LJWorld.com

The cost of going back to school

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Sue Roberts did the math. "On that first day of school, it's going to cost us $338 for my son to walk in the door," she said. "That seems like a lot to me." Roberts is a caretaker for two sororities at Kansas University. Her husband, Harold, drives a truck for UPS. Their 15-year-old son, Max, will be a sophomore at Free State High School. He's not planning on going out for a sport, and he doubts he'll have time for the after-school clubs. "If he did, it's $50 to be on a team, $60 for a physical and $25 for each activity," Roberts said. "School pictures are anywhere from $9 to $45, and if you want a yearbook, it's another $45." Go!

Vital statistics database

The city that never sleeps

Sunday, July 9, 2006

Goodnight, Lawrence. And hello, Lawrence nights. It’s a different city out there with the sun tucked away. "Way different," said waitress Marvie Paez, who works overnights at a diner. It takes all kinds to make a city run at night. People who keep us safe and those who make sure our water is running. There are people searching for a party or just a voice to stave off the loneliness. Go!

City at night slideshow

Sales tax numbers to reach '90s levels

Tuesday, July 4, 2006

The Lawrence economy is on pace to post its best sales tax numbers since the boom days of the late 1990s, according to numbers released Monday by the city. "It is encouraging right now," said Ed Mullins, the city's director of finance who monitors the sales tax numbers. "But six months doesn't make a year. There are a lot of factors that point against it continuing at that pace." Go!

City and county-wide sales tax collection database

No population bounce here

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Lawrence officially has joined the ranks of Atchison, Coffeyville and too many cities west of Salina to even mention. It's a Kansas community that's losing population — at least according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In estimates released today, the Census Bureau claims Lawrence from July 2004 to July 2005 lost 26 residents — less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the city’s overall population. Go!

Census data database

Hurricane Katrina aftermath

Local church group helps clean up in damaged area

Monday, June 12, 2006

This isn't what a beach looks like in the summer. There are supposed to be kids constructing castles and women in bikinis playing volleyball. The restaurants and bars are supposed to be filled with people drinking colorful cocktails with little umbrellas in them. There should be a sailboat on the bay, or maybe a surfer. Go!

Snapshots from the storm slideshows

Workers discuss their efforts

Before and after

Road work headaches here to stay

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Consider it practice, Lawrence drivers. As construction crews rebuild portions of Kasold Drive, you're stopping and going, honking and waving — or at least we'll call that waving — as you attempt to navigate the one-lane bottleneck that used to be one of the city's main north-south thoroughfares. Go!

Street Conditions database

Proudly they served

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Jim Butler heard the car pull onto a gravel lot next to his house just off Highway 33, about a mile and a half north of Wellsville. "It was about 10:40 p.m. I was sitting here, watching TV," he said, patting the gray-blue sectional in front of a big-screen television. He was alone. His wife, Cindy, and Jim Jr., the oldest of their five grown sons, had gone to bed. Go!

Database: Kansans killed in Iraq

Rising to the occasion

Sunday, May 22, 2006

When Sira Konare Andrews came to Kansas from Africa in 2002, she could say only two words in English: yes and no. Konare Andrews, 23, graduated from Kansas University Sunday, joining the more than 4,000 celebrating the completion of one journey and the start of another. Go!

KU Graduates 2006 database

Changing faces

Sunday, May 7, 2006

"Ya soy un adulto," Roberta Shafer says, writing down her words for her first-grade class. "En mi familia tengo un esposo, un hijo, una hija y una mascota que se llama Bubba." Welcome to Riverside Elementary School, where 76 percent of the school's nearly 400 students are Hispanic — most of them immigrants who speak only Spanish. Go!

No time for reflection

Sunday, May 7, 2006

There was a day, not long ago, when Dave Anderson would have been up on the lift himself. That was back before that black quarter horse went berserk. Ever since then, Anderson is just too shaky to be 15 feet off the ground, lifting heavy objects. So he's resigned to watching this tedious process from afar. His masterwork to this point — a round stained-glass window measuring 5 feet in diameter — is being mounted at Worden United Methodist Church, and he knows it wouldn't take much to bust out one of the 283 segments of colored glass. Go!

