From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Jan. 21, 1972:

• Local health officials were happy to announce that the flu season had apparently passed its peak in Lawrence. According to several doctors, it had never reached serious proportions. “As far as my observations go, it does seem to be quieting down a little,” said Dr. Alex Mitchell. “It’s not of sufficient proportions to warrant any special measures.” The flu had caused “quite a bit” of absenteeism in local schools and on the staff at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, but most people were back at school or work this week.
• The Emergency Service Council, which gave financial help to poor families in Lawrence, was reporting that they were almost out of food and other resources. Donation boxes, which had been placed in local grocery stores in December, had been removed by store managers after Christmas. The ESC said that they only had “dented cans of pork and beans” donated by the Stokely-Van Camp Co. “It’s really bad,” said organization treasurer Gwen Berghorn. “One woman who called me hadn’t had anything but six cans of soup for a week.” The group was asking contributions of food or cash.