Construction begins on new fire station

Construction is now under way on the city’s newest fire station.

City officials conducted a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for Fire Station No. 5 at 1911 Stewart Ave.

The 23,843-square-foot, $5.4 million building will serve as a fire station as well as house the administrative offices of the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical department.

In addition to city officials, members of the Kansas University Endowment Association took part in the groundbreaking ceremony. The Endowment Association providedthe approximately 4-acre site for the facility.

Construction is expected to be completed by March 2006.

Bert Nash receives $100,000 grant

Officials with the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center announced Thursday that the organization has received a $100,000 federal grant to provide rental assistance to individuals with mental illness.

The grant will be administered by the Residential Housing Services division at Bert Nash. The grant is part of the federal HOME Tenant Based Rental Assistance program.

Bert Nash has been involved in the program for the past 10 years and works with the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority on the project.

Health

Dietetic Assn. to hold conference in Lawrence

The Kansas Dietetic Assn. will hold its annual conference in Lawrence on April 1 at the Lawrence Holidome, 200 McDonald Drive.

The organization expects many of its 650 members statewide to attend the conference, which has a theme of “Reflect, Rethink, Rejuvenate!”

The conference will include discussions of the new government dietary guidelines released early this year and the obesity epidemic.

Conference attendees will be treated to a lunch sponsored by the Kansas Beef Council.

Programming will run from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will be followed by the association’s annual board meeting.

Parks

Program to document bald eagle nesting

Clinton State Park officials will offer a program titled “Clinton Lake — A Bald Eagle Success Story” at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Clinton State Park office.

Mike Watkins, a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will give a presentation that documents the nesting success of bald eagles at Clinton Lake. A possible field trip may be arranged after the presentation to view a nest occupied by a bald eagle.

People should contact Bruce Wolhuter, park naturalist, at 842-8562 or by e-mail at clintonsp@wp.state.ks.us for more information.

The presentation is part of the Kansas Wildlife and Parks 2005 Centennial Celebrations.

Politics

Dole Institute offering tours to visitors

Visitors to the Dole Institute of Politics can get a behind-the-scenes tour of former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole’s personal and political archives twice this spring.

The institute will offer tours March 25 and April 23. Reservations for the half-hour tours are required by calling 864-1420 or 864-1405, or by e-mailing bischoff@ku.edu or asweets@ku.edu.

The tour will include the reading room, the archival storage area and archival processing room.