Auction to include Jayhawk sculpture

A Jayhawk sculpture from Jayhawks on Parade is among items to be sold Friday at the Ninth Annual Pawsible Dream Benefit Auction sponsored by the Lawrence Humane Society.

More than 300 people are expected to attend the event, which includes a silent and live auction.

Lawrence and Kansas City area businesses donated the items to be auctioned, which include sports memorabilia from Kansas University, Kansas State University and the Kansas City Chiefs. Other items on the auctioning block are tickets to area sporting events; gift certificates from local restaurants, hotels and merchants; and works from local artists.

Tickets cost $15 per person or $25 per couple and can be purchased at Liberty Hall, the humane society or at the door.

The event is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. at Liberty Hall, 642 Mass.

Accident

Lawrence resident hit by car, critically injured

A Lawrence man was in critical condition Wednesday after being struck by a vehicle as he stood outside his stalled car on Interstate 435 in Johnson County.

Martin Myslivec, 28, stopped his car in traffic about 10:20 a.m. Monday on eastbound I-435 near the state line, then got out to look under his hood, according to a Kansas Highway Patrol report. As he was walking back to the driver-side door, a Toyota driven by a 32-year-old Overland Park man struck him and his car, according to the report.

Myslivec was at Research Medical Center, Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday night.

Kansas University

New fitness center to be dedicated today

Kansas University officials will gather today to dedicate the new Student Recreation Fitness Center on campus.

The ceremony, at 4:30 p.m., will feature presentations by Chancellor Robert Hemenway; Mary Chappell, director of Recreation Services; David Iliff, chairman of the recreation advisory board; and Andy Knopp, student body president.

The 98,000-square-foot facility, funded with $17 million in student fees approved in a campus referendum in 1999, is south of Watkins Health Center.

After several construction delays, the building was supposed to open Friday. But Chappell said the opening had been delayed again, and she didn’t know when it would open.

Health

Rabid skunk prompts vaccination warning

Another skunk has tested positive for rabies, and Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department officials are warning Lawrence pet owners to check their animals’ vaccination status.

The latest rabid skunk brings the count to four in Douglas County this year. One horse tested positive for rabies in January.

Rabies affects the nerve tissue of infected animals, including humans. Biting is the most common means of exposure, but transmission can occur when infected saliva contacts an open wound or mucous membrane in the eyes or mouth.

In Kansas, skunks are the primary carriers, but in recent years other animals — including bats, foxes, raccoons and domestic animals — have carried the disease.

Health officials said the best prevention was vaccination.

Gasoline prices

Pump Patrol seeks deals

The Journal-World has found Lawrence-area gasoline prices as low as $1.42 at Citgo, 2005 W. Ninth St., Amoco, 914 Iowa, and Zarco 66, 900 Iowa.

If you find a lower price, call Pump Patrol at 832-7154.