Highest-ever finish for KU students’ race car

A race car designed by Kansas University engineering students placed 12th at an international competition in Pontiac, Mich., in late May – the highest finish ever for a KU car in the event.

The Jayhawk Motorsports vehicle placed ahead of all of its Big XII competitors at the 2005 Society of Automotive Engineers Formula Car Challenge. KU has placed in the top 25 in five of the past seven years.

The challenge requires engineering students to design and build a small formula car and then race it. Registration in the event is limited to 140 teams.

The KU team included two Lawrence natives: Logan Johnson, a senior who led the project’s volunteers, and Greg Vannorsdel, a senior who led construction of the chassis.

Law students receive full-ride scholarships

Eight Kansas residents, including three attending the Kansas University School of Law, received one-year, full-ride scholarships from the J.L. Weigand Trust in Wichita.

The Weigand scholarships are given annually to provide money for tuition, books, fees, room and board for students who have been Kansas residents for at least 10 years. The trust distributed more than $200,000 to the eight students.

The KU students who received the scholarships are Ivery Goldstein, Emporia, Thomas Ruane, Overland Park, and Kristin Van Saun, Lawrence.

The other student recipients are Joletta Friessen, McPherson, Roark Gordon, Wichita, and Eric Pauly, Conway Springs, all of whom are attending Washburn Law School; and Christopher McLemore, Wichita, and Caroline Walling, Wichita, both of whom are attending Notre Dame Law School.

CASA awarded $7,000 grant

Douglas County CASA, Inc. has received a $7,000 grant from Jewelers for Children, the leading charity of the U.S. jewelry industry.

The grant will be used to expand advocacy for abused and neglected children in Douglas County.

The Douglas County CASA, Inc. program was started in 1991. Last year, the program served 91 children from Douglas County that had been abused or neglected and were under the protection of the juvenile court.

CASA of Douglas County also earned about $13,000 through the Casa4CASA fundraiser, said Tracy Ford Stacey, who served as co-chairwoman of the fundraiser and is on the organization’s board. Officials had hoped to raise $15,000.

For more information about the organization, contact CASA executive director Kerry Gaines at 832-5172 or at kgaines@douglas-county.com. People can also go online to www.orgsites.com/ks/douglascountycasa.

Elite cyclists expected at Baldwin race

An elite group of bicyclists is expected to participate Saturday and Sunday in the third annual Baldwin City Stage Race.

The three-event stage race is under the auspices of the United States Cycling Federation and is on the Midwest Region Maxxis Cup Cycling Series.

The stage race consists of a 10K time trial and criterium on Saturday and a road race in rural Douglas County on Sunday. The bike racers will come from Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri.

The criterium is a spectator-friendly loop around the Baker University campus and has runs at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Non-USCF licensed cyclists interested in racing may purchase a one-day license for $10. There will be a free children’s race at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

For more information about weekend events, go online to www.kcbike.com.