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FRIDAY • SEPTEMBER 25 • 2015
Six finalists picked for commission vacancy By Nikki Wentling Twitter: @nikkiwentling
Candidates still in the running for the vacant spot on the City Commission include two former commissioners, an associate professor and a geologist. After four hours of interviews and deliberation Thursday night, the advisory committee helping to select the city’s next commissioner cut the pool of applicants from 12 to six. Each member of the advisory
Morgan
Larsen
committee filled out a ballot ranking up to six candidates. The first candidate on each list received 12 points, the second received
l Lisa Ann Larsen, a geologist at Larsen & Associates Inc., with 75 points l David Schauner, an attorney and former city commissioner, with 50 points l Joe O’Brien, an associate professor at the Kansas University School of Education, with 46 Schauner O’Brien Riordan Watson points l Terry Riordan, a pediatrician l Scott Morgan, an editor/ and former city commissioner, eight points, the third received six publisher and former Lawrence with 42 points points, and so on. The six remaining candidates, school board member, with 80 points Please see FINALISTS, page 2A with their total points, are:
Schools, city could partner on inspections
A WHOLE NEW NEW YORK
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New York Elementary contractor no longer part of renovation work By Karen Dillon Twitter: @karensdillon
Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photos
FROM LEFT, Soda Pop Campbell, 7, Kevin Liljestrom, 7, Aelle Willett, 7, and teacher Andre Hefferman study outside the library at New York Elementary School, 936 New York St. The school recently got new classrooms, fresh paint and a new entryway as part of a brighter, technology-forward makeover. BELOW: An exterior view of the school.
City’s smallest school gets technology boost By Rochelle Valverde
IF YOU GO
Twitter: @RochelleVerde
The Lawrence Parade of Schools open house will be held 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Langston Hughes, Cordley, Hillcrest, New York and Quail Run elementary schools. In addition, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Lawrence College and Career Center, 2910 Haskell Ave., 10 a.m. Saturday.
Editor’s note: This story is the fifth in a six-part series preceding Saturday’s public tour of the recently completed construction projects in the Lawrence school district. The city’s smallest school, with only about 200 students, New York Elementary in East Lawrence has the look and feel of a traditional neighborhood school. Approaching its white-columned Please see BOOST, page 2A
Texas Roadhouse picks its spot on Iowa Town Talk
Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
I
t is time to let my Willie Nelson beard grow out, begin driving my dually pick-up truck on the shoulder of the road and start bragging about how the Longhorn football team is going to win the next 10 national championships. (Always starting next year, of course.) That’s right, it is time to get our Texas on. After months of speculation,
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Low: 56
Today’s forecast, page 8A
23rd and Iowa streets. Yes, the busiest intersection in the home of the Jayhawks soon will be flying a Lone Star state flag. There also will be line dancing going on, peanut shells thrown on the floor and lots of free rolls. If you are not familiar with Texas Roadhouse, it is kind of a Please see TEXAS, page 8A
INSIDE
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High: 82
we now have confirmation that the restaurant chain Texas Roadhouse is coming to Lawrence. We began reporting back in December that Texas Roadhouse was looking for a south Iowa Street location. Well, the company has now filed plans to occupy the space that formerly housed Saints Pub + Patio. That’s near the southwest corner of
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Officials for the city of Lawrence and the Lawrence school district said Thursday they will discuss a plan for the city to take over building inspections for the remaining six schools that are scheduled for makeovers as part of a $92.5 million bond issue. In addition, Rick Doll, the district’s suInspections perintendent, said he are a process had cut short the diswith a number of trict’s contract with Combes Construc- different steps. tion Co., the con- We believe with tractor at New York Elementary School, these six projects, where a number of we can be code violations were involved in all found, according to those steps from a memo from Doll to the school board the beginning.” Thursday. Twenty schools were slated for renovation last year as part of the construction package. Thirteen schools are currently or were recently under construction, — Diane Stoddard, and State Fire Mar- acting city manager shal Doug Jorgensen announced Thursday that his inspectors would begin joint inspections of the schools as soon as next week. Construction is complete at only one school, Langston Hughes Elementary, said Julie Boyle, the school district’s spokeswoman. Jorgensen said his office on Thursday had contacted the school district to get the names of the inspection companies the district has contracted with. Inspections will be done jointly with the fire marshal’s office inspectors and the third-party reviewers. “Our office will continue to work with the school district, the city, the private inspection companies and the contractors to the best of our ability and as the codes allow, to make sure that all of the school buildings
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Weekend Guide Five events to check out this weekend, from a cultural festival to a princess dance. First: Banned Book Trading Cards. 3A
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Please see SCHOOLS, page 2A
Vol.157/No.268 34 pages