L A W R E NC E
JOURNAL-WORLD ®
$1.25
35.$!9 s *!.5!29 s
LJWorld.com
KU study: Unplugging unlocks creativity By Matt Erickson merickson@ljworld.com
At Ruth Ann and Paul Atchley’s house in Lawrence, there’s no cellphone service. That’s just as well for the married Kansas University psychologists, considering what their latest research indicates
about technology and the human brain. In summer 2010, the Atchleys joined with another researcher from the University of Utah to see what four days of backpacking in the wilderness, untethered from electronics, did for the creativity and problemsolving abilities of about 60
High: 31
Low: 18
for a society spending ever more time staring at electronic screens and less time just being outside. The Atchleys’ study, published in December in an online open-access journal, cited data suggesting that a typical child today spends around 15-25 Please see CREATIVITY, page 2A
Paul and Ruth Ann Atchley
EDUCATION FOCUS
Sunshine
Today’s forecast, page 10A
adults ages 18 to 60. The effect was pretty plain to see: Their creativity increased by a full 50 percent. Perhaps that’s no surprise, said Ruth Ann Atchley, an associate professor and chairwoman of KU’s psychology department. But it has huge implications
‘This is something we’ve needed to do for some time’
INSIDE
$117
Critic Eric Melin provides a recap of his favorite films of the past year. Page 1C FOOTBALL
Former KU coach guiding Buckeyes Ed Warinner, former Kansas University offensive coordinator, is now co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach on Urban Meyer’s staff at The Ohio State University. Page 1B
“
QUOTABLE
It’s been a tough day for all of us, especially her. It’s very sad. A lot of tears. She was the heart and soul of Penn House.” — Larry Woydziak, assistant program director, on Linda Lassen, who had worked at Penn House for more than 40 years before being laid off Friday. Page 3A
FOLLOW US Facebook.com/LJWorld Twitter.com/LJWorld
LAWRENCE HIGH SCHOOL ENGINEERING STUDENTS Michael Latham, left, and Jacob Magauson team up on a robotics project on Friday for a competition at Johnson County Community College. Lawrence school officials hope to form partnerships with three area community colleges to share space and offer training programs in Lawrence as part of a bond issue on the ballot this spring.
District wants to expand career, vocational education By Peter Hancock phancock@ljworld.com
Lawrence may be home to the largest university in the state of Kansas, but for people who grow up here and whose career plans involve something other than a four-year college degree, access to other kinds of post-secondary education has traditionally been limited. That accounts for about 25 to 50 percent of each graduating class at Lawrence and Free State high schools, according to administrators. That’s how many students they estimate go to a two-year college, some other kind of job training program, or who try to enter the workforce directly out of high school. In many other Kansas com-
EDUCATION FOCUS More on furthering your education inside:
Getting degree while working full time a balancing act, page 6A
What to consider before going back to school, page 7A munities, high school juniors and seniors can enroll simultaneously in nearby community colleges or technical schools to begin training in things like technical trades, construction or certain health care careers. But for Lawrence students, there are no such schools within easy commuting distance. The nearest such schools are in Kansas City, Johnson County or Topeka.
“I feel like this is something we’ve needed to do for some time,” said Rick Henry, career and technical education specialist for the Lawrence school district. Lawrence school officials hope to close some of that gap in the near future by forming partnerships with three area community colleges to share space and offer training programs in Lawrence. The proposal, which depends on voters approving a bond issue on the April 2 ballot, calls for renovating space at the district’s Community Connections Center, 2600 W. 25th St., also known as the Holcom Center, and forming partnerships with Kansas City, Please see SCHOOLS, page 8A
At Lawrence City Hall, 2013 won’t quite be the year where the rubber meets the road — at least not on the uncompleted portion of the South Lawrence Trafficway. Tires are expected to start spinning on that road in 2016. But 2013 will be the year when crews start building the final leg of the SLT, and city leaders said now is the time to start planning for its impact. “By the end Specifical- of this decade ly, City Hall but definitely will be gear- by the next ing up for decade, I think what some we’ll be talking city commis- about it being sioners be- the biggest lieve will be decade Lawa renewed rence has ever interest in had in terms the city as a of economic location for development.” new industry and business. — Mayor Bob “In terms Schumm of economic development, the fact that that road is being constructed will demonstrate to businesses that an extraordinary opportunity is on the way,” Mayor Bob Schumm said. The Kansas Department of Transportation has said the construction of the southern bypass is expected to begin in September or October. The road, which will complete the connection between Interstate 70 west Please see CITY, page 2A
Exact location of oldest grave in city a mystery
M
INDEX Arts & Entertainment 1C-6C Books 4C Classified 1D-6D Deaths 2A Events listings 2B, 6C Horoscope 5D Movies 1C, 3C Opinion 9A Puzzles 5C, 5D Sports 1B-10B Vol.155/No.6 32 pages
Major growth projects on tap clawhorn@ljworld.com
Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo
Top 10 movies of 2012
A look ahead
By Chad Lawhorn
Coupon value in today’s paper
ENTERTAINMENT
2013
Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo
SEVERAL OLD GRAVE MARKERS are scattered around Pioneer Cemetery on Kansas University’s West Campus, just south of the Lied Center. Known originally as Oread Cemetery, it was opened in 1854 by the New Englanders who founded Lawrence. The oldest known burial in the city was in the cemetery, but no one is sure of the gravesite’s location.
uch to the chagrin of many in my household, I already had found my Indiana Jones hat and was in search of my Indiana Jones whip. I thought I had made a major archeological discovery. I was playing around with a relatively new piece of technology developed by the city of Lawrence. On the city’s website, lawrenceks.org, there’s a database that allows you to search the burial records of Lawrence’s Oak Hill, Memorial Park and Maple Grove cemeteries. In addition to giving you a map of where the individual is
Lawhorn’s Lawrence
Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
buried, it also provides a date of burial. While exploring it, one name jumped out at me like a Nazi chasing me in the Sahara. (Well, maybe
that’s just the Indiana Jones hat talking.) But still, there was the name of Carrie Pratt, buried on Dec. 28, 1832. Step aside, Dr. Jones. You and your puny little ark just got trumped. 1832! That’s 22 years before Kansas Territory was even opened for settlement. The stories already were spinning in my mind. Had a white woman come to live among the Indians? Had she so inspired them that they gave her a traditional Christian burial? Had they learned how to carve granite, write white man’s English and put up a tombstone in the spot that Please see GRAVE, page 10A