The spirit of the Christmas season seized some at Lawrence High and the Chesty Lion mascot was done up as Santa Claus to greet students as they made their way to classes.

Gov.-elect Robert Docking named John Montgomery of Junction City as his new state highway director, a move expected to be of benefit to the subpar northeast region that included Lawrence, where Docking once had been a banker.

The second defendant facing charges in the August slaying of a Topeka woman was found guilty of first-degree murder by a Douglas County District Court jury. The defendant, Gwyndolyn McNair, 23, Topeka, had been accused of killing Terry Brown.