WEIS ADDRESSES KU’S WOES With overall 5-21 record in two-plus seasons, coach knows every game counts 1C
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WEDNESDAY • SEPTEMBER 17 • 2014
Lawrence’s GDP grows but lags national average T
U.S. SENATE RACE
Justices hear arguments on removing name
he Bureau of Economic Analysis released its gross domestic product numbers for all metro areas on Tuesday. The numbers are interesting because they measure the total value of goods and services produced in a community. In other words, they’re a good measure of the size of your overall economy. The good news for Lawrence is that its economy grew in 2013. Lawrence’s GDP of $3.83 billion grew 0.4 percent for the year. The bad news is that is less than the national average for metro areas. Nationally, metro areas grew by 1.7 percent in 2013. The 0.4 percent growth rate also was the slowest for Lawrence since 2010, when GDP actually shrunk by 2.1 percent. Growth in northeast Kansas was a mixed bag in 2013. Kansas City’s GDP grew by 1.4 percent, but Topeka’s shrunk by 1 percent and Manhattan’s shrunk by 1.5 percent. The Manhattan GDP was among the poorest faring in the country. Wichita’s GDP grew by 0.7 percent.
Democrat Chad Taylor, left, speaks with attorney Pedro Irigonegaray Tuesday after the Kansas Supreme Court heard arguments about withdrawing his name from the ballot.
AP Photos
Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss questions attorneys during Tuesday’s hearing. The court will decide whether Democratic candidate Chad Taylor can withdraw his name from the November ballot. Taylor’s withdrawal potentially improves the chances of independent candidate Greg Orman defeating U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, shown listening to arguments during the hearing Tuesday, maintains Taylor’s name should remain on the November ballot because he says Taylor didn’t comply with state election law. Kobach, a Republican, backs U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts in the race.
— Chad Lawhorn
FUNDRAISING
Kobach, Taylor square off on ballot issue By Peter Hancock
Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, left, has decried Democrat Chad Taylor’s withdrawal from the Senate race as a ‘corrupt bargain’ to benefit independent candidate Greg Orman, right.
Twitter: @LJWpqhancock
Topeka — The Kansas Supreme Court is now weighing whether Democrat Chad Taylor’s name should remain on the ballot for U.S. Senate. Taylor, who won a contested Democratic primary on Aug. 5, has since declared that he no longer wants to remain on the ballot. But Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has refused to honor that request, arguing that Taylor failed to declare, as required by law, that if elected he would be unable to fulfill the duties of the office. Although Taylor did not give a specific reason for dropping out of the race,
By Giles Bruce Twitter: @GilesBruce
Poll: Orman leads with or without Taylor’s name Topeka — A new poll out today shows Republican Sen. Pat Roberts trailing in his bid for a fourth term, with or without Democrat Chad Taylor’s name on the ballot. The survey by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic firm based in North Carolina, shows that in a head-to-head
contest, independent candidate Greg Orman leads Roberts by 10 points, 46-36 percent, with 17 percent undecided. But even if Taylor’s name is included, Orman still leads the race by seven points, 41-34 percent, with Taylor Please see POLL, page 2A
United Way campaign hopes to double donors
Politics
Peter Hancock phancock@ljworld.com
United Way of Douglas County kicked off its 2014 fundraising campaign at an appropriate location Tuesday morning: the soon-to-open Sports Pavilion Lawrence at Rock Chalk Park. Improving the health of the community is one of United Way’s three major goals, and the new, 181,000-square-foot recreation center offers numerous fitness opportunities — from workout equipment to basketball hoops to pickleball courts — free of charge for Douglas County residents. “This is something the city of Lawrence has needed for a long time,” said Ernie Shaw, director of Lawrence Parks and Recreation. The event got the ball rolling for United Way’s 2014 capital campaign, which is being co-chaired by Lawrence residents Bob and Sue Iverson. United Way partners with
Please see COURT, page 7A
Please see UNITED, page 7A
INSIDE
Thunderstorm Business Classified Comics Deaths
High: 83
Low: 64
Today’s forecast, page 10A
2A 1D-10E 8B 2A
Events listings Horoscope Crave Opinion
5A, 2C Puzzles 10E Sports 1B-7B Television 9A
10E 1C-6C 10A, 2C
Katherine Boo at KU
Vol.156/No.260 38 pages
Lauded journalist discusses her work writing about life in a Mumbai slum. Page 3A
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