Two men who had escaped from the Kansas State Penitentiary were still at large, and there was no physical evidence that they had left the area. The escaped convicts had tied up three men in a house in Tonganoxie, stolen a pickup truck, and later abandoned it at the Flamingo Club in North Lawrence. Prison officials considered them armed and dangerous.

The Pinckney Neighborhood Assn. was in danger of disappearing due to the waning levels of interest and activism. Only 12-15 people had attended the most recent meeting, and although they were supposed to elect officers at that time, no one present at the meeting had expressed a desire to serve in any elected offices.

The Lawrence City Commission was being presented with a request from city officials to require residents to pay another 28 cents per month for trash pickup, raising the monthly cost to $5.93 (a 4.93 percent increase).