Editor's Pick

High winds pummel city

Monday, March 13, 2006

A brutal storm rattled much of the Lawrence area Sunday morning, damaging homes, businesses and schools all over the city. Straight-line winds with speeds of 70 miles per hour or more shook houses and knocked down trees and utility poles throughout the city. Transformers exploded and caught on fire as falling tree limbs ripped power lines from their posts, some hitting homes or crushing cars. Go!

Army creativity gets new focus

Sunday, Feb. 19, 2005

In a classroom full of war-hardened men wearing camouflage, crew cuts and dubious expressions, the lesson Tony Baker was trying to teach last Tuesday, he admitted, seemed pretty "squishy." The class was about creative and critical thinking. The students were majors in the U.S. Army, some with battle patches from Afghanistan and Iraq. And Baker, a recently retired lieutenant colonel, could sense their doubt as he talked about encouraging curiosity and "seeing the good in the bad." Go!

Courting social change

Monday, Dec. 19, 2005

There's no argument. Wilt Chamberlain was — and remains — Kansas University's best and best-known basketball player. Though his last game as a Jayhawk was more than 48 years ago, Chamberlain still holds the school records for most single-game points and rebounds, 52 and 36, respectively. He holds the season-average records for scoring and rebounding as well. Go!

Pomp & fanfare

Sunday, Dec. 4, 2005

Candy Braksick led her horse around the Lawrence Police Department parking lot, pointing out the rest of her Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade crew as they prepared for Saturday's pomp. "You probably recognize George Washington and his wife," Braksick said, pointing to a man on horseback wearing a Revolutionary War-era hat. George tilted his head up, looking presidential. Go!

A win over cancer

Sunday, Nov. 20, 2005

A whole lot of Katy Beard's character, sense of humor and outlook on life is packaged in "Talking Back," a straightforward piece of prose she created in Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg's writing workshop at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. It could also fit the outlook of those with cancer who are emotionally and physically capable of champing the bit of recovery firmly between their teeth. Go!

Three times the tragedy

Sunday, Oct. 16, 2005

One was a Kansas University senior. One was an electrician. And one was a social worker. Yet all three had one thing in common. Nicole Bingham, Jose Gonzalez and Yolanda Riddle died during the early morning hours of Oct. 7 when a devastating fire engulfed the 76-unit building they lived in at the Boardwalk Apartments in the 500 block of Fireside Drive. Go!

Editor's Pick

Can God, evolution coexist?

Sunday, Oct. 9, 2005

Two thirds of Kansans say evolution should be taught in public schools and that there is no contradiction in believing in God and the scientific theory of the origins of life, according to a Lawrence Journal-World and 6News poll. "The general population believes God and evolution can co-exist," said John Marling, president of Pulse Research Inc., the Portland, Ore., company that conducted the poll for the Journal-World and 6News in cooperation with the Garden City Telegram, Hays Daily News, Ottawa Herald and Salina Journal. Go!

Sex predators: What goes on at Larned facility may shock some taxpayers

Sunday, Sept. 25, 2005

Larned - If it weren't for the security guards and the barbed-wire fence, it might pass for a community-college campus. The Sexual Predator Treatment Program at Larned State Hospital lies in the center of the state, tucked into the Kansas prairie a few miles outside Larned, accessible by a winding, rural road. It's a quiet fact of life for people in this city of 5,000 that the hospital is home to about 130 people labeled as Kansas' most dangerous sex offenders. Go!

'Adopted' family not coming

Friday, Sept. 23, 2005

A family displaced by Hurricane Katrina and "adopted" by Lawrence has decided not to move here. Organizers of the Lawrence hurricane relief program announced Thursday they had received word from the Ursula and D.J. Markey family that they had decided to stay in the Gulf of Mexico region to continue helping clients of their nonprofit center, which serves parents and children affected by disabilities. Go!

Festivities saddle up

Sunday, July 31, 2005

Arno Knapper spent 20 years riding with a state horse show association, and even though at age 80 he no longer rides, he still enjoys seeing good riders and good horses. That's why the Lawrence resident joined dozens of other spectators who spent Saturday morning sitting in the bleachers or on lawn chairs at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds watching the 4-H horse show in the Community Building arena. Go!

