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SATURDAY • FEBRUARY 21 • 2015
Lawrence murder conviction upheld By Peter Hancock Twitter: @LJWpqhancock
Topeka — The Kansas Court of Appeals on Friday upheld the murder conviction of a Lawrence man who beat his girlfriend to death in July 2006. Christopher Belone was convicted and sentenced to 48 years in prison for the death of Linda Begay. He reportedly had beaten her with the leg of a coffee table. She
Man beat girlfriend to death with coffee table leg
was treated at Lawdegree murder, kidrence Memorial Hospinapping, obstructing tal but was later translegal process or offiferred to Stormont Vail cial duty and violating Regional Medical Cena protective order. ter in Topeka where But the Kansas she died. Supreme Court latThe cause of death er overturned that was listed as peritonitis conviction and recaused by blunt force Belone manded the case for trauma to her abdomen. a new trial, saying the district A Douglas County jury court should not have admitconvicted Belone of second- ted into evidence statements
that Begay made while she was in the hospital because Belone’s attorney could not cross-examine her. Belone was tried again in 2012 and was convicted again, this time of unintentional second-degree murder and violating a protective order. He was sentenced to 36 years in prison. Friday’s ruling came Please see MURDER, page 2A
Road cuts predated budget troubles Kansas had largest per-person spending decline of any state
Career center takes shape
By John Hanna Associated Press
Topeka — Even before budget problems prompted Republican Gov. Sam Brownback to propose siphoning off transportation dollars to help erase projected shortfalls, Kansas had the biggest decade-long decline in per-person spending on highways of any state, according to new federal data. Brownback is facing bipartisan criticism for proposals to divert $858 million over three years, ending in June 2017, which would allow the state to cover spending on education, social services, prisons and other programs while If our roads fall sustaining personal income tax apart, we are sunk cuts that Brownback championed. as an agricultural The state’s budget community. It problems arose just gets tougher after lawmakers and tougher reduced taxes in 2012 and 2013 at the when they take governor’s urging, that money and hoping to boost the think they have to economy. But the state’s rectify a budget per capita spend- without finding ing on highways another source of already was 29 income.” percent lower during its 2013 fiscal year than in fiscal — Clair Schrock, Thomas 2003, according to County road supervisor data compiled by the Federal Highway Administration and analyzed by The Associated Press. It was nearly $695 in 2003 and $490 in 2013; Kansas ranked fifth in per capita spending in 2003 and dropped to 28th a decade later. “I’m just surprised that we’ve dropped that much nationally,” said state Rep. Russ Jennings, a Lakin Republican. “I guess I shouldn’t be.” State and local officials and national surveys have regularly touted Kansas’ highways as among the nation’s best — and cited commitments to multi-year transportation programs over the past 25 years. But the revenues raised for such programs are a tempting target when the state faces budget problems, and the diversion of funds has been common enough that legislators talk about tapping “the Bank of KDOT.” The Kansas Department of Transportation has announced that it will delay some smaller, as-yet-unidentified road resurfacing and
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Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo
IRON WORKERS MICHAEL HEDDEN, LEFT, AND MARK BUTNER, both of whom work for Doherty Steel of Paola, tighten up bolts holding an 8-foot steel beam, signed by students, that was used in a topping-off ceremony Friday at the new Lawrence College and Career Center. The center, at 31st Street and Haskell Avenue, will open this fall for high school juniors and seniors.
House panel passes strict reform to school wage talks bill, said the bill would be beneficial to the state’s best teachers, Topeka — Kansas because they could neschool boards would gotiate more effectivehave the power to tell ly for better benefits teachers who are not based on their specific members of unions attributes. to “take it or leave it” He said it would be in salary negotiations “impractical and unreunder a bill endorsed alistic” for the school by a state House panel boards to play hard ball Friday. with the independent The bill would al- teachers in negotiations. low individual teach“There’s a supply ers who are and demand not members aspect to of the assoteachers, just ciations in the like there’s a normal collecsupply and detive bargainmand aspect to ing structure professionals to negotiate LEGISLATURE within our own for themselves, businesses,” but school boards Kleeb said. would be able to reBut Mark Desetti, a fuse any counter-offers lobbyist for the Kanfrom nonmembers and sas National Educawould not be required tion Association, the to include them in state’s largest teacher’s deals bargained with union, called it a “territhe unions. bly messy anti-teacher Republican Rep. bill” designed to break Marvin Kleeb of Over- up the unions. land Park, who is on The bill is one of the House Commerce, several measures beLabor and Economic fore the Legislature Development Commit- this session that would tee that approved the modify the current By Nicholas Clayton
Associated Press
Business Classified Comics Deaths
Low: 11
Today’s forecast, page 10A
Topeka (ap) — Debate in the Kansas House over requiring public schools to get parents’ consent to teach sex education is likely to be tense, just as it was before a committee approved the measure, the panel’s chairman said Friday. Several Kansas school districts already require written parental consent to include students in sex education lessons, while others allow parents to request their children be excluded from such instruction. The bill’s supporters say that’s not enough because parents are often ill-informed about what the curriculums include. Democratic Rep. Carolyn Bridges, a former public school principal, noted earlier this week that parents can already access school curriculums and can petition their school board if they disagree with what is being taught. Bridges, of Wichita, said schools need to step in because not all parents will discuss sexual health issues with their children. But supporters won out Thursday, when the House Education Committee approved the bill by a 10-8 vote. The bill now goes to the full House, where the committee’s chairman, Republican Rep. Ron Highland of Wamego, expects debate to be similarly tense. He said members of the committee were narrowly divided and their discussions heated. “Those associated with the school system don’t want any legislative involvement at all, so they’re very passionate about that. And then, you’ve got the others who are trying to represent the family members that are coming to them and complaining, and so they become very passionate,” Highland said.
2A 6B-10B 8A 2A
Please see ROAD, page 2A
COMING SUNDAY Your guide to the Lawrence City Commission and school board elections.
14 PAGES OF COVERAGE
More statehouse news. Page 4A
Please see SCHOOL, page 2A
INSIDE
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collective bargaining arrangement between school boards and their employees. One bill, which has passed through committee to the House floor, would reduce the total number of issues school boards and education teachers’ unions would have to negotiate each year from 31 to just salary and work hours. Another bill before committees in both chambers reflects a compromise reached by the state’s largest associations of school boards, administrators, superintendents, and teachers in January. It would allow each side to bring five issues to the negotiating table in addition to salary. The associations have said they will not support any measure other than the compromise bills. Democratic Sen. and Minority Leader Anthony Hensley said Republican legislators have been ignoring the
House bill restricting sex ed advances
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Highway 59 shooting A 25-year-old Lawrence man found guilty in January of attempted second-degree murder was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Page 3A
Vol.157/No.52 22 pages