Early Lawrence men made do without wives

With the city celebrating its 150th birthday this weekend, the Journal-World is taking a look at early-day life in Lawrence:

Many of Lawrence’s earliest settlers were men who planned to establish a claim and return home in the spring for their families.

Erastus Ladd, one of those early men, found humor in the situation as he wrote a letter home.

“All here are living in tents, and it would please you to see us men at the hour of meals, gathered around our camp fires with our frying pans, tea kettles, bake-kettles and other appliances, providing our food, some to their wrists in dough, preparing bread, and others washing dishes,” Ladd wrote. “Well, this will be obviated when we get places to live and our wives and families.”

NIH director to speak at bioscience summit

Elias Zerhouni, director of the National Institutes of Health, and bioscientists from around the country will meet today at the Dole Institute of Politics to discuss the field’s future. U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback and Reps. Jim Ryun and Dennis Moore also are expected to attend. Read about the summit in Sunday’s Journal-World.

Above, Zerhouni talks with Kansas University students and faculty at the Kansas Union. Zerhouni was one of a handful of leaders in bioscience who spoke Friday to the group of KU professors during a roundtable discussion.

Police report progress in purse-snatching case

Lawrence Police said Friday they’d made more progress investigating a rash of purse snatchings last month.

Four teenage suspects, all from Topeka, are in custody in another city after being arrested for similar robberies there, police said. Local officers have interviewed the teens and are forwarding paperwork to the District Attorney’s Office for possible charges in Douglas County.

Police would not say where the teens are or when they were arrested.

The purse snatchings happened Aug. 27 and Aug. 30 at two grocery stores and a downtown coffee shop.

Police say the suspects are an 18-year-old, 17-year-old and two 15-year-olds, all male.

‘Kansas Nutcracker’ auditions set for Sunday

Auditions for the 2004 production of “A Kansas Nutcracker,” which will require community dancers and actors ages 5 and up, will be from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in the theater at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H. Auditions are scheduled by age groups : 1 p.m.-2 p.m. for ages 5-6; 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. for ages 7-10; and 3 p.m.-5 p.m. for ages 11-18. Adults may audition during any of these times. Rehearsals will begin in October, and the show will run Dec. 10-12 and 17-19.

There is a participation fee. Enrollment will take place at auditions. For more information and to sign up for auditions, call the arts center at 843-2787.

Territorial anniversary inspires new courses

The sesquicentennial of the Kansas territory has led to two new online courses available through Kansas University Continuing Education.

“History of Kansas” deals with the national events that influenced how the state developed. “Topics in Reading and Writing: Plains Literature” uses novels, essays and diaries to help students understand the people of the Plains and the human and philosophic issues that arise in a culture in which lives and livelihoods depend on the weather and nature.

Both are offered for three hours of undergraduate credit. For more information or to enroll, visit www.kuce.org/isc or call 864-5823.