Apartment fire blamed on barbecue grill ashes

Improperly discarded ashes from a barbecue grill were the cause of a fire that damaged an apartment building Sunday night, investigators with Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical said.

The fire started on a wood balcony outside the third-floor apartment, A-6, in Village Square Apartments, 1500 W. Eighth Terrace, Deputy Chief Mark Bradford said Monday.

Though the apartment building was occupied when the fire broke out shortly before 8 p.m., no one was injured. One firefighter was treated for a heat-related injury. Firefighters reported the fire under control at 8:18 p.m.

Total damage estimates for the apartment where the fire started and surrounding apartments was listed at $200,000.

The Douglas County Chapter of the American Red Cross provided assistance to some fire victims by providing a motel room and a voucher to replace clothing.

A total of 17 firefighters with four trucks fought the blaze. Two ambulances were dispatched to stand by.

EMBEZZLEMENT CASE

Kruse may avoid trial through deal

There’s a chance the embezzlement case against a former Lawrence Education Assn. president will be resolved without going to trial.

An attorney for Wayne A. Kruse alluded to a possible deal in the works Monday morning during a brief court appearance in Douglas County District Court.

“I do think there’s a possibility of a resolution of the case,” defense attorney Mark Bennett told Judge Jack Murphy. He didn’t elaborate on what the terms might be.

Kruse, a former sixth grade teacher at Quail Run School, is charged with embezzling more than $97,000 in union dues between November 2003 and August 2004.

SPEEDING TICKET CASE

Fight against fine still not resolved

Lawrence resident Zamir Bavel’s latest court battle against a $45 speeding ticket issued to him in March 2004 went on all day Monday.

Douglas County District Court Judge Robert Fairchild then continued the hearing to 2 p.m. on July 25.

Bavel, a computer science professor at Kansas University, argued that he doesn’t think Lawrence Police officers have enough training to operate radar guns and shouldn’t be allowed to issue speeding tickets – including his.

He also has said that he wasn’t speeding when he was ticketed near 19th St. and Ousdahl Dr.

Jerry Little, assistant prosecutor for the city, said Kansas law requires officers to have sufficient training and experience.