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WEDNESDAY • JULY 9 • 2014
CITY COMMISSION
Late-night storm leaves wreckage of trees, power lines
‘Tough’ tax increases could grow, not shrink By Chad Lawhorn Twitter: @clawhorn_ljw
Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo
GOLFER SETH WINGERTER, 16, OF OLATHE, passes a tree at Alvamar Golf Course that was knocked over by Monday night’s storm. Tuesday morning, Alvamar Golf Course reported about $100,000 worth of damage from the storm. Director of operations Bryan Minnis said more than 500 trees were wiped out. Top photo: Farmer Kevin Irick stands in a damaged greenhouse on his property near Linwood, where the storm also destroyed a 250-foot tractor shed and countless crops.
Please see TAX, page 2A
Residents wake up to ‘real disaster,’ ‘war zone’ By Caitlin Doornbos Twitter: @CaitlinDoornbos
Winds of up to 75 miles per hour blasted through Douglas County Monday night, leaving many residents with major damage
to their properties and even more without power. National Weather Service meteorologist Jennifer Bowen said Monday night’s storm brought winds from 60 to 75 mph in the Lawrence area. Bowen
said the worst of the storm hit the west side of town, where an off-duty meteorologist estimated winds of 70 mph 4 miles west of Lawrence about 10:55 p.m. Bowen said the storm was not tornadic and
formed from a line of storms that came together from Nebraska. The storm pushed south over northeastern Kansas and northwestern Missouri. Please see STORMS, page 6A
Lawrence police give out 34 tickets for illegal fireworks Shooting off fireworks in Lawrence is a tricky thing. In the weeklong period surrounding the Fourth of July from 2008 to 2013, on average, Lawrence police responded to 204 fireworks calls and handed out three citations per year.
Then there was 2014. Amid increased calls from residents for enforcement of the citywide fireworks ban, the Lawrence Police Department upped its batting average. In fact, it did 10 times better than usual. From June 30 through July 6, officers
It’s $190 and counting. Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday took no steps to reduce a proposed 1.85 mill levy increase for the 2015 budget. Combined with a 3.85 mill levy increase proposed by the county, plus increases in the city’s water, sewer and trash rates, the average Lawrence homeowner would see an approximately $190 per year increase in the taxes and utility fees they pay to local government. “It is tough, it really is,” Mayor Mike Amyx said. The combined mill levy increase of 5.7 mills would be the largest for local taxpayers since 2001. And the increases may not be done yet. The Lawrence school district hasn’t yet indicated what it may do with its mill levy, and the city’s 2015 budget doesn’t include any new taxes for a proposed $30 million police headquarters
responded to 226 fireworks calls and dished out 34 citations, according to Trent McKinley, a Lawrence police spokesman. McKinley said the department assigned several officers to specifically handle fireworks calls this year.
Future of $75M development plan uncertain after vote By Chad Lawhorn Twitter: @clawhorn_ljw
The future of a $75 million apartment/retail development near Kansas University is in doubt after city commissioners approved a tax rebate less than what the development group had requested. Tuesday night, commissioners approved on a 3-2 vote an 85 percent, 10-year tax rebate for the project at 1101 and 1115 Indiana St. That fell short of the 95 percent, 12-year tax rebate the Chicago-based development group had sought. Jim Heffernan, a principal with HERE, LLC, left City Hall hastily after commissioners took their vote, and said he had no
— Elliot Hughes
Please see UNCERTAIN, page 2A
INSIDE
Partly cloudy Business Classified Comics Crave
High: 88
Low: 66
Today’s forecast, page 8A
2A 1D-9D 4B 1B-3B
Deaths Events listings Horoscope Opinion
2A Puzzles 5A, 2C Sports 10D Television 7A
10D 1C-6C 8A, 2C
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Nothing to measure
Vol.156/No.190 38 pages
The public won’t receive any data this year about how students performed on the 2014 state reading and math tests because of widespread problems with the online system. Page 3A
X Senior Supper and Seminar Don’t Be One of the One-Third — Preventing Falls Each month, on the third Tuesday, seniors are invited to come dine at LMH for $5.50 and enjoy a healthy three-course meal plus conversation with other seniors, followed by a free educational program at 6 p.m. Hosted by LMH Community Education and LMH Dining Services/Unidine, this month’s presentation is by Aynsley Anderson, Community Education, and Adrineh Mehdikhani, LMH Therapy Services.
X Tuesday,
July 15 X Supper 5 p.m. ($5.50 charge) X Free Program 6 p.m.
Advance reservations required 24 hours in advance
785-749-5800
325 Maine Lawrence, KS 66044