Deadly apartment fire top story of ’05

Making a list of Top 10 anything is guaranteed to start a disagreement, and this year’s list of Top 10 stories in Lawrence is no exception.

How can you judge whether a story merits inclusion on the list, and where it should be ranked? Is a story big because it affects the way we live? Is it Top 10 because it had some lurid element that helped it cross the line from news to coffee shop gossip? Or maybe it’s something we all watched on TV together, groaning or cheering at the outcome?

Well, yes to all of the above.

Here is the list of Top 10 stories of 2005 in Lawrence, as chosen by the staffs of the Journal-World and 6News.

1. Boardwalk fire

The Oct. 7 early-morning fire killed three people – electrician Jose Gonzalez, social worker Yolanda Riddle and Kansas University student Nicole Bingham – and injured 20. Dozens more were left briefly homeless, and all lost property and memories, including Bill Lee, who lost his collection of music memorabilia that was the foundation of the Kansas Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. Jason Rose, a Boardwalk Apartments resident, has been charged with arson and murder in the case.

2. Intelligent Design vs. Evolution

Kansas plunged back into the evolution wars in 2005 with a new set of public school science standards approved by the State Board of Education in November. The new standards challenge some evolutionary theory, treating it as the subject of scientific controversies, prompting criticism from national science groups. Critics have accused board members of promoting creationism or intelligent design, which says an intelligent cause is the best way to explain some complex, orderly features of the natural world. Lawrence public schools are ignoring the new standards.

West Junior High School ninth-graders Mallory Ray, left, and Stephanie Mattern work on a science paper during biology class. The debate between creationists and evolutionists brewed again in 2005 in the Kansas State Board of Education.

3. Murray trial

Former Kansas State University English professor Thomas Murray was convicted last spring of the November 2003 stabbing death of his ex-wife, Carmin Ross, in her rural Lawrence home. It was one of Lawrence’s most-watched trials ever. Murray was sentenced to life in prison; the couple’s daughter will live with Ross’ family.

4. Paul Mirecki

The Kansas University religion professor stoked controversy in November when he announced a class to teach intelligent design – as myth. But Mirecki was forced to withdraw those plans after conservative activists publicized old e-mails in which the professor mocked conservative Christians. Days after he withdrew the class, Mirecki told the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department he had been attacked by two men angry about the controversy. By year’s end, he had stepped down from his post as chair of KU’s religion department.

5. Hurricane Katrina

Lawrence responded with an outpouring of charity to the hurricane that devastated New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast. The town offered to “adopt” a family; church groups mounted rebuilding expeditions to the South; and residents across the city opened their wallets for relief efforts.

6. Miller trial

The year’s other big murder trial. Martin Miller was convicted of first-degree murder in the July 2004 suffocation death of his wife. Prosecutors showed the jury evidence that Miller, a former Christian school trustee, had led a double-life filled with pornography and extramarital sex. A jury found him guilty of strangling his wife as she slept. Like Murray, he was sentenced to life in prison.

7. KU hoops

For the first time in a generation, the Jayhawks lost a first-round NCAA tournament game. That was followed up with an injury to guard J.R. Giddens outside a Lawrence bar, and incident that resulted in Giddens leaving the program. Coach Bill Self started the 2005-06 season with a young, inexperienced team that stumbled in the early going, testing the patience of KU fans accustomed to early season dominance.

8. Northwest Lawrence growth troubles

City utility leaders in September announced that they had concerns about the ability of the sewer system in northwest Lawrence to keep up with growth – angering the Lawrence City Commission and developers, who said City Hall should have better planned for the growth. The continuing controversy coincided with Planning Director Linda Finger’s resignation from the position. At year’s end, the commission approved an expansion of a sewer pump station to help Lawrence’s utilities keep up with its growth.

9. K-12 funding lawsuit

After years of moving through the court system, the Kansas Supreme Court ordered the state to increase funding for public schools. The Legislature responded by adding $290 million to the budget, bringing state school spending to roughly $3 billion. But the fight continues; legislators are awaiting the results of an audit to determine the appropriate amount of funding needed to provide a suitable education to Kansas students.

10. Highway funds

Kansas Transportation Secretary Deb Miller said in early December that federal funding shortfalls, combined with rising construction costs, were jeopardizing 135 planned road projects worth $1.2 billion, including several in the area, such as the $165 million widening of U.S. Highway 59 in Douglas and Franklin counties. To bridge the gap, Miller said that early next year she would ask the Kansas Legislature to advance the sale of $150 million in bonds that were authorized back in 2004.