Marine recruiting office vandalized

A U.S. Marine Corps recruiter discovered Tuesday morning that a vandal apparently had poured red paint on the front door and window of the Marines’ recruiting office in the Louisiana Purchase shopping center at 23rd and Louisiana streets, shown above.

A Marines spokeswoman in Kansas City said she didn’t have any more information about the incident but said it was under investigation.

In May, an unknown suspect or suspects spattered handprints made with red paint throughout downtown as a protest against the war in Iraq.

County

Applications accepted for road treatment

Douglas County residents have the opportunity to sign up for the county Public Works Department’s annual dust palliative program, which treats gravel roads with magnesium chloride to help control dust.

Participating property owners must pay a fee of $45 for the treatment and an additional 75 cents for each linear foot of road treated. Only public roads will be treated.

Applications are available at the Douglas County Public Works Department, 1242 Mass. Applicants must submit their payment for the program by 5 p.m. March 2 in order to participate.

Douglas County has offered the dust palliative program for about 20 years, said Doug Stephens, who administers the program. Last year, Stephens said there were about 175 property owners who participated and the county treated about 115,000 linear feet of road.

Hired crews will apply the magnesium chloride — or dust palliative — in early May and in late June, Stephens said.