Archive for Thursday, December 18, 2008 / LJWorld.com

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Births

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Real or fake, pine or plastic? Every year, Kathy Heeb ...

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Famous Christmas trees

From Seedling to Stump

Prairie Elf Christmas Trees

Deanell Tacha's Christmas decor

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Polls

The city of Lawrence is having trouble getting rid of the recyclables it collects. Does knowing this affect your decision to put materials in city recycling bins?

Poll results

Response	Percent
No		72%
Yes		27%
Total	384

Videos

Lead stories

6:00 a.m.

Longtime chief homicide detective to retire at week’s end: By Jesse Fray; December 17, 2008; Every time his phone rang in the middle of the night, his stomach filled with knots. Every time his phone rang in the middle of the night, he knew something wasn’t right. Every time his phone rang in the middle of the night, he was sure someone had been killed in Lawrence.

Video: Top detective to retire

10:00 a.m.

Recycling market suffering just like rest of economy: By Chad Lawhorn; December 18, 2008; Talk about a market that has turned to junk.

Video: Recyclers finding stiff market

6:00 p.m.

Chi Omega fountain’s Frozen Assets: By George Diepenbrock; December 18, 2008 in print edition on 3A; A Kansas University sculpture student has frozen the beauty of a popular campus landmark. For a project in a public art class, Wichita senior Matthew Farley has constructed a display of plastic water bottles on the Chi Omega Fountain to make it appear the water is suspended in the freezing Kansas air.

