Lawrence

KU professor a finalist at William and Mary

A Kansas University professor has been named one of five finalists to be dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Va.

Carl Strikwerda, professor of history and associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at KU, will interview at the small public school later this month. A hiring committee’s recommendation is expected in early March.

Strikwerda has been at KU since 1987. He was named associate dean in 1998.

Junction City

Kansas cow delivers rare set of triplets

A cow delivered a rare set of triplet calves, something a veterinarian said only happens once in every 105,000 cattle births.

The cow, an Angus cross owned by rancher Mitch Langvardt, delivered the three female calves Sunday morning.

“We exposed her to two bulls, and we don’t know which one is the father,” Langvardt said Monday. “We’re guessing it was the second bull, which is mostly Angus. It’s safe to say they’ve got a lot of Angus in them.”

Veterinarian Bob Haynes assisted the birth, and said in his 17 years in practice he had never seen a triplet birth.

“And I’ve pulled a lot of calves,” Haynes said.

All three calves were female, making the birth even more rare. Haynes and Langvardt said multiple births usually bring male and female calves.

Langvardt said he did not know his cow was carrying a trio.

“We had trouble getting the first two out because they were all tangled,” Langvardt said.

Langvardt said all three calves are doing well.

Wichita

Doctor impersonator sentenced to six months

A Wichita woman was sentenced Monday to six months in jail for posing as a pediatrician and making suspicious visits to hospital nurseries in Salina and Wichita.

Ronda Soto, 37, was sentenced in Saline County District Court on a misdemeanor conviction for false impersonation.

District Judge Daniel Hebert ordered Soto to serve her sentence after her current sentence for crimes committed in Sedgwick County was complete. The Kansas Department of Corrections will release her in March.

Soto wore a lab coat and blue scrubs into Salina Regional Health Center and later to Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Joseph Campus on July 5, 2002.

State

Kansas motorists call for road conditions

A new telephone number for obtaining information about Kansas road conditions was very popular last weekend, officials with the Kansas Department of Transportation discovered.

More than 26,000 people used Kansas 511 to get the most up-to-date information available on road conditions during the last weekend’s snow storm. The calls are toll-free. You can dial 511 or call (866) 511-KDOT. Cell phone users will be charged for the minutes, but not roaming fees.

The road conditions are updated every 15 minutes. Officials say the new phone line is simpler than the old 585-ROAD hot line.

Road conditions also can be obtained online by accessing www.kanroad.org.