Local briefs

New Christmas lights celebrated in Eudora

Eudora — New downtown Christmas lights were turned on for the first time Sunday night as about 50 people looked on from Seventh and Main streets and applauded.

The new lights, some of which were shaped like trees, candles and stars, were purchased by the city to replace lights that had been in use for years.

“I think the old lights had a few years on them when I was a kid,” Mayor Ron Conner said.

Following the lighting the crowd gathered in front of Eudora City Hall, where they were treated to an impromptu performance of local musicians singing Christmas carols.

Sunday’s event also marked the start of collecting for the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Fund. Collection containers can be found at City Hall as well as several Eudora businesses. The money will be used to provide Christmas gifts to needy children.

Recognition

KU faculty members named science fellows

Two Kansas University faculty members have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Nell Trefz, Donna Oleson and Darla Trefz sing at Eudora City Hall. Behind them is Tom Pyle.

Mabel Rice, professor of speech-language-hearing, and Jeffrey Aube, professor and interim chairman of the department of medicinal chemistry, will be honored at the annual meeting of the AAAS in February in Washington, D.C.

The AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific organization and publishes Science magazine. It elects fellows whose “efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished.”

Rice was selected for her research on language acquisition by children with language impairments and for her service to national professional organizations and early-education programs.

Aube was selected for his research on the synthesis of pharmaceutical and pharmacological agents, his commitment to education and for his service to the AAAS.

Event

KU prof to discuss antislavery book

Jonathan Earle will discuss his new book and sign copies during an event Tuesday at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt.

Earle, an associate professor of history at Kansas University, recently completed “Jacksonian Antislavery and the Politics of Free Soil, 1824-1854.” The event begins at 7 p.m. in the library auditorium and is free and open to the public.

In the book, Earle argues that the antislavery movement’s focus on free soil policies was not a retreat from its ideals of emancipation, but rather served to link the antislavery agenda to a land reform campaign based on Jacksonian principles.