Video: Chi Omega fountain turned into art project

All stories

Lawrence high takes on SMNW: By Andrew Baker; December 18, 2008; The first city showdown of the season takes place on Saturday. But before the Firebirds and Lions play that double-header, three of the four city squads have Friday night contests to worry about.
Piper falls to Chrisman, 85-76: By Andrew Baker; December 18, 2008; After falling to Eudora, the Piper Pirates were on the road trying to get a win against the Chrisman Bears.
KU efficiencies result in savings: By Andy Hyland; December 18, 2008 in print edition on A6; Kansas University has been able to save $9 million after undertaking several efficiency measures since 2007.
Lawrence special education teacher wins $5,000 award: By Karrey Britt; December 18, 2008 in print edition on A3; Mary Ann Henry, 69, was honored with the $5,000 Special Award for Dedication to Education on Thursday at South Junior High School, where she is a special education teacher.
Self-defense workshop offered to KU students in wake of sexual assaults: Class comes on heels of recent rape at KU; By Jesse Fray; December 18, 2008 in print edition on A3; A group of Kansas University students learned how to kick the you-know-what out of a would-be attacker Thursday afternoon.
KU, Joe-College face new battle in lengthy legal contest: KU wants $1.4M in legal fees, triple profits and royalties, plus shirts seized; By Chad Lawhorn; December 18, 2008 in print edition on A1; Attorneys with the Kansas University Athletics Department filed a new wave of legal arguments this week aimed at punishing downtown T-shirt retailer Joe-College.com for violating university trademarks.
Local tree farmer grows holiday cheer: By Brian Lewis-Jones; December 18, 2008 in print edition on B1; When it comes to growing Christmas trees, Kathy Heeb says nature is in control. “It’s one of those things you don’t get immediate gratification from,” she said. “Nature takes its course.”
Brownback makes it official: He won’t seek re-election to U.S. Senate: Senator declines to talk about possible run for governor; By Scott Rothschild; December 18, 2008 in print edition on A3; U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., on Thursday said he would not seek re-election in 2010, but declined to address speculation that he plans to run for governor.
Accident closes Highway 40 west of Lawrence, now reopened: By George Diepenbrock; 01:28 p.m., December 18, 2008 Updated 03:15 p.m.; A noninjury accident involving a semitrailer has shut down a portion of U.S. Highway 40 a few miles west of Lawrence, a Kansas Highway Patrol dispatcher said.
Regents intend to name new KU chancellor by fall 2009: By Andy Hyland; 12:55 p.m., December 18, 2008 Updated 05:01 p.m. in print edition on A1; The Kansas Board of Regents announced Thursday that it intends to name a new chancellor at Kansas University by fall 2009.
Precipitation expected to redevelop later; ice not expected to be severe: By Chad Lawhorn; 11:52 a.m., December 18, 2008 Updated 03:18 p.m.; City leaders are warning people that city streets are expected to become very slick by mid-day Thursday.
Looming ice leads to cancellations: LJWorld.com staff reports; 11:13 a.m., December 18, 2008 Updated 09:48 p.m.; Thursday’s projection of ice has led to some cancellations.
Board of Regents looking to legislature for permission to alter admission standards: Associated Press; December 18, 2008; The Kansas Board of Regents plans to ask state lawmakers and the governor next month for permission to oversee changing state university admissions standards.
Comfort & Joy: Judge Deanell Tacha decorates home with spirit, sentiment: By Jennifer Oldridge; December 18, 2008; This might not be the brightest holiday season for many people.
Most storm damage work should be left to professionals: By Jennifer Smith; December 18, 2008; Even if the calendar disagrees, I believe winter is officially here.
Credit card practices exploit consumers: By Michell Singletary - The Washington Post; December 18, 2008 in print edition on B9; Imagine that the interest rate on your auto loan could escalate greatly if you were late on another bill. If that were so, I’m sure more people would pay cash for a hoopty rather than take on a loan with such an outrageous term.
Cheeks’ firing in Philly was matter of time: December 18, 2008; Hired to be fired. It’s a staple at every coaching level, accentuated at the highest ones. Six NBA coaches gone already this season. Five NHL coaches gone already, too, although Barry Melrose really shouldn’t count.
Anderson LHS’s ‘Mr. Everything’: By Jesse Temple; December 18, 2008; Brian Anderson has been coaching for 32 years now. He’s coached all sorts of sports, too.
Recycling market suffering just like rest of economy: City has trouble unloading materials; By Chad Lawhorn; December 18, 2008; Talk about a market that has turned to junk.
Sneaky sensation: Lawrence’s Kilburn developing into reliable option; By Matt Tait; December 18, 2008 in print edition on B1; There are a lot of words and phrases one can use to describe Lawrence High guard Lance Kilburn.
Pitt rolls past Siena: The Associated Press; December 18, 2008 in print edition on B6; A recap of Top 25 men’s basketball action.
