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WEDNESDAY • MARCH 16 • 2016
Oread group agrees to comply with city demands By Nikki Wentling Twitter: @nikkiwentling
Developers of The Oread hotel are now ready to settle an approximately $500,000 tax dispute with the city of Lawrence, and City Hall
Fritzel
leaders are expressing optimism that the developers will fully comply with the city’s demands. In a written statement Tuesday, Interim City Manager Diane Stoddard said Roger Walter, an attorney for Oread Inn, notified the
city last week that developers would “fully comply” with a list of City Hall demands to end the dispute that centers on whether the Oread group, led by Lawrence businessman Thomas Fritzel, inflated sales tax totals in order to collect a city subsidy. No formal
settlement has been reached, and, for now, the city will continue withholding sales and property tax reimbursements from the group, Stoddard said. Walter confirmed his group is seeking to settle. Walter said Tuesday that
Oread Inn is taking steps to remedy “any alleged default” in the group’s redevelopment agreement with the city. He said the group “looks forward to continued cooperation with the city of Please see OREAD, page 2A
LEGISLATURE
Grounds for excitement
Bill would protect campus religious groups Topeka (ap) — Kansas is close to enacting a measure that would allow university religious groups to restrict membership based on beliefs and retain public funding. The bill got first-round approval in the Kansas House 80-39 Tues- • School fundday after it was ing bill could passed by the give property Senate last year. tax break to If the bill wins Lawrence. final approval in Page 3A the House today, • House speakit will go to Kan- er removes sas Republican two committee Gov. Sam Brown- chairmen. back, a strong Page 5A supporter of reli- • Senate overrides gious rights. Brownback, a Brownback’s devout Catholic, STAR bond spoke at a State- veto. Page 5A house rally last month held to highlight the need to protect those who cite religious objections to providing goods or services such as flowers or a cake for same sex weddings. Brownback ended the rally by urging activists to continue fighting for “religious liberty.” Kansas enacted a religious objections law in 2013 that prevents the state or local governments from limiting people’s freedom to express their religion, although the law does not touch on organizations at universities. Supporters of the measure said it was created in response to pressure on school religious organizations to accept anyone as a member, even if their beliefs conflict with those of the group. Critics argued the bill allows groups that are funded by taxpayer dollars to discriminate and could jeopardize federal funding. “We’re standing up for the right of individuals to have religious beliefs, even if they’re on a college campus that frowns upon them,” Republican Rep. Craig McPherson of Overland Park said in favor of the measure. Democratic Rep. Brandon Whipple, of Wichita, said he opposed the measure passed by the House. “If we’re going to provide freedom, we must be just in doing so,” Whipple said.
MORE INSIDE
Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo
County officials look forward to future of fairgrounds after improvements By Elvyn Jones Twitter: @ElvynJ
Those involved with planning new facilities at the Douglas County Fairgrounds concede they don’t fully know what events might be held there when they become available for use next year. “It’s already extremely busy out there and used a lot,” said Douglas County assistant administrator Sarah Plinsky. “We really think these new facilities will make the fair-
grounds infinitely more useful. We already have softball teams practicing in the indoor arena. I know people will use these new amenities in ways we never meant. We’re fine with that, as long as it’s safe.” Construction on the longanticipated $7.95 million fairgrounds project got underway last month when work started on the new 7,600-square-foot meeting hall, which is slated to be finished for this year’s county fair. Construction bids have been awarded for the $2.75
million, 52,000-square-foot open pavilion and the $1.75 million, 1,935-seat event arena, Plinsky said. Associated upgrades will build new restrooms and add 184 new parking spaces through expansions of current parking lots and construction of a new one. The project also would address the fairgrounds’ accessibility issues and deferred maintenance needs, Plinsky said. Please see UPGRADES, page 2A
CURRENT CONSTRUCTION WORK AT THE DOUGLAS COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS includes clearing land for a 52,000-squarefoot open pavilion to be located on the fairgrounds’ north side, directly east of the indoor arena. The pavilion will be open for spring, summer and fall. During the county fair, it will be used to house animals. This view is looking west from near the derby arena toward the current indoor community building in background at left. The site of the new pavilion will be in the cleared area at center.
Why we don’t always publish mugshots
T
he saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes they’re worth a few questions too — especially when the photo is a mugshot from the Douglas County Jail. Apologies to those of you who tuned in to Town Talk for the latest information on business happenings, development talk, City Hall scuttlebutt and other such topics. I’ll get back to those soon enough. But as some of you may know, my other role here at the newspaper is as managing editor. So, I want to use this column to
Town Talk
Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
answer a question I get from readers somewhat frequently: Why does the Journal-World sometimes run a mugshot with a crime story and other times not?
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Today’s forecast, page 8A
for example, run a regular online feature that basically publishes the booking photos of everyone who is detained at their area jails. I don’t have any desire to do that in Lawrence. I don’t think it would be a good use of our time, and I don’t want to be accused of running booking photos simply to satisfy some morbid curiosities. But I do believe there are good reasons to run booking photos with significant crime stories, and I’m disappointed when we are unable to do so. Please see MUGSHOTS, page 8A
INSIDE
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The answer is simple: Many times the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office won’t provide us with a mugshot, more formally known by law enforcement as a booking photo. I had Conrad Swanson, the J-W’s crime and courts reporter, check his records to determine how often this happens. Since December, he has requested booking photos 30 times. We’ve been denied 16 times. That seems like a lot to me, especially given that in many counties the booking photos are simply placed on a county website for anyone to see. Some area newspapers,
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Parting words Tom Keegan looks back at the legacy of longtime voice of the Jayhawk basketball, Bob Davis, who is retiring after this season. Page 1C
Vol.158/No.76 38 pages