Homeless man’s plight spurs gift of guitar

Wes Manning was back to his old ways Friday, playing a guitar and singing good-time country songs for tips on Massachusetts Street.

“Isn’t this great?” he said, holding up an acoustic guitar for all to see. “Somebody named Dennis gave it to me. I’m sorry, I can’t remember what he said his last name was.”

Manning, a 55-year-old homeless man, lost his guitar last week when city workers cleared three campsites near the Kansas River between Burcham and Constant parks. His plight was the subject of a story in Friday’s Journal-World.

“This nice man, Dennis, said he saw the story and wanted me to have this guitar,” Manning said, smiling. “That sure made my day. After losing everything, I was devastated.”

Above, Manning is shown strumming his new guitar in the 800 block of Massachusetts Street.

Police

Officers’ ticket books come up missing

Some people ticketed last week for speeding in Lawrence just caught a lucky break.

Twice in two days, traffic tickets, including blank tickets and some already written, have been stolen from Lawrence Police officers.

In both cases, the officers had to leave to respond to an emergency and left the tickets and a metal clipboard unattended. When they returned, the items were gone.

It appears to be a coincidence that the two happened within such a short time frame, said Sgt. Dan Ward, a Lawrence Police spokesman.

The first theft happened Monday to an officer who had been running radar in the 1200 block of West Eighth Street. The second theft happened Wednesday to a different officer who had been running radar in the 1400 block of Massachusetts Street.

Pools

Indoor Aquatic Center to reopen Monday

The city’s indoor pool will reopen Monday after two weeks of maintenance as other aquatics facilities reduce hours or close because of the beginning of school.

The Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center, 4706 Overland Drive, will reopen at 5:30 a.m. Monday for lap swimming. The family area will open at 1 p.m. The facility will close at 8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and at 5:30 p.m. Sundays.

The outdoor Lawrence Aquatic Center, 727 Ky., will be closed Monday through Thursday and open from 1 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Friday through Sunday through the Labor Day weekend. Its last day of operation for the season will be Monday, Sept. 6.

The South Park Wading Pool, 1131 Mass., closes after today.

For more information, call city pool officials at 832-7946.

Military

Send-off ceremony planned for 317th

A farewell ceremony for the 317th Quartermaster Battalion, which is leaving soon to train at Fort Riley for active duty in Iraq, is set for next week, the U.S. Army Reserve said Friday.

The Army Reserve will recognize the soldiers — which include John McCoy, a senior defensive end on the Kansas University football team — at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Holiday Inn, 200 McDonald Drive.

The 317th will report to Fort Riley, near Junction City, for training later this month.

Gasoline Prices

Pump Patrol seeks deals

The Journal-World has found gasoline prices as low as $1.70 a gallon at Citgo, BP shop and Zarco Phillips 66, all near Ninth and Iowa streets, and Phillips 66, 602 W. Ninth St. If you find a lower price, call Pump Patrol at 832-7154.