TAKING HIS TIME
Why hasn’t Joel Embiid annouced his future plans? Tom Keegan considers the possible answers. 1C
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TUESDAY • APRIL 8 • 2014
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School funding, tenure decisions criticized
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Lawrence Farmers’ Market opens Saturday with a wide array of offerings
By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo
By Sara Shepherd
Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo
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The Lawrence Farmers’ Market opens for the season on Saturday, and in case you haven’t noticed there’s a lot more than vegetables to be had there. “We’ve got a really well-rounded market with a lot of different commodities,” said market board Chairwoman Amanda Cook, who, with her husband Matthew, is also a vendor. “It’s a fun market to come to.” The market runs each Saturday through Nov. 22 in the parking lot in the 800 block of New Hampshire Street. Hours are 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., changing to 8 a.m. to noon in September. The Tuesday market runs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo May through October in the same lot. LAWRENCE FARMERS’ MARKET VENDORS are getting ready for this season’s opening on More information on Saturday. Clockwise, from top: Ann Merkel, of Sundance Emu Ranch, Lawrence; Galen and vendors and scheduled Marcia Peters, of Peters Family Farm, Baldwin City; Judy Gilman, her son Billy Beeson and his live music is online at 7-year-old daughter, Hazel Beeson, of The Yeast We Can Do, Lawrence; and Kevin Irick, of Irick Farms, Linwood. Please see MARKET, page 5A
Dessert
Topeka — The Legislature’s new school finance bill will continue to widen the funding gap between wealthy and poor districts, attorneys representing school districts that successfully sued the state said Monday. Meanwhile, teachers continued to raise alarms about a provision in the bill that does away with tenure. Republicans passed the $129 million plan, saying it would address a Kansas Supreme Court order to increase funding to poor districts. John Robb, general counsel for Schools for Fair Funding, said the plan does the opposite, shifting money from Lawrence programs aimed at helping Superintendent students who are at-risk of Rick Doll says failing and allowing wealthy the removal of districts to raise local prop- due process for teachers poses erty taxes. “Many other districts will numerous legal not be able to raise addition- issues and quesal tax revenue for schools. tions. Increasing the local option budget widens the gap between rich and poor districts in a bill designed to cure inequity,” the statement from Schools for Fair Funding said. The group represents parents and districts that filed the school finance lawsuit against the state. Please see SCHOOLS, page 2A l Higher ed officials pleased. Page 3A
As autism cases increase, KU is on the frontline of research By Giles Bruce Twitter: @GilesBruce
With cases of autism on the rise, researchers at Kansas University are studying the disorder from several vantage points, including how to identify it at an earlier stage and improve the social and communication skills of children who have it.
From using telemedicine to work with families in remote parts of the state to using tablets to help autistic children communicate better, KU researchers are on the cutting edge of discovering ways to ameliorate the disorder, which has no medical detection or cure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report late last month saying that the inci-
Please see AUTISM, page 5A l More health news. Page 1B
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dence of autism in America is surging. One in 68 American children now has some form of autism, the report said, up from 1 in 88 in 2012. “Autism is being diagnosed with more frequency. But it hasn’t been entirely clear to the field whether
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One of the biggest autismrelated breakthroughs at KU was professor Steven Warren’s 2010 paper revealing a vocal signature in very young autistic children that could help doctors diagnose the disorder at an earlier stage.
Hacking possibilites
Vol.156/No.97 20 pages
Starting today, Microsoft will stop issuing security updates for the XP operating system, leaving users and businesses susceptible to hacking. Page 3A
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