25 years ago: Lawrence delegates discuss Dukakis’ choice of running mate

From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for July 12, 1988:

  • Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis today named Texas Sen. Lloyd Bentsen as his running mate. The selection of Bentsen, 67, was said to give the Democrats a ticket somewhat like that of 1960, when John Kennedy of Massachusetts had chosen Texan Lyndon Johnson for his running mate. Two Lawrence delegates to the Democratic National Convention said that the selection would probably disappoint some Democrats, but one local delegate said that Bentsen might add some Republican votes from Texas, the home state of current VP George Bush, who had the lock on the GOP nomination.
  • A front-page picture today featured large road machinery tearing away old pavement along Sixth Street as a road-widening project got under way this week. THe $2.15 million project between Rockledge Road and Monterey Way was to close Sixth Street to traffic from Lawrence Avenue to Frontier Road.
  • A “splash of reality” was in store for many area customers of the city water utility as the latest bills showed an effect from the drought. Water usage was well above normal, especially for residents who wanted a green lawn despite the lack of recent rainfall.