Miller gets life term for murder

Thursday, July 21, 2005

A carpenter and former Christian-school leader convicted of strangling his wife pressed his hand to his heart Wednesday as he pleaded with a judge for a new trial. "The system failed," Martin K. Miller told Judge Paula Martin during his sentencing in Douglas County District Court. "I feel that my trial was a tragedy. ... Give all of us hope that a wrongfully convicted man can find justice in this courtroom." Go!

Still wild about Harry

Saturday, July 16, 2005

If only there was a spell to fight the "dark art" of sleep deprivation. Hundreds of Harry Potter fans of all ages - some costumed - waited late into the night Friday at Lawrence bookstores for the midnight release of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," J.K. Rowling's latest novel about the orphaned wizard. Many readers were expected to dive into the novel immediately upon purchase and keep reading until dawn. Go!

KU touts new logo as strong symbol

Wednesday, July 6, 2005

A font meant to mimic lettering on an ancient Roman column will represent Kansas University in the future, officials announced Tuesday. Officials said the letters "KU" in Trajan typeface, one of four finalists announced in May, will serve as a university-wide logo. "It means different things to different people," said David Johnston, KU's director of marketing. Go!

Festival deemed a hot success

Monday, June 20, 2005

The Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival drew toward a close late Sunday much the way it began, with bands performing on stage and thousands of people having a good time. Festival organizers estimated that about 50,000 people attended the four-day event at Clinton Lake State Park, which began Thursday and continued until the last band - Lawrence's Split Lip Rayfield - was expected to leave the stage about 1:30 this morning. Go!

An honor to lead them

Sunday, June 12, 2005

Soldiers in Alpha Company, First Platoon, were fanned across the lumpy Kansas landscape that's a piece of Fort Riley. Some were on their stomachs, half-hidden in shin-high grass and others rested on one knee. All carried loaded, automatic weapons and wore 16-pound Kevlar vests lined with bullet-proof ceramic plates. They were flanked on either side by a half-dozen idling Humvees bristling with 50-caliber machine guns that can make a grapefruit-sized hole in a cinder block wall. Go!

Lawrence 'classic' back in business

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

The Eldridge Hotel reopens today, fresh off a four-month makeover that cost more than $2 million and is designed to give the landmark property new life for the 21st century. The Eldridge, 701 Mass., is making its grand re-opening as an upscale, 48-room boutique operation with refined decor, updated features and a restaurant and a bar intended to compete with -- and complement -- the already vibrant retail, cultural and entertainment scene along Massachusetts Street. Go!

Chained melody

Monday, May 9, 2005

Essex Sims may have fired the shot that killed a rival gang member. Then again, he may not have. A lot of people were shooting that night. It doesn't matter. Sims says he was there, he had a gun and he shot at the three men sitting on the front porch of a house in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Wichita. "I take responsibility for what happened," said the 29-year-old Sims, an inmate at the state prison here for the past 10 years. Go!

Murray given life in prison

Saturday, May 7, 2005

A Kansas State University English professor convicted of murdering his ex-wife stood up in court at sentencing Friday afternoon and called the case against him a "fairy tale." "I have never raised my hand in anger against anyone, not ever," linguistics expert Thomas E. Murray said to a silent, standing-room-only courtroom in Douglas County District Court. Read more. • General case coverage: On Nov. 14, 2003, Douglas County Sheriff's deputies discovered the body of Carmin D. Ross in her house north of Lawrence, where she had lived for four months with her 4-year-old daughter. Read more.

KU's Hall Center dedicated

Saturday, April 10, 2005

Wilma Bowline's wish came true. "For years, I walked past these arches and thought to myself, 'I hope they're never torn down. They're so beautiful,'" said Bowline, a retired Kansas University speech and language pathology professor, shortly after formal dedication ceremonies Saturday for the new Hall Center for the Humanities. The 14,700-square-foot building incorporates the original limestone arches from the university's original power plant, built in 1887. Go!

