From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Feb. 17, 1986:

• With the final tally just five votes short of the 84 needed to put the measure on the ballot, the Kansas House voted against a measure that would have removed a constitutional prohibition against gambling on anything other than bingo games. In spite of a petition drive headed by lottery supporters, Lawrence Democratic Reps. Betty Jo Charlton and Jessie Branson had voted against the resolution. Rep. John Solbach “reluctantly” had voted for the measure, saying he wanted to give Kansans the right to voice their opinion in the November elections.
• The 1985 financial report from Lawrence Memorial Hospital showed that the 190-bed facility had an occupancy rate of slightly less than 40 percent, considerably lower than the national average. However, the hospital remained in financial good health as its income exceeded expenses by more than $2 million.