House Speaker to field questions online

Kansas House Speaker Doug Mays will take online questions this afternoon from Journal-World readers about legislative topics.

The chat will begin 3 p.m. today on ljworld.com.

Readers may go on the Web site early and submit questions, join the chat live or read the transcript later.

Mays, a Topeka conservative, is mentioned as a possible 2006 Republican contender for governor.

Politics

CSPAN to air Dole Institute presentation

A presentation tonight at the Dole Institute of Politics will be featured later on the cable news network CSPAN.

Tonight’s Presidential Lecture Series installment, “Stagecraft Stories: How Advance Work Builds Presidential Image,” will be filmed by a CSPAN crew. Free tickets for the presentation, at 7:30 p.m. in the institute’s Hansen Hall, are available at the institute or by calling 864-4900.

A Dole Institute representative said the event was scheduled to be broadcast Saturday evening.

The presentation features Jim Hooley, director of presidential advance under President Reagan, and Andrew Littlefair, lead advance worker. They will discuss how Reagan attempted to use visual images to help make his points.

The series continues Feb. 24, with a lecture by Jack Matlock, former U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union. It concludes Feb. 28 with a panel discussing Reagan’s presidential campaigns.

County commission

Changes recommended for controlling growth

Douglas County Commission members Wednesday night made several recommendations for changes to a draft of a rural planning development document about urban growth area subdivisions.

The changes are to be considered by the Lawrence and Douglas County Planning Department officials.

Commissioners Charles Jones, Bob Johnson and Jere McElhaney said they wanted a better understanding what the problems are and what needs to be fixed concerning policies for controlling growth.

In other business, commissioners approved a conditional use permit for a Rural Water District No. 4 pump station west of East 1700 Road and north of North 500 Road.

They also accepted a bid in the amount of $99,125 from Hunt Martin for crushed rock for road and bridge maintenance.