Keep your cash: South Carolina governor rails against bailouts: By Seanna Adcox - Associated Press Writer; December 18, 2008 in print edition on C8; At a time when other states are clamoring for cash, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is saying no thanks.
KU football notes: J-W Staff Reports; December 18, 2008 in print edition on B3; Kansas University sophomore receiver Dezmon Briscoe was named an honorable mention all-American selection by SI.com (Sports Illustrated), the school announced Wednesday.
Case closed: The case of a disgraced attorney general now can be put to rest.; J-W Editorials; December 18, 2008 in print edition on A8; Wednesday’s announcement that criminal charges would not be brought against former Kansas Attorney General Paul Morrison mercifully brings to a close an unfortunate chapter in the legal history of Johnson County and the state of Kansas.
Report: Blackwater may lose Iraq license: December 18, 2008 in print edition on C8; An internal State Department report says Blackwater Worldwide may lose its license to work in Iraq and recommends the agency prepare alternative ways to protect its diplomats there.
Oil falls below $40 despite OPEC cut: December 18, 2008 in print edition on A2; Oil prices fell to 4 1/2-year lows today in Asia as investor pessimism over global crude demand outweighed OPEC’s largest-ever production cut.
Old Home Town - 100 years ago: December 18, 2008 in print edition on A9; From the Lawrence Daily World for Dec. 18, 1908: “Chancellor Frank Strong of the university believes the state is not using its educational funds to best advantage so long as Kansas continues to maintain two schools of engineering and fine arts, one at the university in Lawrence and the other at the agricultural college in Manhattan.
Chrysler and Ford to idle factories: December 18, 2008 in print edition on A2; Chrysler announced Wednesday it is closing all its North American manufacturing plants for at least a month, the starkest move taken by U.S. automakers as they anxiously await word about government loans.
Kilwein filled huge void for Firebirds: By Jesse Temple; December 18, 2008; For a brief moment, Steve Heffernan wondered who would rise to the occasion.
Gary Bedore’s KU Basketball Notebook: By Gary Bedore; December 18, 2008 in print edition on B3; Kansas University’s Morris twins lost a lot of weight about a month ago when both were hit with flu-like symptoms.
Salvation Army drive still short of goal: December 18, 2008 in print edition on A3; The local Salvation Army Kettle Drive is nearing its end, and organizers say they still need cash.
Baker gets high marks from military magazine: December 18, 2008 in print edition on B5; Military Advanced Education magazine named Baker University one of the country’s top military-friendly colleges and universities for 2008.
Baldwin’s Weiss answered own fears: By Jesse Temple; December 18, 2008; Some serious trepidation accompanied Tony Weiss’ first cross country meet this season.
KU contribution: December 18, 2008 in print edition on A8; To the editor: There were significant omissions in the articles on Chancellor Hemenway and the list of his accomplishments (Journal-World, Dec. 9).
Bush: ‘I didn’t compromise my soul’ to be popular: The Associated Press; December 18, 2008 in print edition on A2; President George W. Bush knows he’s unpopular. But here’s what matters, he says: “I didn’t compromise my soul to be a popular guy.”
Auburn simply was incompetent: December 18, 2008; Whether Charles Barkley was right when he said “race was the No. 1 factor” why Auburn chose Gene Chizik over Turner Gill is something only a few higher-ups in the athletic department and the administration at his alma mater will ever know.
Guards propel UTEP past TTech: The Associated Press; December 18, 2008 in print edition on B6; A recap of Big 12 men’s basketball action.
Energy agency: Oil imports, demand slowing: By H. Josef Hebert - Associated Press Writer; December 18, 2008 in print edition on C8; U.S. dependence on foreign oil will drop dramatically during the next two decades as Americans are expected to confront rebounding oil prices, use more biofuels like ethanol and drive more fuel-efficient cars, the Energy Department predicted Wednesday.
Court rejects attempt to remove governor: December 18, 2008 in print edition on A2; The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday denied an effort to remove Gov. Rod Blagojevich, rejecting what could have been the quickest way to force the Democrat from office.
Horoscopes: December 18, 2008 in print edition on B8; Most of this year has a theme of the unexpected running through it. You might wonder what it will take to calm down your personal life. If you are single, meeting someone could be easy, though this might not be the best relationship year. If you are attached, you could find a lot to squabble about. Virgo can be challenging.
Break the BlackBerry habit: By Eric Weiner - Special to the Los Angeles Times; December 18, 2008 in print edition on A9; To President-elect Barack Obama: Word on the street is you’re negotiating with the Secret Service to keep your BlackBerry come Jan. 20. I applaud your moxie. And I understand. Really, I do. I know how much you love that little gizmo; love its soft, flickering light, its ergonomic thumb wheel, its tremendous power (soft power, of course) that makes you feel so connected, so in touch, so outside the bubble.
