Election

Primary advance voting ends at noon today

Douglas County voters have one more chance this morning for advance voting before Tuesday’s primary election.

Advance voting will be available from 8 a.m. to noon on the second floor of the county courthouse, 1100 Mass.

The county’s 67 polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Voters’ guide: Area primaries More Election 2004 coverage

Winners in races for Congress, Kansas Legislature, and county and township offices will advance to the Nov. 2 general election. Voters also will elect Republicans and Democrats to serve as precinct committeepeople.

Republicans, Democrats and independents registered as of July 19 are eligible to vote. Registered Libertarian and Reform voters must wait for the general election, unless they wish to cast provisional ballots that may not be counted.

Independents are welcome to vote in the Democratic primaries, while they would need to formally declare themselves as Republicans to vote in the GOP contests. Change-of-party declaration forms will be available at the polls.

Entertainment

Drum and bugle corps treats area to music

A traveling drum and bugle corps stopped Sunday at Lawrence High School and practiced its performances at the practice football field, much to the delight of some passersby who decided to stop and watch.

The Concord, Calif., Blue Devils corps was on its way to Denver after having competed Saturday night in Indianapolis. Arrangements had been made with LHS officials to use the outdoor athletic facilities to practice, said Gary Juarez, percussion instructor for the Blue Devils.

The corps is a private organization with 135 youths in their teens and up to age 21. They spend most of the summer traveling the country competing with other drum and bugle corps throughout the country, Juarez said.

The group, traveling in tour buses, arrived Sunday morning in Lawrence and left after practice Sunday night for Denver. The national championships are to be held in Denver.

Concord is northeast of San Francisco.

Higher education

Ottawa University expands transfer option

Ottawa University has signed a new partnership agreement with Barton County Community College in Great Bend.

The new agreement allows students at BCCC to easily transfer credits toward a bachelor’s degree at OU, according to an OU press release.

Similar agreements already are in place between OU and Neosho County Community College and Johnson County Community College, an OU spokeswoman said.

Organ donation focus of conference

Decisions regarding organ donations will be the topic of a Kansas University-sponsored conference Aug. 27 at the Doubletree Hotel in Overland Park.

The conference, “Passing the Torch: The Evolution of Donation and Transplantation,” is sponsored by the University of Kansas Hospital and Kansas University Medical Center Continuing Education.

Topics will include transplantation issues for minorities, the definition of death, selection of candidates for liver transplants, the impact of stem cell research on cornea transplants, new treatments in tissue transplant and the role of clergy in decision-making.

The conference is intended for physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains and other medical professionals.

For more information or to register, call (877) 404-5823 or visit www.kuce.org/kumc/edt.