Patrols stepped up on U.S. Highway 24

Law enforcement agencies are stepping up patrols on U.S. Highway 24 over the next several days.

City, county and state agencies are especially interested in encouraging motorists and passengers to use their safety belts. All traffic violations, however, are being monitored.

The entire length of U.S. 24 in Kansas will be covered.

On Oct. 7, the enforcement effort will culminate with deployment of 25 officers along the highway conducting an intensive patrol effort.

The mobilization was organized and financed by the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Traffic Safety. Another mobilization is planned for November.

Education

Area schools receive national recognition

Elementary schools in Fort Riley and Ottawa have received a national honor.

The U.S. Department of Education announced this month that Jefferson Elementary School in Fort Riley and Eisenhower Elementary School in Ottawa were two of five schools in Kansas to receive the Blue Ribbon award, which is given to schools that are either academically superior in their states or have demonstrated dramatic gains in student achievement. More schools could receive the distinction as several are in the process of providing additional information.

Workshop

Caregivers to learn about listening

Karel Ramsey, certified trainer and caregiver specialist with Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging in Topeka, will present “Listen to Me,” a workshop for caregivers about how to communicate with health care professionals.

The workshop will be from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday at the Lawrence Senior Center, 745 Vt.

Pre-registration is required, and a $5 donation is suggested. For more information, or to register, call Community Service or Leisure and Learning offices at Douglas County Senior Services, 842-0543.

Kansas UniversIty

Slave woman’s diaries focus of lecture

The only slave woman whose papers have been found will be the topic of a lecture Friday at Kansas University.

Jean Fagan Yellin, an author and retired professor from Pace University in New York City, will speak about the life of Harriet Jacobs, a slave whose diaries were published in the 1861 book “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Written by Herself.”

The lecture is at 7 p.m. Friday in Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union. It will be preceded by a 6 p.m. reception.

The lecture is organized by the Project on the History of Black Writing at KU, which is celebrating its 20th year.