Pump patrol: December 18, 2008 in print edition on A3; The Journal-World found gas prices as low as $1.47 at several locations.
U.N. chief: Civilians need protection: December 18, 2008 in print edition on C8; The United Nations’ chief in Afghanistan called Wednesday for international military forces to revise their agreement with the Afghan government to include practices that will better safeguard civilians.
Chi Omega fountain’s Frozen Assets: Sculpture aims to bring focus to water, waste; By George Diepenbrock; December 18, 2008 in print edition on A3; A Kansas University sculpture student has frozen the beauty of a popular campus landmark. For a project in a public art class, Wichita senior Matthew Farley has constructed a display of plastic water bottles on the Chi Omega Fountain to make it appear the water is suspended in the freezing Kansas air.
Old Home Town - 40 years ago: December 18, 2008 in print edition on A9; Members of the local school board were vehement in their protests about continued delays in completion of the new South Junior High School and administrators admitted they were badly embarrassed. Originally the building was to be done by September, but now it appeared a move could not be made before mid-February. The public was demanding exercise of penalty clauses in the contract.
Majority of pet owners say they understand meaning of animals’ sounds: The Associated Press; December 18, 2008 in print edition on A1; When your dog says “Woof,” you hear an eager, “Let’s take a walk.” And your cat has a certain entitled meow that you know means, “Put more food in my bowl — now!”
Networks begin long winter’s nap: By Kevin McDonough; December 18, 2008 in print edition on B8; Christmas is just a week off, and New Year’s a half-month away, but 2008 is pretty much over as far as the networks are concerned. With two exceptions, all of tonight’s offerings are in reruns.
Sources: Obama picks more agency leaders: December 18, 2008 in print edition on A6; President-elect Barack Obama intends to name former Securities and Exchange Commissioner Mary Schapiro to head the much-criticized agency and wants to install GOP Rep. Ray LaHood of Illinois as transportation secretary, Democratic officials said Wednesday.
Lawsuit seeks to block leases near Utah parks: December 18, 2008 in print edition on A7; Environmental groups filed a lawsuit Wednesday to try to block the sale of oil and gas leases that the Bush administration plans for Friday. The leases concern 110,000 acres of wide-open redrock country in Utah near Arches and Canyonlands national parks.
U.S. official: Russians intend to test Obama: By Robert Burns - Associated Press Writer; December 18, 2008 in print edition on C8; The Russian government is likely to “test the mettle” of Barack Obama and his administration by taking a tougher stance against U.S. missile defenses, a senior State Department official said Wednesday.
Mulally puts Ford ahead of the pack: By George Will; December 18, 2008 in print edition on A8; Designed by architects from Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the Chicago firm that created many icons of postwar modernism, Ford’s headquarters building has the sleek glass-and-steel minimalism that characterized up-to-date architecture in the 1950s, when America was at the wheel of the world and even buildings seemed streamlined for speed.
On the record: December 18, 2008 in print edition on A4; • Someone reported that items valued at $1,870 were taken between 6:05 p.m. and 6:50 p.m. Sunday from a vehicle in Kansas University’s parking lot No. 102 near Lewis Hall, according to a KU Public Safety report.
Anti-piracy force thwarts attack on ship: December 18, 2008 in print edition on C8; An international anti-piracy force thwarted the attempted takeover of a Chinese cargo ship off the Somali coast on Wednesday, sending in attack helicopters that fired on the bandits and forced them to abandon the ship they had boarded.
Farmer unearths ancient sanctuary: December 18, 2008 in print edition on C8; A farmer working his land south of Rome dug up hundreds of artifacts from a 2,600-year-old sanctuary, but ran afoul of police when he tried to sell the ancient hoard, officials said Wednesday.
SLT interchange on radar for federal stimulus funds: By Mark Fagan; December 18, 2008 in print edition on B5; Plans for a new interchange along the South Lawrence Trafficway could become reality as part of a federal economic stimulus package being anticipated by state transportation officials.
Local boost: When it comes to giving back to Lawrence, it’s the locally based businesses that usually step up.; J-W Editorials; December 18, 2008 in print edition on A8; It’s not the only, or even the biggest, charitable effort going on in Lawrence right now, but it deserves a little applause. Wednesday night five downtown businesses — Hobbs, Spectator’s, The Bayleaf, Silver Works and More and The Dusty Bookshelf — offered special discounts to people who brought in canned food to be donated to local food pantries.
