Electrical problem likely cause of fire

An electrical malfunction, probably from a wire to a heated water bowl in a dog kennel, is thought to have caused a fire that damaged a house west of Lawrence Saturday morning, Kanwaka Township Fire Chief Chris Lesser said.

No one was home when black smoke from the fire at 727 North 1500 Road was seen by a passer-by shortly before noon. After seeing the smoke, Shari Koehler called her husband, Rick Koehler, who is a Kanwaka firefighter. She also alerted nearby neighbors Charles and Mary Loveland, who called 911.

In addition to Kanwaka, firefighters from Wakarusa Township and Lecompton responded and quickly put out the fire. They had to take out part of the siding to a wall to get to the fire. No damage estimate was available, Lesser said.

The dog kennel was next to the house. Three puppies inside the kennel escaped the fire unharmed.

Stan Larson, Lawrence, said he owned the house and rents it to Brett Spader. Spader was out of town and was reached by cell phone, Larson said. The house was built in the 1890s, Larson said.

Driving

Restricted left turns off 23rd now in effect

A new city policy that puts restrictions on when and where motorists can make left-hand turns off of 23rd Street is now in effect.

City crews recently installed signs prohibiting left-hand turns from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday onto the following streets: Ohio, Tennessee, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island streets, and Learnard Avenue.

In December, city commissioners agreed to test the idea as a way to improve traffic flow on 23rd Street during busy rush hour periods. City officials will study its effectiveness this summer to determine whether to make the change permanent.

The city’s Public Works Department is seeking comments about the policy. People can call 832-3123 or submit comments at www.lawrencepublicworks.org.

Education

KU Haitian scholar named best professor

A Kansas University professor has been named professor of the year by the Kansas chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French.

Bryant Freeman, professor of Haitian studies and director of the Institute of Haitian Studies at KU, received the honor. He has taught at KU since 1971 and is considered one of the world’s foremost Haitian scholars.

Freeman was cited for his Haitian-English dictionary, now in its fifth edition, and for his teaching at KU.

Highways

Semitrailer accident blocks toll booth traffic

A tractor-trailer accident at the east Lawrence interchange on Interstate 70 blocked some traffic at the toll booth there early Saturday morning.

The semitrailer was pulling off of the highway and into the toll area when its driver lost control of the vehicle. The tractor-trailer then slid into a vehicle on the ramp and pushed it into a railway. The accident occurred at 12:12 a.m.

No injuries were reported from the accident. The interchange remained partially blocked until 1:52 a.m.

Though there were high winds in the area, the Kansas Highway Patrol report did not attribute the accident to them.