Women’s basketball team to visit hospital

Members of the Kansas University’s women’s basketball team on Friday will make their annual trip to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, spreading holiday cheer to patients there.

The team will distribute T-shirts, posters and other KU gear to patients.

The players and coach Bonnie Henrickson will visit the hospital beginning at 11 a.m. Friday. This is the 12th year the team has participated in the holiday ritual.

Mo-ped driver injured in collision

A Lawrence man was injured when his moped struck the side of a Jeep Tuesday morning at 15th and Massachusetts streets, according to a police report.

Tim Easum, 39, was taken by ambulance to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released.

Police said Easum was traveling south on Massachusetts on a 2001 Honda moped when a 1989 Jeep Comanche that was westbound on 15th drove in front of him. The Jeep’s driver, Annette Huggins, 37, Lawrence failed to yield the right-of-way and was given a ticket, Police spokesman Sgt. Dan Ward said. Huggins was not injured.

Senate names Pine to Ag Committee

Topeka — Senate Republicans on Wednesday announced their committee leadership, which included making newly elected Roger Pine, a Republican farmer from Lawrence, the vice chair of the Agriculture Committee.

Dwayne Umbarger of Thayer will be the new chairman of the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee, to replace Steve Morris of Hugoton, who is Senate President-elect.

The Education Committee will be led by Jean Schodorf of Wichita, who replaces Umbarger.

Barbara Allen of Overland Park will become the new chairwoman of the tax committee, and Tim Huelskamp of Fowler will be the new chairman of the Elections and Local Government.

Tonganoxie council violates meeting law

Tonganoxie — The Tonganoxie City Council violated the Kansas Open Meetings Act when members took action during executive session, according to a Topeka attorney.

The open meetings act, designed to protect the interests of the public, says city councils cannot take binding action in closed-door sessions.

But Monday night, the council went into executive session to discuss nonelected personnel — a legal move under the open meetings law — then reopened the meeting with a notation that action had been taken.

While elected bodies can meet behind closed doors to discuss personnel matters and other issues, they cannot take binding action in such meetings, said Mike Merriam, a Topeka attorney who specializes in media law. “It’s plainly illegal,” he said.