JAYHAWKS FIND END ZONE
KU loses 33-14 to West Virginia under new interim coach Clint Bowen 1B
L A W R E NC E
Journal-World ®
$1.50
LJWorld.com
SUNDAY • OCTOBER 5 • 2014
In strip-club case, typically closed records opened By Karen Dillon Twitter: @karensdillon
In most states, getting records about crimes that law enforcement has investigated is easy: Make a request and the authorities turn them over. In Kansas, it’s usually not that easy. The Legislature closed those records to the public more than 30 years ago, and if members
County official tipped off Republican Party to ‘help’ of the public want incident reports and investigative files, they typically have to sue to get them. The cases can be expensive: Some have cost $25,000 or more. So media law experts found it “amazing” when they learned that Montgomery County Sher-
iff Robert “Bobby” Dierks released investigative files from 1998 last month with just a records request. “That is unusual,” said Mike Merriam, veteran media lawyer who works with the Kansas Press Association. “They have denied releasing records rou-
tinely over and over and over again.” The files contained important information for the hotly contested gubernatorial race: Gov. Sam Brownback’s Democratic challenger, Paul Davis, of Please see RECORDS, page 2A Davis
Brownback
CONGRESS
Lawrence and sister city celebrate
Candidates weigh in on health care, immigration and more The next Congress will face major decisions on a wide range of issues. The Journal-World sent questionnaires to all the candidates on the ballot for the 2nd congressional district and U.S. Senate, asking about their positions on those issues. This week, we are publishing their responses to questions about health care, the future of Social Security, immigration reform and raising the federal minimum wage. Next week, we will publish their responses to other questions dealing with the federal budget, climate change and the future of the Internet.
ELECTION
2014
Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo
HENRIETTE SCHWARTAU, FROM LEFT, MARIA HIEBER AND CARINA SCHWARZ attend their jewelry class at Free State High School last week. The three are part of a group of exchange students from Lawrence’s sister city Eutin, Germany. They will be in Lawrence for several weeks, living with host families and attending school.
25 years of global bonding
Y
ou can’t blame Lawrence City Commissioner Bob Schumm for thinking that a Kansas-style barbecue would be a good way to celebrate with 200 or so friends from Lawrence’s sister city of Eutin, Germany. But it probably is fair to blame Schumm for the odd image that a sizable group of German airport employees likely have of
Warming
Lawrence. You see, the barbecue was to be held in Eutin, and in Germany finding pork and beans can be quite a chore. So, Schumm had the dozens of members of a Lawrence delegation traveling to Eutin pack in their luggage a No. 10 can of pork and beans. “I don’t think the custom agents knew quite what to think of us,” Schumm says.
Oh, well. If only all of our misunderstandings were so minor. Helmut Scheewe knows very well that they are not. Scheewe’s father was killed in action in Russia as a member of the German army in World War II. Scheewe was 10 years old at the end of the war and remembers well his feelings. Please see EUTIN, page 8A
Low: 44
Today’s forecast, page 8B
Chad Lawhorn
2nd District House Lynn Jenkins (Republican): The 2013 Politifact Lie of the Year was President Obama’s famous line regarding his health care law, “If you like your health care plan, you can keep it.” I will continue to fight to repeal the president’s health care law and replace it with patient-centered health care. Americans are empowered when they are free to make their own health care decisions. My plan starts over with health care reform that lets patients choose the plans they want, the doctors they need and the costs they can afford. We can also set up the framework so that small businesses and individuals can
clawhorn@ljworld.com
INSIDE Arts&Entertainment 1C-6C Events listings Books 4C Horoscope Classified 1D-9D Movies Deaths 2A Opinion
High: 71
Lawhorn’s Lawrence
Health Care: Do you believe the Affordable Care Act should be repealed in its entirety, amended to address specific problems or left as it is?
Please see Q AND A, page 4A
Humble start
6C, 2B Puzzles 10D Sports 2C Television 9A
5C, 10D 1B-7B 6C, 2B
Join us at Facebook.com/LJWorld and Twitter.com/LJWorld
Vol.156/No.278 44 pages
Using his wealth to demonstrate how he would rebuild Congress, Greg Orman also nods to his modest upbringing. Page 3A
Locally Owned
Specializing in Real Estate Lending and Solar Leasing Compare our deposit and lending rates visit our website!
www.mid-americabank.com LAWRENCE • 4114 W. 6th St. • 785-841-8055 Baldwin City • 802 Ames • 785-594-2100
Wellsville • 1008 Poplar St • 785-883-4081