to enact a city ordinance requiring businesses that receive tax abatements to provide a wage of at least $9.14 an hour.

In a letter sent this week to the Kaw Valley Living Wage Alliance’s steering committee, the group representing KU’s 1,500 classified employees noted that many KU employees do not receive a living wage, though the ordinance wouldn’t affect KU.

“We believe that no person anywhere, but in Kansas most particularly, who works full-time should make less than a living wage for his or her efforts, and that this is sound economics at the most fundamental level,” the group wrote.

Free child screenings planned at hospital

The Douglas County Infant-Toddler Coordinating Council will offer free child screenings from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 18 in Conference Room D at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, 325 Maine.

The screenings are for children from birth to 3 years. Child development professionals will evaluate children’s motor skills, speech and language development, social development, vision and hearing. They also will answer questions.

To schedule an appointment, call the council at 843-3059.

State Democrats honor two Lawrence residents

Two Lawrence residents have been honored for their contributions to the Kansas Democratic Party.

Attorney Dan Watkins was recipient of the Dennis M. Langley award given at the party’s Washington Day festivities last weekend in Topeka.

The award is given to those who over time have shown commitment to building financial support for the party.

Craig Grant was given the Paul Pendergast Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his long service to the Kansas and national Democratic parties.

Red Cross accepting CPR class registrations

A cardiopulmonary resuscitation class for adults will be conducted Saturday by the Douglas County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

The class will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Free State High School. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Pre-registration is required because class size is limited. Call the Red Cross office at 843-3550.

Lunch will be provided, and door prizes awarded.

Certified nurse aide course offered in Ottawa

Neosho County Community College will offer a certified nurse aide course in Ottawa on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning March 13.

The class will run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. through May 13 at the college’s outreach building at 226 Beech St.

The class provides a curriculum approved by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and five hours of college credit. At the end of the class, students will take a certified nurse’s aide examination given by the state.

The course costs $320. For more information, call (800) 729-6222.

KU design professor displays work in gallery

Kansas City, Mo. — The work of sculptor David Vertacnik, associate professor of design at Kansas University, will be on display through April 26 at the Dennis Morgan Gallery, 114 Southwest Blvd.

The opening reception for the exhibit, titled “Kinetic Bouquet,” will be from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday.

Vertacnik trained at Indiana State University and the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, and has been creating art for 35 years.

He employs a wide range of materials in his work, including ceramics, cast bronze and industrial and agricultural objects.

For more information about the exhibit, call (816) 842-8755.

Winter storm cancels severe weather class

Topeka — Icy conditions weren’t covered in the lesson plan, but Tuesday’s weather was bad enough to force cancellation of a class for the general public about severe weather.

Gary Middleton, Shawnee County’s emergency management director, said it was the first time in his 26 years with the department that the class was called off because of the weather.

Tuesday night’s session at Washburn University was postponed to tonight — weather permitting.

Hundreds of people each year attend the class, which teaches how to spot tornadoes and stay safe in violent spring storms, Middleton said.