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SATURDAY • SEPTEMBER 20 • 2014
Some ballots won’t have Dem for Senate By John Hanna and Thomas Beaumont Associated Press
TOPEKA — Kansas will send voters living overseas a ballot for the November election with no Democratic candidate for a U.S. Senate race that has unexpectedly become one of the most hotlycontested in the nation. But Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach said Friday he is not abandoning efforts to get Democrats to name a
replacement candidate for Chad Taylor. The Democrat dropped out of the race earlier this month, giving independent Greg Orman a better Orman shot at defeating three-term Republican Sen. Pat Roberts. Republicans are in the odd position of pushing Democrats
to have a candidate. Many Democrats don’t want a nominee, because they see Orman as the strongest rival to Roberts and Roberts don’t want to split the antiRoberts vote. The state Supreme Court stepped in once and is being asked to do so again.
The race in Kansas vaulted to the top tier in the national fight over control of the Senate after Roberts emerged vulnerable from a nasty primary in August. Kansas is a Republican-leaning state, but Orman, a 45-year-old Olathe businessman, is leading or close behind the 78-year-old Roberts in some recent opinion polls. Even as Kobach directed counties to mail out overseas ballots by Saturday, he continued to argue that state law re-
quires Democrats to pick a new candidate. The law says when a candidate vacancy occurs, it “shall” be filled by a party committee. “Nothing has changed,” said Kobach, a conservative Republican who is supporting Roberts. The dispute over the Kansas ballot erupted earlier this month when Taylor stopped campaigning and sent a letter to Kobach’s office to withdraw. Please see SENATE, page 8A
Gubernatorial candidates talk taxes, education in 3-way debate
Safer routes for going to school
By Peter Hancock Twitter: @LJWpqhancock
OVERLAND PARK — All three candidates for governor faced each other Friday during a debate in Johnson County, answering questions about tax policy, economic development, education funding and a variety of issues. For the most part, though, the major candidates stuck to their key talking points, with Republican Gov. Sam Brownback boasting that his tax cuts are producing economic growth, while Rep. Paul Davis, the Democratic candidate from Lawrence, promised to restore cuts in base aid to public schools that have occurred under the Brownback administration. Meanwhile, Libertarian candidate Keen Umbehr used the debate to promote
his “fair tax” that would eliminate income taxes for everyone and replace them with a statewide consumption tax. The candidates also tailored their remarks to the Johnson County audience, especially when criticizing each other. “Representative Davis talks about more money for schools, but he’s not talking about your schools. He is talking about your money,” Brownback said, suggesting that Johnson County as a whole accounts for a large percentage of the taxes paid into the state and therefore helps subsidize the school budgets of less populous, less wealthy areas. Davis fired back, saying Johnson County has suffered under the education
ELECTION
2014
Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo
TIM PHILLIPS AND HIS SON, IKE, 11, ride their bicycles home Tuesday from Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, after Tim met his son at the school near 15th and Massachusetts streets. The father and son live on Mississippi Street, which requires crossing Massachusetts Street.
Effort under way to get more kids to walk and bike By Giles Bruce Twitter: @GilesBruce
How easy is it to walk or bike to school in Lawrence? While that largely depends on what school you’re talking about, several local agencies are teaming up to make it eas-
ier for all students to be more physically active on the way to and from school. The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, Lawrence school district, city of Lawrence and the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Or-
Business Classified Comics Deaths
Low: 60
Today’s forecast, page 12A
Please see SCHOOL, page 2A
FSHS, LHS students unite after vandalism “
By Caitlin Doornbos
Twitter: @CaitlinDoornbos
Sprinkled throughout a sea of green and red, the color purple could be seen around the Lawrence High School football stadium during the rivalry City Showdown game between the Lions and the Free State Firebirds on Friday night. The stadium had been vandalized just a day before with a racial epithet and a phallic symbol outlined in shaving cream on the field. The vandals also reportedly egged a section of bleachers and moved athletic equipment. Lawrence Public Schools officials announced Friday
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ganization are launching a Safe Routes to School initiative in the hopes of developing a plan that encourages walking and biking to school. That could include new policies for how streets
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Please see DEBATE, page 2A
10A 1C-6C 12A, 2C
Some teachers are brave enough to lead these conversations, and we will train more teachers to talk about these difficult issues.” — Rick Doll, Lawrence schools superintendent
that five senior, male Free State High School students have been identified as the perpetrators of the vandalism. In protest of the actions, many students, parents and faculty from both schools
Giving away smiles Douglas County Dental Clinic on Friday administered free care to about 70 area residents in need of cleanings, fillings and extractions. Page 3A
Please see UNITE, page 8A
Vol.156/No.263 32 pages