Lawrence Journal-World 07-20-2016

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WEDNESDAY • JULY 20 • 2016

Man pleads no contest A look at City Manager Tom Markus’ recommended in burglary, budget — and the heat he’s taking for it rape case

ANGER MANAGEMENT D

espite concerns to the contrary, Lawrence is still a city of the arts. These days, the newest creation from artists are arrows — available for free if you promise to shoot them at City Manager Tom Markus’ proposed 2017 budget. Or, perhaps, Markus would tell you they seem to be aimed a bit more at the architect than the document. This is the most contentious budget process we

City Manager Tom Markus

Town Talk

Monday talking with Markus — who is going through his first Lawrence budget process but is a veteran at crafting budgets for other cities — and I’ve also been spending time reading the document. Here are a few observations: l City Commissioner Matthew Herbert got his hand slapped for saying clawhorn@ljworld.com he thought this budget have had in several years. was putting us on a path to becoming Topeka. It Normally a debate over certainly wasn’t a great whether to put a stop strategy on Herbert’s part sign at the corner of Po for creating neighborly and Dunk draws more relations. (He has since public comment than apologized.) But I guess I the nearly $200 million budget the city approves. will say something similar: This budget debate is This year, though, comstarting to sound like missioners have gotten the kind they have in the what they say they always want: A public that statehouse in Topeka. cares about the budget. Please see MARKUS, page 5A I spent some time on

Chad Lawhorn

City Commission’s max budget includes mill levy increase By Nikki Wentling Twitter: @nikkiwentling

The Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday set the maximum it would spend in the 2017 budget — nearly $500,000 more than proposed by City Manager Tom Markus. Commissioners voted unanimously on levying a maximum $29 million in property taxes. After Tuesday, commissioners can go back and reduce the mill levy before passing a budget in August. But they can’t propose an increase in what was established Tuesday. Knowing they could still reduce — but not increase — the mill levy after Tuesday night, commissioners decided to establish a maximum mill levy increase of 0.533 for 2017. Most of

the commission said they did not want to dip into the city’s reserve funds to cover some of Markus’ proposed cuts. A few commissioners voiced opposition to increasing the mill levy but wanted to hear residents’ input on it before an Aug. 2 budget hearing. “Hopefully we can shift some things around; that would be great,” Vice Mayor Leslie Soden said. “But I’m ready to talk to people for the next week or two and say, ‘Do you want to pay to fund these things, or do you not want us to raise taxes?’ That’s a better conversation to have.” Please see BUDGET, page 7A l County adds spending for

Bert Nash to budget. Page 3A

Mike Yoder/Journal-World File Photo

ACLU sues to block new Kan. voting rule By Peter Hancock Twitter: @LJWpqhancock

Topeka — The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas filed a new lawsuit in Shawnee County District Court on Tuesday seeking to block Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s new regulation that says certain voters who have not provided proof of U.S. citizenship may vote only in federal elections. That new temporary regulation was approved last week,

with little public notice, state must register on the final day for votthose applicants, at ers to register in time for least for voting in the upcoming Aug. 2 prifederal elections. maries. In the suit, the The temporary rule afACLU argues that the fects an estimated 17,000 Kansas Legislature voters who either reghas never enacted a istered through a local statute authorizing motor vehicle office or Kobach the secretary of state by submitting a federal to make such a regumail-in registration form but lation, and that the regulation did not provide proof of U.S. violates the Kansas Constitucitizenship. tion’s guarantee of equal proKobach’s office proposed tection. the rule in response to a recent The lawsuit names three federal court order saying the individual plaintiffs, Marvin

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Today’s forecast, page 10A

Please see VOTING, page 2A l Kobach defends role in

drafting GOP platform. Page 3A

INSIDE

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and JoAnn Brown of Lenexa, and Charles “Tad” Stricker of Wichita, but it also asks the court to certify the case as a class action suit on behalf of all voters affected by the temporary order. Shawnee County Judge Franklin Theis ruled in another case earlier this year that Kobach has no legal

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By Conrad Swanson Twitter: @conrad_swanson

A Lawrence man accused of raping two women and burglarizing four homes in a single night pleaded no contest to seven felony charges on Monday. Ryan Miller, 36, was arrested on Nov. 7, 2015, and originally faced 15 criminal charges. On Monday he pleaded no contest to one felony count of aggravated criminal sodomy, one felony count of rape and five felony counts Miller of aggravated burglary, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office said in a release. During court proceedings, witnesses testified that Miller broke into four homes along the 800 blocks of Alabama, Maine and Missouri streets in the evening hours of Nov. 7. During the incidents he was armed with a weapon, which police later identified as a BB gun. Inside a home on Maine Street one witness testified Miller brandished his weapon at several college students and their friends. There, he told the group he would not hurt them and then left through the front door. Another witness testified that Miller entered a home on Missouri Street but that he quickly left after the resident called out after having heard a noise. Please see RAPE, page 2A

Injured baby found in trash out of hospital Staff Report

The baby girl found injured in a Lawrence dumpster has been released from the hospital, Lawrence police said Tuesday. The 9-month-old girl was found July 7 in the trash bin at an apartment complex in the 2500 block of West Sixth Street. The baby was taken to a Kansas City-area hospital in serious but stable condition, and police began an investigation that was ongoing as of Tuesday afternoon. No charges have been filed in the case, but the baby’s parents were arrested July 14 for an unrelated charge of disorderly conduct at Perry Lake in Jefferson County. Lawrence police said Tuesday the baby is in the care of the state and will continue to receive treatment on an outpatient basis. No further details were available from police. Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to call the Lawrence Police Department at 785-832-7509.

Looking back at 0-12 At Big 12 media days Tuesday in Dallas, KU football players reflected on a winless — but still fun — 2015 season. Sports, 1C

Vol.158/No.202 36 pages


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