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SATURDAY • APRIL 23 • 2016
Man found guilty in throat-stabbing death By Conrad Swanson Twitter: @Conrad_Swanson
Nearly a year after Tracy Dean Lautenschlager was found bleeding to death in a McDonald’s parking lot, a jury on Friday found Joshaua Back guilty of
Back
intentional second-degree murder in the killing. The jury also found Back guilty of felony theft. Back, 34, of Oskaloosa, was accused of stabbing the 45-year-old Lautenschlager in the neck outside a home at 700 Arkansas St. in the
early morning hours of May 25, 2015. He then fled in a stolen truck, police said. Lautenschlager was found bleeding in the parking lot of McDonald’s at 1309 W. Sixth St. He was transported to Lawrence Memorial Hospital where
he was declared dead. In his closing statements Friday, defense attorney Branden Smith told jurors there was no evidence to support that Back intentionally killed Lautenschlager. Earlier in the trial, which began Monday, Back’s second
defense attorney Dakota Loomis said the incident was an act of self-defense. Throughout the evening and into the morning of Lautenschlager’s killing, Back felt deceived by those Please see KILLING, page 2A
E. Ninth Project design draws ire
GIVING IT THEIR BEST SHOT
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Historic Resources Commission delays decision; plan called ‘slap in the face’ By Nikki Wentling Twitter: @nikkiwentling
Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo
A COMPETITOR SPINS INTO HIS ROTATION TO THROW during the fifth-annual Downtown Lawrence Olympic Shot Put Friday at the intersection of Eighth and New Hampshire streets in Lawrence. The field included 6 of the top 10 shot put professionals from across the globe. See more from the event in Sports, 1D.
KU Multicultural Student Government faces complex path to governing body By Sara Shepherd Twitter: @saramarieshep
Kansas University’s new Multicultural Student Government currently exists as a student club — one tentatively in control of more required student fee money than any other student organization outside the KU Student Senate. The group endeavors, by various accounts, to become a formal governing body on the
same level as the existing Student Senate. It appears that may be a long — and, as of yet, unclear — path, complete with processes and approvals required at the student, university and even state Legislature levels. MSG leaders expect to have a busy summer. “This process is not going to be easy, it’s going to be stressful, and it’s going to be a lot of work,” interim MSG president
Katherine Rainey said last formal governing body is posweek, during an informational sible and, if so, what it would meeting about the group. “But take to accommodate. Williams said the code’s it’s necessary.” preamble makes clear that University Senate process the University Senate shall be Since meeting with MSG composed of representatives leaders two weeks ago, KU from KU’s three governing University Senate President bodies — Faculty Senate, StuMike Williams, associate pro- dent Senate and Staff Senate fessor of journalism, has been — and that there shall be just combing the University Sen- one senate per constituency. ate code to determine whethPlease see MSG, page 6A er their request to become a
Jayhawk Blvd. to close in the name of creative pursuits By Sara Shepherd Twitter: @saramarieshep
Last year Kansas University’s first Day of Creativity took place at the Spencer Museum of Art, one of the final events before the museum closed for renovations. This year the event is moving up the hill and taking over the Natural History Museum, the Commons at Spooner Hall — and Jayhawk Boulevard in between. The all-ages, free Day of Creativity is set for noon to 3 p.m. Sunday,
with a pep band performance with Baby Jay planned for 2 p.m. Jayhawk Boulevard will be closed from the Kansas Union to 14th Street during the event. The whole idea is to get people to get creative, and open their minds to what that means, said Amanda Martin-Hamon, associate director of community engagement for the Spencer. “Often creativity gets sort of narrowly defined, and because of that Please see CREATIVITY, page 6A
INSIDE
Sunny, windy Business Classified Comics Deaths
High: 81
Low: 60
Today’s forecast, page 10A
John Young/Journal-World File Photo
The first Kansas University Day of Creativity took place at the Spencer Museum of Art last year.
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Events listings Home & Garden Horoscope Opinion
10A Puzzles 1C-3C Sports 7A Television 9A USA Today
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The city’s historic resources board interrupted the recent backto-back-to-back votes of support for a concept design for the East Ninth Project. The Historic Resources Commission on Thursday postponed a decision on the design after hearing from a half-dozen people who were against it, one of whom, Phil Collison, said the reconstruction and reimagining of the corridor was a “slap in the face to the history of East Lawrence” and “an attempt to disconnect that history from the neighborhood.” John Naramore, who owns property along East Ninth Street, Tonight, a said the design lot of people was “changing it totally,” and his showed up son, also named to address John Naramore, issues. I just said the “original streetscape will don’t want to be lost forever.” say that repBroadly, those resents the who voiced opneighborhood. position said the design, if imple- A lot of people mented, would harm the street’s have looked at it as a whole historic integrity by changing its and found landscape, visual benefit.” relationships and current use as a — Josh Davis, East truck route and Lawrence resident place of business. Specifically, they had concerns with the introduction of native grasses and a shared-use path and the elimination of tree wells and some parking. A couple of commissioners themselves had concerns about what plants would be appropriate for the street and what would be done with historic bricks harvested during construction. East Lawrence resident Josh Davis told commissioners the majority of East Lawrence is in favor of
Democrats’ spat 7A 1D-6D 7A, 10A 1B-8B
Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley told Sen. Marci Francisco, D-Lawrence, “I’m done with you” after Francisco voted “pass” on the recent school funding bill. Page 3A
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Please see DESIGN, page 2A
Vol.158/No.114 36 pages