L A W R E NC E
75 cents
Journal-World
LJWorld.com
MONDAY • NOVEMBER 24 • 2014
Infested apartments ‘unlivable,’ social workers say Complaints include bedbugs, roaches in residents’ ears
By Caitlin Doornbos Twitter: @CaitlinDoornbos
Erica Stevanovic has many anecdotes about problems residents have faced at Cedarwood Apartments. Stevanovic, a social work intern for Centro Hispano, a local nonprofit organization that works with underserved Spanish-speaking Lawrencians, said she’s had two Cedarwood clients, one a young child, who’ve had to have doctors remove roaches from inside their ears.
One Cedarwood family had rats. When Stevanovic spoke with manager Margarita Yoder, she was told “it’d be taken care of,” but it never was, Stevanovic said. Currently, Stevanovic is helping a little boy who told Stevanovic: “I don’t wanna live in my room anymore.” The child can’t sleep at night because of an infestation of bedbugs. The child’s
legs, arms and groin area are “completely covered” with insect bites, Stevanovic said. “I’m horrified that people have to put up with this,” Centro Hispano Director Lydia Diebolt said. “These children are going to sleep at night terrified of bugs. It’s unlivable.” Cedarwood manager Yoder refused to talk to the Journal-World.
SEVERAL CEDARWOOD APARTMENTS RESIDENTS have reported infestations of bedbugs, pictured, which can consume up to three times their body weight in blood and are notoriously difficult to exterminate. Shutterstock Image
Please see INFESTED, page 2A
Carnival of Chemistry celebrates weird science
Support grows for teen center Boys & Girls Club facility would serve about 1,000 youths By Chad Lawhorn Twitter: @clawhorn_ljw
Coursework focuses on intensive English and cultural instruction. Rosen said students emerge with about 30 credKANSAS UNIVERSITY it hours and, hopefully, go on to enroll at KU as sophomores and continue through graduation. The Academic Accelerator Program had a goal of recruiting 60 students for its first semester and ended up with 57 starting classes this fall. “We’re very excited that we met that goal with a very
The idea of building a 30,000-square-foot center to serve middle school students and other teens has gained new momentum following a fundraising study conducted for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lawrence. “The report came back very Everyone positive for us,” is confirming said Colby Wilson, club ex- that these ecutive direc- high school tor. “It shows and middle we’re in a good position to do school a capital cam- groups are paign in terms who we need of the image we have in the to reach out community and to.” the overall support we have.” — Colby Wilson, club Wilson said executive director the organization’s board of directors has agreed to move forward with a fundraising campaign, although the group hasn’t yet set a financial goal or appointed a steering committee. A specific design or location for the center also haven’t been selected, but the center could include everything from a gymnasium to a dance room to spaces for students to work on homework. The center would be designed to
Please see STUDENT, page 6A
Please see CENTER, page 2A
John Young/Journal-World Photo
FIVE-YEAR-OLD JAIDON COCHRAN, LEFT, uses gloves to hold a soapy bubble as 6-year-old Isaiah Garcia, both of Lawrence, watches his bubble burst during the 19th annual Carnival of Chemistry in Malott Hall, 1251 Wescoe Hall Drive, on Sunday afternoon. The bubbles were made by mixing hot water and dry ice, causing it to sublimate, or change from a solid to a gas without first becoming a liquid. The gas was then used to fill a mixture of soapy water and glycerine to form the bubbles.
International student program meets first-year goals By Sara Shepherd
FROM LEFT, KANSAS UNIVERSITY STUDENTS Shiran Zhang, Kejing Wang and Boling Huang, all from China, participate in their Kansas Environment and Culture class on Friday. All three are enrolled in KU’s International Academic Accelerator Program.
Twitter: @saramarieshep
Kansas University’s fledgling international student recruitment program met its modest first-semester goal, and leaders are confident enrollment will grow even as colleges increasingly compete for the same student pool. The International Academic Accelerator Program, a partnership between KU and private company Shorelight Education, was formally announced in February. The ultimate goal is to nearly double KU’s international enrollment in about four years, said Sara Rosen, KU’s senior
Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo
vice provost for academic affairs. Currently, 7 percent of undergrads and 9.3 percent of KU students overall are international. Rosen would like to see that number rise to 15 percent or 16 percent, closer to
INSIDE
Partly sunny Classified Comics Events listings Horoscope
High: 42
KU’s research-extensive peers. For a flat fee of about $45,000, the all-in-one-style Academic Accelerator Program provides 12 months of room, board, tuition and activities for participating international students, Rosen said.
Low: 17
6B-10B 12B 6A, 2B 11B
Opinion Puzzles Sports Television
5A 11B 1B-5B 6A, 2B
“
School funding
Vol.156/No.328 18 pages
A lawsuit over education funding is complicating efforts by legislators and Gov. Sam Brownback to close the state’s budget shortfalls. Page 3A
Join us at Facebook.com/LJWorld and Twitter.com/LJWorld
Today’s forecast, page 6A
Now Open Sundays
BU Y 3
GET 1
FREE!
*
www.bigotires.com SPECIAL FINANCING AVAILABLE^ ^See store for details
4661 W. 6TH LAWRENCE, KS 785.830.9090
2735 SW WANAMAKER TOPEKA, KS 785.271.0194
* Valid at participating locations on select sets of 4 Cooper, Nitto or Sumitomo brand tires. Tire selection varies by location. Installation charges extra. Not valid with other offers. No carry-outs. Up to 10% shop fee based on non-discounted retail price, not to exceed $35, or disposal fees, where permitted. Sale dates 11/10/14 – 12/1/14.