Clouds likely to block view of moon eclipse

A total eclipse of the moon will begin just after sunset tonight, but it probably won’t be visible in Lawrence.

The eclipse will take place from 5:32 p.m. to 10:22 p.m., with a full black-out between 7:06 p.m. and 7:31 p.m. While the Earth completely blocks the sun’s rays from the moon — what’s known as a “totality” — 6News meteorologist Ross Janssen forecasts that cloudy skies and a slight chance of isolated showers will make the lunar event difficult to see.

But the next chance to see an eclipse isn’t far off: May 4, 2004. And it will likely be warmer, too, compared to the 33-degree low temperature Janssen predicts for tonight.

Trial set to start Jan. 26 in turnpike slaying case

Raymond Boothe, the Missouri man accused of stabbing his 11-year-old developmentally disabled son and leaving him to die on the Kansas Turnpike a year ago, will stand trial Jan. 26 in Leavenworth County District Court.

The trial had been set for Dec. 15, but was rescheduled Friday after his attorney asked the court for more time.

Boothe, who has a history of mental illness, is charged with first-degree murder. He remains in the Leavenworth County Jail.

Liquor store holdup under investigation

Lawrence Police are looking for a man who held up a clerk Thursday night at a Lawrence liquor store.

Police spokesman Sgt. Mike Pattrick said a man with some sort of cloth covering his face walked into Spirit Liquor, 600 Lawrence Ave., shortly after 10:30 p.m. Thursday.

Police said the man demanded cash from the 64-year-old clerk and ran south from the business.

The clerk was the only person inside the store at the time. He told police the thief did not display a weapon. Police aren’t releasing how much money the man took.

The suspect is described as a black man, 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds, and wearing a multicolored coat and jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to call the CrimeStoppers hot line at 843-TIPS.

KU students in running for prestigious awards

Two Kansas University seniors have advanced in competition for the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships.

Jameson Jones, Highland Village, Texas, is competing for both scholarships. Jennifer Sweeton, from Overland Park and Kansas City, Mo., is competing for the Rhodes scholarship.

Jones will travel Nov. 13-14 to Chicago, where he will be interviewed for the Marshall scholarship. Both students will compete in the Kansas Rhodes competition Nov. 18-19 in Lawrence, and two students from the state will advance to compete Nov. 21 in St. Paul, Minn.

Rhodes and Marshall scholarships each provide more than $50,000 for two years of graduate study. Rhodes winners must study at Oxford University; Marshall winners can study at any British university.