Lawrence Journal-World 03-27-2014

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VOICES

PEACE

FOR

Soweto Gospel Choir coming to town 7A

L A W R E NC E

Journal-World

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75 cents

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THURSDAY • MARCH 27 • 2014

A swing in his step

LEGISLATURE

House says no to repeal of energy standards By Scott Rothschild Twitter: @ljwrothschild

Topeka — The Kansas House bucked powerful business interests Wednesday and killed a bill to repeal state renewable energy standards just one day after the Senate had approved the measure. A coalition of Democrats and Republicans, many from western Kansas, voted against the I think Senate-approved bill. represenA motion tatives to concur with the bill were failed, 44- making 77. very good The repeal legis- arguments lation was and a lot sought by of different arguments the Kansas about how this made Chamber, Americans good sense for their for Pros- districts.” perity and other influ- — Sen. Marci Francisco, D-Lawrence ential conservative groups that said the standards were anti-free market and resulted in higher electric bills. Jeff Glendening, director of the Kansas chapter of AFP, vowed that the fight wasn’t over. “We will be talking to a lot of the House members over the next week,” Glendening said. “A lot of them have campaigned over the past several years and told their constituents

Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo

SEVENTEEN-MONTH-OLD THOMAS HELLING basks in the excitement of a swing down Massachusetts Street Wednesday afternoon with his parents, Tom and Kristen Helling, of Lawrence.

SUPREME COURT SCHOOL RULING

Senate sets forth 2 finance plans By Peter Hancock phancock@ljworld.com

Topeka — Kansas Senate Republicans on Wednesday unveiled two school finance plans that would respond to a recent Supreme Court ruling by adding money for poor school districts. But much of the money would come from cuts in other kinds

of education funding. Unlike a proposal by House Republican leaders, however, the Senate plan would not link the funding changes to policy issues like charter schools or teacher licensing. “At this point in time, we’re just discussing the finances of it,” said Senate President Susan Wagle, RWichita.

Wagle and other Senate At this GOP leaders offered one bill that would restore full fund- point in time, ing of so-called “equaliza- we’re just tion aid” for capital outlay and local option budgets, a discussing direct response to the Su- the finances preme Court’s March 7 de- of it.” cision in a school finance lawsuit. — Senate President Susan Wagle, According to estimates R-Wichita Please see SCHOOL, page 2A

Please see ENERGY, page 2A

Douglas County moves up a spot in annual health rankings However, area scores poorly in measures like housing and sexually transmitted diseases

By Giles Bruce Twitter: @GilesBruce

ercise opportunities, it scored poorly in measures like housing and sexually transmitted diseases, according to the report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. Johnson County topped the list for

Douglas County moved up a spot in the annual rankings of the healthiest counties in Kansas released Wednesday, from ninth to eighth. While Douglas County fared well in areas like physical activity and access to ex-

INSIDE

Cloudy, rainy Business Classified Comics Deaths

High: 64

“I saw a quote from President Obama the other day: ‘Our zip code is more important in determining our future health than our genetic code,’” a second consecutive year, said Dan Partridge, director of while Woodson County in the Lawrence-Douglas County southeast Kansas finished last Health Department. “Housing, out of the 98 counties ranked. education, poverty, income —

Low: 29

Today’s forecast, page 10A

2A 6B-10B 12B 2A

Events listings Going Out Horoscope Opinion

6A, 2B Puzzles 7A-8A Sports 11B Television 9A

11B 1B-5B 10A, 2B

all of those are a bigger driver of our future health than genetics.” Douglas County did best in health outcomes and behaviors but struggled with social, economic and environmental Please see COUNTY, page 2A

Property tax bill

Vol.156/No.85 34 pages

The Kansas House passed a bill that would clarify how certain pieces of commercial and industrial property are taxed and appraised. Page 3A

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