From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Sept. 14, 1974:

• The Lawrence Sanitation Department was suffering from several breakdowns in sanitation equipment which were throwing their system off schedule. Don Purdy, sanitation superintendent, said today five of the city’s 11 garbage trucks were broken down. He said the problems had occurred during his suspension from March 8 to July 16 (under charges of misuse of city funds) and that the normal truck maintenance schedule had not been kept during that period. Two mechanics had also quit during that time, one having left to take a better job, and the other having resigned after being incriminated by his testimony against Purdy. Purdy, against whom charges had been dropped, said he now had two full-time mechanics but that neither of them had extensive experience with the kind of trucks used in the department.
• Supporters of the Lawrence Boys’ Club were about to launch a two-week fund drive they hoped would sustain the club for the next few years. Supporters hoped to raise $10,000 to $15,000 through “sustainer” donations, by which people would be asked to pledge a certain amount each year for three to five years. The club’s yearly budget was projected at $30,000 to $35,000. Ultimately, the club hoped to become a United Fund agency, but it was not able to qualify for funding until January 1976. Enrollment at the club was 552 school-age boys, of whom an average of 43 came to the center, 945 1/2 Massachusetts, on a daily basis. The center offered 20 programs and additional special activities.
• The manager of Taco Tico, 2340 Iowa, told police today he had been robbed at 2:10 a.m. of a canvas bag containing the day’s receipts. Claude E. Burch, 19, said an unidentified man had approached him from the rear, hit him on the head, and grabbed the money bag as Burch had been walking away from the building after closing.