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TUESDAY • OCTOBER 13 • 2015
Town Talk
Go nuts for chestnuts
Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
Study: Kansas lags in women’s earnings
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Classes larger for all grades ——
Board ponders impact on budget By Rochelle Valverde Twitter: @RochelleVerde
Increases in student enrollment along with reductions in the number of teachers means class sizes at every grade level have increased for this school year, with about one student more for each teacher districtwide, according to enrollment reports. “You can see we’ve had pretty significant increases (in enrollment),” said Kyle Hayden, assistant superintendent of business and operations for the school district, as he presented the enrollment report to the school board at its meeting Monday evening. Lawrence schools Superintendent Rick Doll said that having about 10 fewer classes at the elementary level saved the district about $350,000. Considering the reductions in staff,
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here’s a new report out that says women in Kansas are getting a raw deal. I know I have heard a sentiment similar to that uttered in my house — sometimes with a bullhorn, which really is a rude thing to do to a fellow who is doing some closed-eye-thinking on the couch. But now there is a study based on a variety of statistical data that ranks Kansas as the seventh worst state for women in all of America. The study is by the financial website 24/7 Wall St., and, to be honest, I’m not sure the study is a great one. It attempts to tackle a pretty big topic: the overall environment for women, ranging from finances to health care to even the political environment. So, I think there is plenty of reason to debate whether Kansas is the seventh worst state in the country for women. Maybe it is, or maybe it isn’t. The study didn’t really convince me. But some of the data the study used to describe Kansas did catch my attention. The study found — by compiling Census data — that Kansas has the 14th lowest earnings average for female workers when compared with male workers. Women, on average, earn only 77 percent of what men earn. In other words, that statistic isn’t shocking to some in the population, but it is interesting to note that we do rank nearly in the bottom quarter of the country.
LJWorld.com
Please see CLASSES, page 6A
Planners propose 74 bike spaces downtown
TOP: GINA SKINNER PICKS UP NUTS at the Chestnut Charlie’s chestnut farm at 1841 East 1450 Road on Oct. 7. MIDDLE: Chestnut Charlie’s co-owner Charlie NovoGradac weighs a batch of freshly harvested chestnuts on Oct. 7. NovoGradac and Deborah Milks have been growing chestnuts at their farm north of Lawrence since 1995.
By Nikki Wentling Twitter: @nikkiwentling
Lawrence transportation planners are proposing the addition of 74 bicycle parking spaces downtown, according to a city memo released Monday. A proposal includes the installation of 22 inverted U racks, which can hold two bikes each. It also calls for replacing two vehicle parking spaces — one at the intersection of Eighth and Massachusetts streets and one at 100 E. Ninth St. — with “bike corrals,” each holding up to 10 bikes. A third bike corral is proposed for an unallocated space in front of the Lawrence Public Library at 707 Vermont St. According to the memo, the Lawrence-Douglas County Bicycle Advisory Committee has recently heard requests from downtown business owners and others for more — and more efficient — bicycle parking.
BOTTOM: Worker April Sweany sorts through a batch of chestnuts to get them ready for shipping. The chestnuts are shipped out in 25-pound bags. Richard Gwin/ Journal-World Photos
Please see WAGES, page 2A
Please see BIKE, page 5A
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Vol.157/No.286 30 pages