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MONDAY • JANUARY 19 • 2015
Coyotes more active than usual because of cold By Conrad Swanson Twitter: @conrad_swanson
The recent cold and lean months are responsible for an increased coyote presence within Lawrence city limits, local ecology officials say. However, Lawrencians need not be afraid of the more active canines. Lawrence Police Sgt. Trent McKinley said Ani-
Urban interlopers pose little threat to humans, but residents should keep an eye on small pets mal Control officers regularly hear of coyotes in the area. Most recently, one was reported around Naismith Park, just east of Iowa Street. Kansas University professor of ecology Robert Timm said there probably hasn’t been an increase in
the local coyote population, nor have the creatures been displaced by construction. Most likely, he said, the animals are more active simply because of the season. “We see coyotes right now because they’re more active during the day, be-
A COYOTE LOOKS AROUND in a cooler at a Quizno’s sandwich shop in Chicago in April 2007. It’s not uncommon for large cities like Chicago to see a coyote population living within city limits, said Kansas University professor of ecology Robert Timm.
cause they’re hungry,” Timm said. “We’ve had a pretty cold winter, and there aren’t that many rabbits down here, or mice, so the coyotes are actively foraging.” Please see COYOTES, page 2A
AP File Photo
Budget, schools, Medicaid on agenda
Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
Ongoing lawsuit will complicate any moves on finance formula By Peter Hancock Twitter: @LJWpqhancock
Topeka — Kansas lawmakers will get down to work this week dissecting the budget that Gov. Sam Brownback proposed on Friday, and many key legislators and interest groups have started chiming in. Brownback’s plan calls for a combination of spending cuts, fund transfers and tax increases to close a projected $714 million revLEGISLATURE enue shortfall for the next 18 months. It also calls for repealing the school finance formula and funding schools with direct block grants while calling on lawmakers to come up with a new formula.
John Young/Journal-World Photos
ABOVE: 19-MONTH-OLD LONDON GRIFFIN claps along while her mother, Alyson, both of Eudora, sings during the Gospel Musical Explosion in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. on Sunday night at Free Methodist Church, 3001 Lawrence Ave. RIGHT: Members of the MLK Adult Choir including, from left, Cindy Gustafson, George Rennels and James Hilliard, performed during the festivities honoring King. See more King holiday events in the Datebook, Page 8A.
Please see AGENDA, page 2A
Want to give a TED talk? In March, you’ll have a chance, sort of By Joanna Hlavacek Twitter: @HlavacekJoanna
Innovative. Collaborative. Dynamic. Those words describe the ideas organizers hope to showcase at an upcoming TEDxLawrence conference, the city’s first, slated for March 23 at Liberty Hall. To make it happen, they’ll need help. Program organizers are seeking speakers, TEDxLawrence spokeswoman Beth Pine said.
“We want to find great ideas that might be under the radar, and bring them out and give them a platform so they can start to percolate,” she said. Pine and her steering committee are looking for “ideas that reflect the feel of Lawrence.” She envisions a multidisciplinary roster featuring speakers of all ages, races and genders. There will be 12 slots to fill for the day-long event, and each presentation
the stage in person. “We’re very excited,” said Pine, who hopes to make TEDxLawrence an annual event. “I find that if people are focused on ideas, conversations go a lot better. I think it affects people’s lives in a positive way.” Potential speakers can apply online at www.ted.com/ tedx/events/12392. The tentative deadline to apply is Feb. 16, but Pine says to check the website for changes.
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should run from five to 22 minutes. The goal is to “share great ideas that are bubbling up from Lawrence,” said Pine, who adds that speakers do not have to live in Lawrence, nor must their presentations be about Lawrence. The Lawrence Public Library also has a TEDxLawrence event in the works that will stream speakers via video, but March’s conference will be the first to bring TEDxLawrence speakers to
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WHAT IS TEDxLAWRENCE? Don’t confuse TEDxLawrence with TED. TED is a global set of conferences devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading,” as its slogan notes. Founded in 1984, it is run by the private, nonprofit Sapling Foundation. TEDx is a program of local events that “bring people together to share a TED-like experience,” according to the TEDxLawrence website. TED might provide general guidance, but TEDx conferences are independently organized. TEDxLawrence operates under license from TED.
Vol.157/No.19 16 pages
Teenage ‘smoking’ Lawrence school officials say they’ve had few incidents involving e-cigarettes, but with national usage on the rise they’re stepping up education efforts. Page 3A
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