Former Marine among Iraq war protesters

About 25 demonstrators, including a former Marine, gathered at the intersection of 23rd and Louisiana streets Saturday afternoon in a show of support for military personnel who have refused to serve in Iraq.

The protests took place a few yards from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines recruitment facilities at the Louisiana Purchase shopping center.

Chris White, the Kansas chapter president of Veterans for Peace, said he had been out of the Marines for six years, and now served as a “counter-recruiter.”

“My main reason for counter-recruiting is because recruiters aren’t held to any kind of accountability for the truth,” White said.

The protest appeared to have caused the Army/Navy recruitment center in the Louisiana Purchase shopping center to close about 15 minutes early. A recruitment officer who was leaving the building said the facility had been closed all day and that he was only around to clean up. However, a sign in the window said the office was open on Saturdays until 2:30 p.m. The recruitment officer would not offer further comment.

Kansas University

Professor to discuss England’s role in Iraq

Kansas University professor Victor Bailey will appear on 89.3 KCUR’s “Up To Date” Thursday to discuss England’s role in the creation of Iraq.

Bailey, who is a professor of modern British history and the director of the Hall Center for the Humanities, will discuss how the British created Iraq between 1918 and 1922, and how their situation then mirrors the United States’ involvement in the region now.

Bailey will deliver the Hall Center Empire Lecture on the same topic at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Regnier Hall auditorium on the KU Edwards Campus. That lecture is free and open to the public.

City

Preservation grants awarded to Lawrence

The city of Lawrence will receive an $11,850 grant through the Historic Preservation Fund.

The funds will go for a design review intern. The intern will provide assistance with projects such as staff reports, legal notifications, assisting developers and property owners and coordination of Historic Preservation Week activities.

The Kansas Historic Sites Board of Review approved recommendations for the grant funding. The board allocated $98,104 to 12 projects across the state.

Lawrence also was awarded a grant of $8,213 to fund a National Register historic district nomination for Oread neighborhood. The Oread Historic District was listed on the Lawrence Register of Historic Places in 1991.

Police

Child killed by driver

Kansas City, Kan. — A 12-year-old girl was struck by a car and killed Friday, police said.

The child, whose name was not released, was crossing a street when the car hit her about 7 p.m. The driver of the vehicle was not injured, and no charges had been filed Saturday, police said.

Abortion survivor to speak at KU

Gianna Jessen, who was born despite her mother’s attempt to abort her, will speak at Kansas University next month.

Jessen will speak at 7 p.m. April 5 in the Kansas Union Ballroom. Her appearance is sponsored by KU Students for Life and is part of Stand Up for Life Week on campus.

Jessen was born despite her mother undergoing a saline-induced abortion. She has cerebral palsy.