Event raises thousands for cancer society

Amid a cross-dressing “Miss Relay” contest, a 1 a.m. pie-eating contest and 3 a.m. underwear races to stay awake, the mood at the Relay for Life conducted overnight at Memorial Stadium was upbeat.

KU Relay for Life, a student group registered with Kansas University, had raised $57,000 for the American Cancer Society by collecting donations and selling more than 600 $10 luminaries to students and faculty. Maggie Mason, the club’s publicity chairwoman, said the group aimed to raise an additional $5,000 through the night.

More than 700 people had registered in teams for the event, which featured testimony from cancer survivors.

Events began at 6 p.m. Friday and were to continue until 6 a.m. today.

Prosecutors file charge in sexual assault case

Prosecutors charged a 24-year-old Lawrence man Friday with sexual assault in an early Thursday morning incident after a party at a south Lawrence apartment complex.

Police said the defendant had been at a party in an apartment earlier in the night but left. Sometime before 5:30 a.m., a group of people left to get something to eat, leaving behind a 19-year-old woman who was unconscious.

When they returned, they found the defendant had broken into the apartment and was trying to sexually assault the sleeping woman, said Sgt. Mike Pattrick, a police spokesman.

The man remained Friday in the Douglas County Jail with bond set at $25,000.

Rape reported at KU

Kansas University police are investigating a case of acquaintance rape in an on-campus residence hall.

The incident happened about 5 p.m. Monday at McCollum Hall, 1800 Engel Road, according to a report on the KU Public Safety Office’s Web site.

Few details about the case were available Friday, but Capt. Schuyler Bailey, a department spokesman, said officers were preparing a report to forward to Dist. Atty. Christine Kenney’s office for potential charges.

Mutt ‘n’ Strutt today

Furry friends will be the center of attention at the Lawrence Humane Society’s ninth annual Mutt ‘n’ Strutt Carnival and Benefit Walk today. The carnival starts at 9 a.m. today at Sunflower School, 26231 Inverness.

The benefit walk begins at 10 a.m. and requires only a dog on a leash, walking shoes and a $25 minimum pledge. Prizes will be awarded to those who bring in the highest pledges.

Other attractions at the event will include information booths, vendors, face-painters, magicians, jugglers and prizes for competitions such as best animal trick and best costumes.

The Rev. Charles Polifka from St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church will be present to bless animals.