25 years ago: Regents consider testing English skills of foreign-born teachers

Ralph Goff, Rt. 5, was the first farmer to bring a load of wheat to the Farmers Cooperative grain elevator in Lawrence. Dry, sunny weather was in the forecast for a few days, and the harvest was expected to reach full swing as soon as the ground dried out.

The Kansas Board of Regents was considering a policy mandating standardized testing of English-speaking skills of foreign-born teachers at state universities. Legislators had received complaints from students and parents about not being able to understand some teaching assistants.

The Lawrence School District 497 discussed a proposal which would move ninth-graders into high school. No action was taken during this study session, during which the board also discussed the need for another junior high or high school on the west side of the city.

Big Bob’s used carpet store had missed the deadline for removing the painted stripes on their wall which city commissioners had said constituted an illegal sign. The store owner had contended that the stripes, located on the south wall of the store at 738 New Hampshire, were simply a three-toned paint job. A court date was set for July 1.