Lawrence resident on disability commission
Topeka -- Ranita Wilks, of Lawrence, has been appointed to the Kansas Commission on Disability Concerns.
Wilks also serves on the Lawrence Disability Mentoring Day committee, the Transition Council of Douglas and Jefferson counties, and the access task force of Independence Inc.
"People with disabilities are more valued as contributors to the economic growth of their communities than as candidates for a life of limited career choices and income," Wilks said.
Wilks was appointed by Secretary of Commerce Howard Fricke to a three-year term.
The commission provides technical assistance and referrals to services, and training about legislative advocacy, disability awareness, civil rights laws and accessibility.
Recognition
KU, Haskell students win science awards
Students and faculty from Kansas University and Haskell Indian Nations University were honored in October during the conference of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science in Austin, Texas.
Talia Martin, KU senior from Fort Hall, Idaho, won the prize for best student poster presentation in chemistry. Joseph Anderson, Haskell junior from Weleetka and Sapulpa, Okla., won best student poster presentation in environmental science.
Marigold Linton, KU's director of American Indian Outreach, was inducted as the organization's president. She is the first social scientist to lead the group.
Dennis O'Malley, a member of the faculty at Haskell's natural sciences department, received the distinguished community/tribal college mentor award.
Funding
Area fire departments receive federal support
Topeka -- Two area fire departments -- Jefferson County Fire District No. 5 and Tonganoxie Township Rural Fire Department -- have received federal Homeland Security funds, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' office said this week.
The Jefferson County district received $38,000, while the Tonganoxie department received $6,500. The funds will go toward training, fitness, firefighting equipment and improvements to facilities.
Performance
Kansas Public Radio offers Yuletide yuks
KPR's award-winning comedy show "Right Between the Ears" will present its annual holiday extravaganza at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. today at Liberty Hall. The 8 p.m. show will be broadcast live on SIRIUS satellite radio.
The show is expected to include spoofs of the 2004 election, with takeoffs both on Bush and Kerry. The show also will lampoon everything from vocally challenged pop star Ashlee Simpson to sexual harassment charges leveled at Bill O'Reilly.
Tickets for "Right Between the Ears" range from $10 to $15, and are available at the Liberty Hall box office, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (816) 931-3330.
Alternative teaching certification offered
Kansas University's School of Education is seeking applicants for an alternative teacher certification program designed to reduce shortages of math and science teachers in Kansas City, Kan.
The Transition to Teaching program is funded through a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
The first group of teachers began working in the school district this fall. The deadline for the next group, which will begin training next summer, is Jan. 14. Information sessions will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Kansas City, Kan., Public Library, 625 Minnesota Ave., and at 1 p.m. Dec. 11 in the Blue Valley Library, 9000 W. 151st St., in Overland Park.
Applicants must be college graduates with degrees in math or science, or related fields such as engineering. They must have demonstrated professional success and must commit to teaching at least four years in the Kansas City, Kan., school district.
For more information, contact Lizette Peter at 864-9668.
Kansas University sets final exams
Kansas University has announced the following final examinations:
- Venida Chenault, social welfare, "Violence and Abuse against Indigenous Women," 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Pine Room, Kansas Union.
- Forest NewHeart, social welfare, "Lesbian Women Choosing Parenthood," 9 a.m., Friday, Alcove E, Kansas Union.
- Steve Huff, social welfare, "Staying In or Dropping Out: Influences of Job Tenure for Persons with Mental Illness in Supported Employment Programs," 2 p.m. Dec. 10, 208 Twente Hall.
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.