Football season ticket information in the mail

Kansas University Athletic Department officials began mailing informational packets Thursday to football season-ticket holders.

“They should all be in the mail by Friday,” said Associate Athletic Director Jim Marchiony.

The packets include a booklet explaining the department’s new priority point system and a map of Memorial Stadium showing how many points will be needed to sit in each section.

Points are based on past and pledged donations to the athletic department, membership in the KU Alumni Association, past season-ticket purchases and contributions to the university at large. Point totals are the same for football and basketball.

Fans wanting to increase their point totals have until April 22 to donate or pledge more.

Elections 2005

City Commission hopefuls to chat online

Incumbent Lawrence City Commissioner David Schauner will chat online today on the Journal-World’s Web site.

Schauner, who was first elected in 2003, will respond to questions starting at 1 p.m. on www.ljworld.com.

Questions may be submitted ahead of time and during the chat. A transcript will be posted online.

More chats with City Commission candidates running in the March 1 primary will be held next week.

Monday’s chats feature Jim Carpenter at 1:30 p.m. and Mike Amyx at 2:45 p.m.

Incumbent Sue Hack will chat at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, and Doug Holiday will chat at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Health

Flu shots available

The state has moved into what is typically the peak season for influenza, and despite earlier shortages of vaccine, the Lawrence-Douglas Health Department still has about 100 flu shots available.

Kim Ens, disease control program coordinator for the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, said although local cases of flu were starting to increase, it was not too late to get a flu shot.

The lab at Lawrence Memorial Hospital has confirmed 84 cases since Jan. 3, said hospital spokeswoman Michele Berendsen. This time last year, the hospital had confirmed 400 cases, she said, with the flu season peaking in late December.

“It’s hard to say if we will have the same numbers this year,” she said.

Immigration

Human rights advocate to speak

A human rights advocate who specializes in migrant death along the U.S-Mexico border will be in Lawrence on Monday.

Erin Tromble will speak about the history of migrant deaths in the border area during a dinner at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread Ave., at 6:30 p.m. The dinner is part of the Latin American Solidarity Rice and Beans Dinners.

Tromble works for an organization in Tuscon called No More Deaths which advocates for reform of the regulations of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Students honored for German exam scores

Seven Free State students were honored by the National Association of Teachers of German for scoring at or above the 90th percentile on the National German Exam.

The students won the opportunity to apply for an expense paid study trip to Germany. According to Stu Strecker, foreign language teacher at Free State High School, the students scoring in the top 10 percent nationally were: Benjamin Greenberg, Austin Cline, Stephanie Herpich, Chris Hansen, John Armstrong, Ksenia Guseva, Daphne Tsatsoulis.

Also commended by the AATG for scoring at or above the 85th percentile were Alexandria Vetter and Nathan Towns.

Music

Lawrence musicians to play in Kansas City, Mo.

Lawrence musicians Billy Ebeling, Lee McBee and their respective blues bands will perform Saturday night at Knuckleheads Saloon, 2715 Rochester, Kansas City, Mo.

The event is meant to be a Kansas City-area release party for “Boogie Children,” a live CD recorded Nov. 6 during a Douglas County Toys for Tots’ fund-raiser at Liberty Hall, 642 Mass.

The evening’s cover charge is being waived in hopes that patrons buy a copy of the CD. Proceeds will be donated to Toys for Tots. For more information, call 331-0799.