Mandy Patinkin engages KU in 'A Conversation'

Saturday, April 10, 2005

Actor and former Kansas University student Mandy Patinkin bared his soul before 500 admiring fans Saturday during "A Conversation With Mandy Patinkin" a fund-raising appearance at KU's Crafton-Preyer Theatre in Murphy Hall. Responding to questions posed by theater and film professor Jack. B. Wright, Patinkin, casually dressed in dark slacks and an olive polo shirt, revealed that he'd long struggled with depression, spent enough money on therapists to "buy a small country," and has cornea transplants in both eyes. Go!

Roller warriors

Friday, April 1, 2005

It's the ultimate girl fight. Women push and shove. They body-check each other. They get in brawls. They purposely fall to take out an opposing team's player. But this isn't football or rugby. It's a full-contact sport that involves roller skates, flashy outfits and -- usually -- fishnets. It's roller derby. And unlike pro wrestling, the bruises and the sweat are all real. Go!

Editor's Pick

A cowboy's last hand

Sunday, March 27, 2005

The funeral for Chase County cowboy Dan Matile wouldn't start for more than an hour but mud-streaked pickups, flat-bed trucks and a few sedans were already filling Charter Funerals' parking lot just west of downtown Emporia. Most of the men behind the wheel, middle-aged and older, wore their western headgear low, barely above their ears, the way they were made to be worn. Go!

Native treasure

Sunday, March 13, 2005

There's something poetic about Frank A. Rinehart's American Indian photos ending up at Haskell Indian Nations University. He shot most of them during the Indian Congress at the 1898 world's fair in Omaha, Neb., when prevailing sentiment held that Indians were a "vanishing" people who would soon be enveloped into white culture. That would happen at places such as Haskell Institute and other forced-assimilation schools, where native children were compelled to abandon their languages and customs in favor of English and "civilized" behavior. Go!

Photographers document week in life of state, nation

Sunday, March 13, 2005

Nearly two years ago, Kentucky photographer Tom Hardin, a long time friend and editor of mine, called to say he'd contracted with a photo book project, "America 24/7." It would be similar to "A Day in the Life of America," but its content would be photographed over a week's time: May 12-18, 2003. "Day in the Life" was shot in 24 hours. Go!

How long does it take you to get around Lawrence?

Sunday, Feb. 6, 2005

Lawrence resident Meredith Beightel has a theory about how long it takes to drive from one point to another in the city. "I think it increases daily," said Beightel, who has lived here about 10 years. A Journal-World stopwatch, though, doesn't necessarily agree. An unscientific study of drive-times on major thoroughfares found that it doesn't take much longer to navigate most streets than it did in 2000. Go!

Boots on the ground

Saturday, Feb. 19, 2005

Southern Iraq is dusty and dangerous, and the soldiers of the Kansas-based 891st Engineer Battalion are a little homesick. And though they have many on-base comforts unknown in previous wars -- a Pizza Hut, exercise facilities and a 24-hour Internet cafe -- troops know that life "outside the wire" is filled with potential danger. Go!  See photos from the troops

Editor's Pick

Breaking a vicious cycle

Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005

James Shehan, 40, knows violence. When he was 22 years old, he was sent to prison for murder. He's been locked up ever since. "This friend of mine needed some money, and I said I'd help him steal some stuff," Shehan said. "The place was supposed to be empty, but it wasn't. The woman who lived there surprised us. She was elderly." With good behavior, Shehan is likely to be released in four years. By then, he'll have spent half his life behind bars. Go!

Only in Lawrence

There's no denying Lawrence is different. Pick up a newspaper from the past couple of years, and you'll find stories bearing it out: Surveys and voting results show we're younger, less religious and more Democratic than the rest of Kansas. And while many of the state's counties are emptying, Lawrence's population continues to increase. Go!

Editor's Pick

Photographer gets exclusive access in Iraq

Sunday, Dec. 19, 2004

Months after he was pulled from a hole in the village of Tikrit, former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein appeared in a makeshift courtroom near Baghdad. He and 11 of his conspirators, like former deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz and Saddam's cousin, "Chemical Ali," who's thought to have gassed and killed 5,000 Kurds, were hauled before an Iraqi judge to hear charges against them, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. Karen Ballard, a freelancer based in Washington, D.C., was the only news photographer permitted in the courtroom and one of only 35 Americans and Iraqis in the building. Go!