WHAT WILL THEY WEAR?
S.C. governor says remove confederate flag. 1B
Uniforms for the Jayhawks’ World University Games unveiled, 1D
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TUESDAY • JUNE 23 • 2015
New manufacturing jobs likely headed this way Town Talk I “ Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
t is time to keep an eye on a Lawrence-based company that may be bringing new manufacturing and warehousing jobs to Lawrence. Prosoco, one of the companies located in the East Hills Business Park, has formed a new affiliated company that plans to become a major player in the industry of building highly energy-efficient homes and commercial buildings.
The ultimate goal is to change the way we build in North America to bring energy efficiency within reach for anyone.” — Architect Adam Cohen
Prosoco leaders have announced they have completed a deal to form Build Smart, a company that builds energyefficent wall panels and other
products that are designed to reduce energy costs in typical homes by 65 percent to 75 percent. A Prosoco executive con-
FIESTA TIME IS NEAR
firmed to me this morning that the company is currently examining ways to manufacture the products in Lawrence. “Absent a change of plans, some manufacturing work will be done in Lawrence,” said Paul Grahovac, Prosoco’s director of new business development. The company’s announcement also said new warehousing space Please see JOBS, page 2A
City mulling raising guest tax on local hotel rooms By Chad Lawhorn @clawhorn_ljw
Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo
JONATHAN LANGFORD, LEFT, AND DAVID TRYON cook about 900 pounds of meat on Monday in preparation for the St. John’s Mexican Fiesta on Friday and Saturday at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. The two have been volunteering at the fiesta for about 30 years. TOP PHOTO: a dancer from last year’s fiesta.
Enthusiastic preparations underway for annual celebration of Mexican culture By Joanna Hlavacek
If you go What: St. John’s Mexican Fiesta Where: St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1234 Kentucky St. When: 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For a full schedule, including performance times, visit www.stjohnsfiesta.com. Cost: Entry is free. Food costs extra.
Twitter: @HlavacekJoanna
W
ith the Free State Festival and Final Friday on the docket, this weekend offers plenty of activities for those out on the town. But even with the extra competition, Frank Lemus said he’s not worried about attracting revelers to St. John’s Mexican Fiesta, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1234 Kentucky St. “Well, you can only split a dollar so many ways. But one of the pluses of these downtown events is, they’re not far from each other,” said Lemus, the fiesta’s chairman. “People can mosey on down to our event or mosey on
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Today’s forecast, page 8A
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down to the others. Hopefully, we can feed off each other.” After more than three decades at St. John, the fiesta has more than its fair share of diehards, Lemus said. More than 10,000 people from Lawrence and northeast Kansas are estimated to attend this year’s fete, which will feature all the live music, dancing and — perhaps most importantly — Mexican food that folks have come to expect from the 35-year tradition. Carnival games on Saturday, Mexican confetti eggs called cascarones and a Moonwalk both nights will also be on hand. The fiesta is a source of pride for Please see FIESTA, page 6A
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When it comes to the world of tax increases, Lawrence city commissioners are beginning to look at one they’re hopeful voters won’t mind much: an increase in what overnight guests pay to stay in a Lawrence hotel room. Commissioners at a study session on Tuesday will have their most serious discussion yet about raising the city’s transient guest tax from its current rate of 6 percent. Some commissioners previously have said they would like to discuss raising the rate to 7 percent or perhaps CITY 7.5 percent. Each percentage point increase, based on cur- COMMISSION rent hotel usage rates, would generate about $240,000 of new revenue. “Nobody likes to see a tax go up, but at least it is a tax that generally applies to noncommunity members,” said Commissioner Matthew Herbert. Operators of the city’s hotels, however, are closely watching the issue. “We need to be competitive with Topeka and Olathe,” said Linda Honeyman, general manager of the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites. “That’s who we compete with a lot on sporting events business.” Olathe currently has a 6 percent guest tax
A large store featuring comic books and games is set to open on south Iowa Street in the former location of Kief’s Audio Video store. The store is envisioned to become a regional hub for video and board game tournaments — and tons of comic books. See story, page 4A
Standoff charges A Lawrence man is charged with aggravated assault after a six-hour standoff with police Sunday morning. Page 3A
Vol.157/No.174 28 pages