Alleged road rage leads to arrest

A motorist punched a bicyclist in the head and chest and knocked him to the ground Wednesday afternoon in a road-rage incident in east Lawrence.

Shortly after 5 p.m., the 29-year-old motorist was driving in the 1400 block of Haskell Avenue when the bicyclist, a 28-year-old man, pulled in front of him. The two exchanged words, and the driver got out and began punching the cyclist, said Sgt. Mike Pattrick, a police spokesman.

Two people who live nearby — a 27-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman — intervened, and the motorist hit both of them, Pattrick said.

Police found the driver in North Lawrence and arrested him on suspicion of charges including aggravated battery and making a criminal threat.

Geological Survey honors four at KU

Four Kansas University students received awards for their contributions to the Kansas Geological Survey during a ceremony last month.

Those receiving awards were:

• Christopher Widga, doctoral student in anthropology from Lawrence, who received the Lee and Darcy Gerhard award for student field research. Widga helped supervise an archaeological dig west of Topeka and presented a paper on prehistoric bison teeth.
• Jamie Lambrecht, a master’s degree student in geology from Topeka, who received the William W. Hambleton Award for student research. Lambrecht helped analyze seismic data from survey projects in the state.
• Brett Engard, a master’s student in geology from Lawrence, who received the Frank C. Foley Groundwater Student Travel Award. He is a student assistant in the survey’s geohydrology section and helped with the annual groundwater level management program.
• Danli Li, freshman in geography from Lawrence, who received the Norman Plummer Outstanding Student Award. She provided geographic information systems assistance in groundwater-related studies and mapping.

Public TV program to offer Medicare details

Vital information about the new Medicare-approved drug discount card program will be shown statewide on public television, Sunflower Broadband channels 7 or 11, at 3 p.m. Sunday.

During the program, viewers will be encouraged to call with questions, some of which will be read on the air to a panel of experts, including Bob Nyquist, Lindsborg pharmacist and president of the Kansas Pharmacists Assn.; Natalie Myers, CMS health insurance specialist, and Bill Dirks from AARP Kansas.

The program is a cooperative effort among Kansas Public Television, AARP Kansas and the Kansas Insurance Department.

Yale students to ride into Ottawa this month

A bicycle tour built for 90 will pedal into Ottawa this month to support affordable housing.

The participants, all students from the Yale University Habitat for Humanity Bicycle Challenge, will present a slide show about their travels, which will take them on a nine-week, 4,000-mile ride around the United States. The group is not stopping elsewhere in eastern Kansas.

The Franklin County Habitat for Humanity will greet the group with the presentation and a community potluck at 5 p.m. Saturday, June 26, at Ottawa High School.