Markieff on a mission: By Tom Keegan; December 18, 2008 in print edition on B1; High school basketball players talented enough to earn Division I scholarships hear about how much tougher practices become once they get to college, but they don’t understand it until they do it.
Boeing to resume talks with engineers union: December 18, 2008; Boeing Co. will resume contract talks next month with a union representing more than 700 engineers in Wichita.
Ballot woes: December 18, 2008 in print edition on A8; To the editor: I wish to reflect on how well the election “worked” in Kansas. I had to be abroad for two months, so I planned for absentee voting. Things did not go as I had imagined.
Right to life: December 18, 2008 in print edition on A8; To the editor: Charlotte Ostermann’s letter (Public Forum, Dec. 10) pointed to the horrific reality of an abortion. One blog replied that, they did not believe in abortion but did not feel they had the right to tell someone else they could not have an abortion.
New Army manual helps soldiers learn civil command: By Mike Belt; December 18, 2008 in print edition on A5; When Brig. Gen. Robert Abrams was deployed to Iraq in 2004 as a colonel, he had concerns about whether soldiers could go from conducting combat operations to assisting a civilian population in rapid succession.
Parliament in turmoil over shoe tosser: December 18, 2008 in print edition on A2; Chaos erupted in Iraq’s parliament Wednesday over the jailing of a reporter who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush, with lawmakers loyal to a radical anti-American cleric demanding his freedom. The parliament speaker responded by threatening to resign.
Spending is out of control: By Cal Thomas; December 18, 2008 in print edition on A9; Most children have probably finished their Christmas lists to Santa Claus. Some elected officials, however, are still compiling theirs. Close behind Detroit’s wish list comes a long one from America’s mayors.
Old Home Town - 25 years ago: December 18, 2008 in print edition on A9; Officials here were studying the funding packages for downtown mall projects in Topeka and Manhattan to try to determine the best plan for Lawrence downtown redevelopment. Kansas University’s Class of 1983.5 graduated in a special Campanile Hill ceremony despite snow and bitter weather.
Obama looking at $850B stimulus for the economy: By Jim Kuhnhenn - Associated Press Writer; December 18, 2008 in print edition on A2; Eager to jolt a worsening economy back to life, President-elect Barack Obama’s aides are assembling a two-year stimulus package that could cost $850 billion, dwarfing last spring’s tax rebates and rivaling drastic government actions to fight the Great Depression.
Editor speaks at symposium in China: December 18, 2008 in print edition on B9; Catherine Howard, Lecompton, was a featured speaker at the recent 2008 Business Women’s Symposium at SIAS University in Xinzheng, China. Howard, editor of Christmas Trees Magazine, spoke about international entrepreneurship and the publishing business.
County approves property septic system: December 18, 2008 in print edition on B5; Douglas County commissioners Wednesday approved a septic system at a residential property being developed northwest of Lawrence.
Regents CEO proposes lofty goals: By Andy Hyland; December 18, 2008 in print edition on B5; For a higher education board focused on state budget cuts and three top-level administrative searches, there’s some room for thinking about improving education, too.
People in the news: December 18, 2008 in print edition on B8; Details on Madonna’s divorce are being kept under wraps; Whitney Houston’s stepmother sues the pop star; rapper Soulja Boy apologizes for vulgar words; actor Richard Dreyfuss calls out his dad and uncle for unpaid loans; country singer Mindy McCready attempts suicide; the death of actor Mark Ruffalo’s brother is ruled a homicide.
Collins reflects on missed opportunity vs. UMass: By Gary Bedore; December 18, 2008 in print edition on B1; Sherron Collins can’t help but wonder what life would be like had he hit, not missed, the last shot in Saturday’s 61-60 loss to UMass.
Kings plan to retire Webber, Divac jerseys: December 18, 2008; Chris Webber and Vlade Divac, two of the players most responsible for transforming the Kings into one of the NBA’s most entertaining and successful franchises of the late 1990s and early part of this decade, will have their jerseys retired later this season.
Carved nutcrackers a German tradition: McClatchy Newspapers; December 18, 2008; Nutcrackers, collectible symbols of Christmas, have been a cottage industry in the rural hills of Germany since the invention of the lathe in the 15th century.
Hula hoop popular in fitness circles: The Washington Post; December 18, 2008; Twirling a hula hoop isn’t just kiddie business these days.
Woods has no doubts: Tiger says he’ll be better than ever; December 18, 2008 in print edition on B2; News from around the world of sports.
KU’s Little optimistic despite hand injury: By Gary Bedore; December 18, 2008 in print edition on B1; Kansas University junior guard Mario Little cell-phoned his uncle, O’Keefe, with some bad news Monday morning.
Journal-World All-Area First Team: December 18, 2008; Wedge was the cream of the crop for the LHS boys in 2008.

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