Lied Center sculpture marks 10th anniversary

For a decade, music and the arts have been at the heart of the Lied Center’s mission. Now a colorful work of art that incorporates musical symbols will grace the center’s lobby, marking the 10th anniversary of the performing arts venue on Kansas University’s west campus.

“Arrangement in Red, Blue and Gold,” an enameled aluminum sculpture by nationally recognized Lawrence artist Stephen T. Johnson, will be unveiled during a reception at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the Lied Center.

The Friends of the Lied commissioned the piece, which is composed of abstract musical notation, such as the treble and bass clefs and the forte symbol.

Johnson has degrees in painting, design and illustration from KU.

The reception is open to the public. Those who wish to attend are asked to RSVP to Sammie Messick at 864-3469 or smessick@ku.edu.

Police arrest transient during traffic stop

A 24-year-old transient was arrested early Monday after punching Lawrence Police officers during a traffic stop, police said.

Police stopped the 1987 Pontiac Bonneville at 12:47 a.m. in the 700 block of North Second Street after the car’s driver made an illegal U-turn. As officers were checking the car’s license plates, the driver sped away.

He stopped in the 300 block of North Second Street, then refused officers’ orders to get out of the car and began punching them when they opened the door, police said.

Police learned the vehicle was reported stolen from Blue Springs, Mo., and arrested the man on suspicion of charges including fleeing to elude officers and battery on law enforcement officers.

McLouth rounds up new kindergarten class

The McLouth Elementary School Kindergarten Roundup will be Thursday and Friday at the school.

Parents with children who will be entering kindergarten at the school in the 2004-2005 school year should call the school at (913) 796-6152 to set up an appointment.

Pilot dies when plane crashes into hanger

Emporia (ap) — A 37-year-old man was killed when his ultralight aircraft crashed into a hangar at the Emporia Airport.

Authorities said Paul McAvoy of Hartford piloted the small plane that collided about 10 a.m. Sunday with the hangar a few miles south of Emporia. McAvoy was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Emporia Police Lieutenant John Koelsch said police would investigate the accident, but the Federal Aviation Administrations does not license ultralights or investigate accidents involving those aircraft.

Remains from blast ID’d as missing woman

Kansas City, Mo. (ap) — The second set of remains from a house explosion that turned into a gunfight last month was identified Monday as Janet Clark, who lived in the house in south Kansas City with her boyfriend, Donin Wright.

Clark, 48, had not been seen since the Feb. 23 explosion that leveled the house after a gunfight between Wright and police. Wright, 62, died in the incident.

An ambulance paramedic was shot and several fire trucks and police cars were damaged by gunfire during the incident. The paramedic survived.

Experts at the Kansas City crime lab used DNA samples from Clark’s relatives to identify her remains.

Wright’s body was identified shortly after the gunfight through a titanium plate in his wrist.

Police recovered guns, parts of pipe bombs and ammunition at the scene in the days after the explosion.

Judge sets plea hearing in missing girl hoax

Lebanon, Ind. (ap) — A judge has set a plea hearing for this week for a Kansas woman accused of impersonating a couple’s long-missing daughter.

Boone Superior Court Judge Matt Kincaid scheduled the plea hearing for Donna Walker, 36, of Topeka, Kan., for Friday.

Walker’s defense attorney has reached a plea agreement with the Boone County prosecutor, but it was not known Monday whether Walker has accepted the deal.

No details of the plea agreement’s terms have been released.

Walker faces 12 felony counts on charges that last year she claimed to be Shannon Sherrill, who was 6 years old when she vanished in October 1986 from her mother’s home in Thorntown, about 30 miles northwest of Indianapolis.

Walker has been held since September at the Boone County Jail under $50,000 bond.