Foundation builders
Immigration boom alters America’s minorities. 1B
Coaches Clint Bowen and David Beaty reveal their KU football plan. Sports, 1C
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FRIDAY • APRIL 10 • 2015
Texas model saves millions, tour learns By Elliot Hughes Twitter: @elliothughes12
San Antonio, Texas — Various leaders from Lawrence and Douglas County toured a nationally respected mental wellness and homeless shelter campus here Thursday as stakeholders continue collecting information on a proposed project to provide better resources to some Douglas
Douglas County delegation hopes to replicate best of San Antonio mental health program County residents who run afoul of the law. Local government, law enforcement and health care officials, among others, spent more than nine hours learning about The Center for Health Care Services’ jail diversion program and surrounding facilities,
which are based in San Antonio and serve the rest of Bexar County. The jail diversion program helps nonviolent individuals with mental illnesses and substance abuse problems receive proper care for their conditions, rather than being jailed. Nationwide,
it is regarded as a model program of its kind and has been given a Gold Achievement Award by the American Psychiatric Association, among other accolades. In response to rising inmate populations and a Please see TEXAS, page 2A
Huge lot takes shape near KU campus
Kansas VA delays not as bad as others’ But some veterans waited more than 3 months to receive treatment here By Heather Hollingsworth Associated Press
Kansas City, Mo. — Fewer Kansas veterans are experiencing long waits for care at VA hospitals and clinics than their counterparts in many other states, but dozens waited more than 90 days for care It’s been hell.” and delays actually jumped in the first — Larry Mac Intire, two months of this Kansas Vietnam veteran year. The federal government approved a $16.3 billion overhaul of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ health system last August, after a scandal over delays and attempts to cover them led to the May resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.
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Please see VA, page 8A
VETERANS HEALTH CARE John English/Journal-World Photo
THIS AERIAL VIEW TAKEN APRIL 2 SHOWS the construction work being done on a large apartment complex just east of Kansas University’s Memorial Stadium. The $75 million complex being built by Chicago-based HERE, LLC will include more than 600 bedrooms.
Sewer plant bids, estimates differ by millions
W
hen it comes to big numbers, plans for a new sewage treatment plant south of the Wakarusa River kind of take the cake at Lawrence City Hall. If you remember, bids for that project created a few too many big numbers last month. Commissioners rejected the bids after they came in about $5 million more than expected. Well, the project has been rebid, and the results have proved that the best way to get a project to come in closer to
Town Talk
engineers’ estimate of $45.9 million. When the project was rebid, engineers increased the estimate to $51.3 million, largely because construction costs are on an upward trend right now. New bids for the project did come in below the $51 million estimate but are still above the $45 million to $46 million that city officials clawhorn@ljworld.com have budgeted for. Garney Construction submitted the engineers’ estimates is to ... low base bid at $47.15 milraise the engineers’ estilion. Crossland Heavy Conmates. Previously the sewer tractors was the only other treatment plant had an bidder at $49.3 million.
Chad Lawhorn
Business Classified Comics Deaths
Low: 41
Today’s forecast, page 8A
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8A, 2C Sports 10C Television 6A 10C
By David B. Caruso Associated Press
Fayetteville, N.C. — The chronic delays plaguing the Veterans Affairs health system are concentrated in a fraction of its hospitals and clinics — many of them in the South — that have done far worse than others in delivering prompt care, according to government data reviewed by The Associated Press. A year after Americans recoiled at revelations that sick veterans were getting sicker while languishing on waiting lists, VA statistics show that the number of patients facing long waits has not declined, even after Congress gave the department an extra $16.3 billion last summer to shorten waits for care. Nearly 894,000 appointments completed at VA medical facilities from Please see SOUTH, page 8A
Please see SEWER, page 2A
INSIDE
Sunshine
High: 69
City officials, though, are optimistic they’ll be able to make the new bid work. Unlike the last time the project was bid, the city asked for several bid alternates that will allow certain parts of the project to be deleted. By making some deletions, it appears the bulk of the project will be able to be constructed within that $45 million to $46 million range. That price range is important because anything above that would
South leads in worst VA wait times
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Solid receipts
Vol.157/No.100 24 pages
Sales tax collections in Lawrence are off to a strong start in 2015, up 4.2 percent from the same period a year ago. Page 3A
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