Red Cross sets blood drive Thursday

A blood drive will be conducted Thursday by the Douglas County Chapter of the American Red Cross at the First Christian Church, 1000 Ky.

The drive will run from noon until 6 p.m. Everyone who donates will receive a free T-shirt, and food donated by local businesses also will be available.

Blood and platelet donors must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in general good health. Most medications do not prevent people from giving blood. Drinking plenty of water prior to donating blood is recommended.

Historic designation up for discussion

A proposal to designate parts of the Oread Neighborhood Assn. as a historic district will be discussed at a neighborhood meeting on Thursday.

The Oread Neighborhood Assn. will be host to a meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vt., to discuss the plan with homeowners and renters.

The proposed historic district would include parts of the 900 and 1000 blocks of Kentucky, parts of the 900 and 1000 blocks of Tennessee, parts of the 900, 1000 and 1100 block of Ohio, and parts of the 900 and 1100 blocks of Louisiana.

The district would allow some homeowners wanting to make home improvements to qualify for some state tax credits not currently available to them. Properties within the district or within 250 feet of the district could be subject to more planning regulations designed to protect the historical integrity of the area.

The neighborhood association currently is looking for grant money to prepare a nomination that would have to be approved by the Kansas State Historic Preservation Office and the National Parks Service.

KU staff member wins CLASS award

The director of the Academic Achievement and Access Center at Kansas University has been named winner of the 2005 Citation for Leadership and Achievement in Student Services award.

Mary Ann Rasnak was given the award at Saturday’s men’s basketball game.

The award, given by the Board of Class Officers, recognizes unclassified staff members who work in a department or organization overseen by the office of the vice provost for student success for distinguished achievements in student services, commitment to the needs of KU students and contributions to the welfare of students.

The award was established by the class of 1987.

Students weigh in on KU tuition proposal

Students enrolled in Kansas University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will offer input this week on whether the college should impose a $30-per-credit-hour tuition increase to fund building projects.

Administrators, with the guidance of a student committee, have proposed the increase to fund renovations at several buildings, including Wescoe Hall, and to construct a new $70 million science facility.

Students participated in the first of two forums Tuesday night. A second is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday in Room 3139 Wescoe.

Students also will complete Web-based surveys indicating whether they would support the increase and if so, which buildings should be priorities for renovation.

The college and the School of Social Welfare are the only two schools at KU not to have a “differential tuition” rate higher than the universitywide base rate. Social welfare administrators also are proposing a $10 per-credit-hour fee that would increase gradually to $30 by the 2007-2008 school year.

Developer must wait to pitch Lecompton plan

A Lawrence developer who several years ago talked about building a large subdivision southeast of Lawrence wants to talk to Lecompton about a subdivision proposal.

J. Stewart intended to talk to the Lecompton City Council Tuesday night about the proposal but decided to wait until the March 7 meeting. The council did not have enough members present at the meeting to legally make decisions.

Only Mayor Roy Paslay and councilmen Tim McNish and Chuck Folks were present. At least one more council member was needed to conduct regular business.

City Atty. Larry Hendricks told the council members they could do little more than listen to a presentation. Stewart chose to wait.

Missing were council members Mark Tunstall, Ed Smith and Jennifer Jones.