Judge: Consolidation lawsuit lacked merit

Erie — A Reno County judge dismissed this week a lawsuit against the Erie-St. Paul School District that challenged plans to close two of the district’s three high schools.

Judge William Buck Lyle, appointed to handle the case by Neosho County judges, ruled Tuesday that moving students among schools in the same district isn’t the same as closing a school. A group of Thayer residents filed the suit after the school board decided to move students from high schools in St. Paul and Thayer to Erie.

“There should be no distinction between closing a building and closing a school,” said Kurt Loy, a Pittsburg attorney representing the Thayer group. “(The board) voted to no longer have a Thayer High School. The Thayer Flyers will no longer exist. That is closing a school.”

But Lyle said state law allowed such a consolidation of schools within a school district, ruling the Thayer suit had no merit.

The judge suggested said district residents who opposed the consolidation could either go to the Legislature to get state law changed, or elect a new school board.

Senate approves ‘Lew Perkins’ bill

Topeka — Without dissent, the Kansas Senate on Thursday approved a bill requiring full disclosure of public employees’ compensation.

“The people deserve to know who’s getting paid what if they’re working for the government,” said state Sen. Tim Huelskamp, R-Fowler.

The bill, which has been called the “Lew Perkins” bill, after the Kansas University athletic director, was approved 39-0 and now goes to the House for consideration.

The measure arose from a lawsuit filed against KU by The World Company, which publishes the Lawrence Journal-World and operates cable television 6News, to force disclosure of Perkins’ compensation package.

A Douglas County District Court judge ruled in the media’s favor. The bill places the district court ruling into state law, requiring that public employees’ compensation records be disclosed, even those involving anonymous gifts and private funds.

Huelskamp, chairman of the Senate Elections and Local Government Committee, said he was confident the measure would be approved by the House.

Kansas

Dean criticizes Bush, rallies Democrats

True to his word that he would take his party’s message to conservative bastions, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean rallied a crowd Thursday in Kansas, which has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1964.

Speaking in Topeka, the former presidential candidate and Vermont governor criticized President Bush’s budget record and plans for Social Security while urging people to get involved in politics no matter what their philosophy.

Dean was the keynote speaker for a student government conference at Washburn University. He also is scheduled to headline a $5-per-ticket rally tonight at Liberty Hall in Lawrence.

Missouri

Threats spur jet search, but nothing found

Authorities at Kansas City International Airport searched a Southwest Airlines jetliner Thursday after receiving two telephoned bomb threats, but no explosives were found.

Joe McBride, a spokesman for the Aviation Department, said the first threat came in around 2:45 p.m. and did not mention a specific airline. The second threat was phoned in shortly after that, McBride said, and specifically mentioned Southwest flight 1143.

The Boeing 737, which arrived in Kansas City from Tampa, Fla., with 107 passengers and crew, was steered to a remote location. Passengers were taken by bus to a screening area.

The airport police’s dog team was brought in to check the airplane and luggage, McBride said, and the threat was declared a false alarm about 5:30 p.m.