¢ Clyde Tombaugh, the discoverer of Pluto who went on to get his degree at KU, got plenty of mentions in newspapers today after the International Astronomical Union voted to demote Pluto from planet status. Here is an interview with Tombaugh’s 93-year-old widow in the Baltimore Sun._”I feel like I lost my job. I feel like I’ve been fired,” Patricia Tombaugh says with a nervous laugh._Other stories on Tombaugh, such as this one by the Associated Press and printed on the Washington Post, Washington Post, didn’t mention his Kansas connections, focusing instead on his connections to New Mexico._Tombaugh’s legacy is visible across Las Cruces, where an observatory, a campus street and an elementary school bear his name._¢ KU will be part of a multi-university grant to develop and improve the safety and efficiency of regional highways, railways and inland waterways, according to the University of Nebraska news service._UNL will head up the Mid-America Transportation Center (MATC), a partnership with regional partners Kansas State University, University of Kansas, University of Missouri-Rolla and Lincoln University of Missouri. The Nebraska Department of Roads and the Kansas and Missouri Departments of Transportation are also key partners in the project._¢ Lawrence resident Michael Krueger has an art show that includes some Lawrence historical themes on display at the University of Northern Iowa, the Northern Iowan student newspaper reports._One group Krueger enjoyed depicting is the “Secret Society of Danities.” “This group (Danities) were a secret society that fought to abolish slavery,” said Krueger. “In fact, their nickname was the Jayhawks, which is now the University of Kansas mascot.”_¢ From the small-town news department: A Lawrence girl, Kimberly Oylar, won a turtle race in Nisswa, Minn., according to the Lake Country Echo and Pine River Journal in Minnesota.¢ KU Athletic Director Lew Perkins gets a mention in this Q&A with East Carolina football coach Skip Holtz, as printed in the Boonesville.net_Q: What is the biggest coaching mistake you’ve ever gotten away with? A: I made so many of ’em my first year, I told the AD (Lew Perkins at UConn) he should fire me. As a young head coach, I made a lot of mistakes in my first year._¢ KU gets a quick mention in this Georgia Straight (Vancouver, Canada) site about NCAA teams making Canadian tours._In recent years, basketball factories like the University of Kansas and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas have made the trek north, and this time around there’s no question that Arizona is the featured attraction. The Wildcats have been to the NCAA tournament 22 consecutive seasons, and with 11 returning players, including four starters, it appears they will be a powerhouse again in 200607._