From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for March 7, 1914:

• “The long expected advice from the Public Utilities Commission of the state on the purchase of the Lawrence Water Company’s property by the City of Lawrence appears today in the form of a report made by Engineer T. J. Strickler. Mr. Strickler was sent to Lawrence last Friday to investigate conditions here and to report his findings to the commission…. Following a rather lengthy summary of conditions and improvements that are needed, the engineer adds the one paragraph that is just now of vital interest. — He recommends that the citizens at the election of Tuesday be instructed to vote to pay the Water Company the price of $197,500 for the property here. In coming to this conclusion the engineer points out that should the city decide to build a new plant it will cost more to substitute that part corresponding to the present plant that this property can be bought for. In view of this and other facts the engineer declares that he believes the price of $197,500 ‘reasonable.'”
• “A system of school credit for vocational work done outside of school is to be given a trial in the city schools of Lawrence. Superintendent F. P. Smith has worked out a plan of credits and will inaugurate this in the schools in the immediate future. Under this plan practically every kind of work that children may do outside of school hours is included, both for boys and girls…. In making the announcement today Prof. Smith declared that it was simply to give the system a test but that if it proved successful it would become a permanent part of the school system of the city.”
• “Judge Lindley received a letter from a party in Missouri this morning alleging that a marriage ceremony that he had performed last November was not lawful. Last November a couple came to Judge Lindley’s office and swore out an application for marriage license saying that their address was Kansas City, Mo. They were married by the judge. Of course he had no reason to doubt their veracity so the ceremony was performed in the usual manner. Today a letter came to Judge Lindley saying that the man had been previously married, that he had a child and had never been divorced. Now the party sending the letter would make this groom a bigamist. The letter was turned over to County Attorney J. S. Amick and he will confer with the Missouri County Attorney and the case will be investigated.”
• “Carl Rearick is the owner of a pet alligator. The little animal is a gift from a traveling salesman who was in Lawrence early in the week. Mr. Rearick has taken the animal home and will install him in a water tank. A steam pipe running through the tank is to make the water seem more like home to the baby alligator.”
• “William Marconi, the wireless telegraph inventor, announced that he would participate in the Italian section of the Panama-Pacific Exposition at San Francisco. He said he hoped to be able to communicate from the exposition by wireless telephone with all the states of the Union as well as with Canada.”