KU features ceramics by artist from Qatar

The works of Qatar’s first artist to earn an advanced degree in ceramics are on display through Friday at Kansas University’s Art and Design building.

Munira Al-Meer, a Kansas University graduate student from Qatar — a small nation on the Arabian peninsula — completed the ceramics work for her master’s thesis.

Her show features sizable hand-built forms that resemble sea coral in their winding, inside-out patterns.

After Al-Meer, pictured above, earned a degree in art education at the University of Qatar and taught there for two years, her university offered her the opportunity to study ceramics outside the country. Generally, the Muslim culture does not allow women to leave without a husband.

“It’s amazing they let me come study alone,” Al-Meer said.

City

Task force on homeless not ready with report

The city’s Task Force on Homeless Services needs at least one more meeting before it is ready to present its plan to Lawrence city commissioners, members decided Wednesday.

Members of the group said they would meet at 8:30 a.m. April 6 at the city’s Neighborhood Resources Department to finalize a homeless services plan that they have been drafting for more than two years.

The draft version of the plan as it currently is written would establish goals of creating new space for a 24-hour shelter, adding new case managers to help homeless individuals, addressing the community’s need for a mental health facility, creating new housing options for the community, improving job readiness programs, and creating greater communication with the public about homelessness.

Senate

Panel changes wording in breast-feeding bill

Topeka — A bill designed to protect women who want to breast-feed their babies in public won a Senate committee’s endorsement Wednesday after members made a small — but important — change sought by the measure’s backers.

The Public Health and Welfare Committee’s voice vote sent the measure to the Senate for debate.

As passed by the House last month, the bill said a woman can discreetly breast-feed in any place she has the right to be.

Advocates of breast-feeding didn’t like the word “discreetly.” They said the term was subjective.

The committee removed the word “discreetly.”

Civil War group meeting tonight

The co-author of a new book about Abraham Lincoln will be the speaker at tonight’s meeting of the Samuel Churchill Camp 4 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

The speaker, Debra Goodrich, co-authored the book, “Lincoln,” along with her husband, Tom Goodrich. Debra Goodrich also is the editor of Kansas Journal of Military History. In addition, member Craig Sundell will have on display his collection of Civil War relics.

The meeting is free and open to the public and will take place at 7 p.m. at Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass.

Task force to improve government efficiency

Lawrence Mayor Mike Rundle has appointed a task force to work with City Manager Mike Wildgen to improve the efficiency and management of city government.

Rundle has named Wildgen, City Commissioner David Schauner, Planning Commissioner John Haase and real estate agent Doug Stephens to a group that will work on a proposal to improve the efficiency of city government.

Rundle said he expected the group would work on ways to improve the city’s development approval process, but he said the work would not be limited to that.

“We have heard a lot of different perspectives about how the city does business,” Rundle said. “It is time for us to bring forward some proposals on how we can do business better.”

Rundle did not set a deadline for the group.