Wellsville resident killed in car accident

A Wellsville woman died Wednesday morning in a head-on wreck on Interstate 35 south of Wellsville, Kan., Highway Patrol officials said.

The woman was identified as Saundra L. Krueger, 54.

The wreck happened about 7:30 a.m. when the driver of a northbound Lincoln sedan, identified as 62-year-old Dennis Murphy, of Wilson, Tex., went into a ditch for an unknown reason, overcorrected, then drove across the median into oncoming traffic.

Murphy then collided with Krueger’s southbound 1997 Chevrolet, according to a report.

Murphy was taken to Overland Park Regional Medical Center. A passenger, Alvie D. Bowen, Wilson, Tex., was taken to University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, Kan.

Health

Rabies vaccinations urged for pets

Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department officials suggest people vaccinate their pets against rabies.

Warmer weather means more people and animals will be outdoors, increasing the risk of being bitten, health officials said. There have been 32 confirmed cases of rabies this year in Kansas, but none in Douglas County.

Typically an animal with rabies exhibits strange behavior, excitability or paralysis. The virus affects the nerve tissue of infected animals and people and is fatal if not discovered early.

Rabies is most commonly transmitted by skunks to domestic animals. Other animals — including bats, foxes, raccoons, cats, dogs and livestock — have been found with rabies.

To prevent rabies, health officials suggest people avoid contact with unknown animals, spay and neuter pets to prevent them from wandering, and report any animal known to have bitten or scratched another animal.

Youths

Auditions planned for summer theater

The Lawrence Arts Center will hold auditions for the 2005 Summer Youth Theatre program at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Students should call the center to sign up for an audition time. Students in eighth through 12th grades may audition for the musical “Les Miserables,” Max Bush’s “Kara in Black” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.” They should prepare a monologue and be ready to sing 16 bars of a song if they intend to audition for the musical.

Fourth- through seventh-graders may audition for “Cinderella” and “Free to be You and Me.” They don’t need to prepare an audition.

Callbacks for both age groups will be Monday and Tuesday. Sessions also will be offered for students in kindergarten through third grade.

Financial aid is available. For more information, call the Lawrence Arts Center at 843-2787.