Lawrence Journal-World 02-16-13

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FIREBIRDS SWEEP

MARIO CHALMERS POSTER

Basketball teams defeat Olathe North Sports 1B

Former Jayhawk’s jersey No. 15 to be retired tonight Inside 4A-5A

L A W R E NC E

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75 CENTS

3!452$!9 s &%"25!29 s

From the air: library expansion site

LJWorld.com

REC CENTER

City must buy land for $780K Cost applied toward $25M maximum By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com

John English/Special to the Journal-World

THIS AERIAL PHOTO SHOWS construction work earlier this week at the Lawrence Public Library at 707 Vermont St. The view is looking northeast from Kentucky Street, lower left of photo. The library is undergoing an $18 million renovation and expansion. Construction, including the addition of a parking garage, is expected to last until April 2014. The library is now temporarily housed at the former Borders building at 700 New Hampshire St.

Influenza still widespread; whooping cough subsiding By Peter Hancock phancock@ljworld.com

Douglas County health officials say the latest outbreak of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, appears to have subsided. But influenza is still being reported as “widespread” in Kansas, as well as most other states outside the Deep South, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Karrey Britt, spokeswoman for the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, said Wednesday that so far in 2013, only seven suspected cases of whooping cough have been investigated in the county.

By comparison, 214 cases Children are required were reported in Douglas to be vaccinated for perCounty during 2012, up from tussis before they can atonly 17 cases in all of 2011. tend school. Last year, the Britt said that was the result county health department of two significant outbegan urging adults to breaks during the year get booster vaccina— one in the summer tions. The agency also and another in the fall. sent out information “It’s way better,” strongly urging anyBritt said of the curone with the disease rent status. to stay at home to preHEALTH Pertussis is a highly vent spreading it. contagious respiratory The fall outbreak disease caused by a bacterial coincided with an early flu infection. Symptoms include season that has also been a violent, uncontrollable unusually bad. cough that often makes it Although flu cases are hard for patients to breathe. not required to be reported It is most common among to public health agencies, young children and can be the CDC and the Kansas fatal, especially for infants Department of Health and under one year of age. Environment participate in

If a proposed $25 million city recreation center ends up being judged a good deal, it won’t be because the city got free land to build the facility. Officials with the city and Kansas University Endowment Association have clarified that the city won’t receive a donation of 26 acres from Endowment to build the center near Sixth Street CITY and the South Lawrence COMMISSION Trafficway. Instead, the city will pay $780,000 — or $30,000 an acre — to purchase the property from a KU Endowment entity. City officials disclosed the selling price for the first time Thursday evening, but City Manager David Corliss said the new detail doesn’t materially change the deal because the city’s overall cost for the project has not Please see REC CENTER, page 2A

voluntary surveillance programs to monitor the severity of seasonal outbreaks. Most years, according to KDHE, the flu season peaks between mid-February and mid-March. That’s based on the percentage of visits to health clinics that are due to flu-like symptoms. This season, however, reported flu symptoms reached normal peak levels in late December and have remained elevated far above normal since then. Since mid-January, the numbers have hovered around 5 percent of all office visits. That compares with about 3 or 4 percent at the peak of the flu season in each of the last two years.

Iowa St. work begins Monday Staff Reports

The year of Iowa Street is about to begin. Major portions of Iowa Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction Monday, the first sign of months of work that will take place on the city’s main north-south thoroughfare. The section of Iowa Street — which is also U.S. Highway 59 — from 15th Street/ Bob Billings Parkway south to the Irving Hill overpass will be reduced to one lane in each direction while crews begin a complete Please see IOWA, page 2A

INSIDE

Expect sun Business Classified Comics Deaths

High: 40

Low: 25

6A 1C-6C 8A 2A

Events listings Horoscope Movies Opinion

2B, 8B 5C 3A 7A

Puzzles Society Sports Television

5C 6B 1B-5B 2B, 8B, 5C

Attorney disbarred

Vol.155/No.47 22 pages

The Kansas Supreme Court orders the disbarment of Lawrence attorney Douglas Lee Baker for “squandering” $2.6 million of investors’ money. Page 3A

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Today’s forecast, page 8B

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