Lawrence Journal-World 02-17-11

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L A W R E N C E

JOURNAL-WORLD

®

75 CENTS

Warmer and windy

High: 70

LJWorld.com

THURSDAY • FEBRUARY 17 • 2011

Low: 36

Today’s forecast, page 10A

INSIDE

BANKRUPTCY

BORDERS CLOSING

Budget director sidesteps funding questions By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com

Secondary Teacher of the Year named Southwest Junior High School’s Chris Drinkhouse, a learning strategies teacher, above left, is the Lawrence school district’s 2010-11 Secondary Teacher of the Year. Drinkhouse, whom one colleague described as a “miracle worker,” received the award Wednesday. Page 3A COLLEGE BASEBALL

New NCAA rule to make big impression After an examination of its rules regarding bats, the NCAA decided that bats must now be BBCOR, or Batted-Ball Coefficient of Restitution, certified and marked as such. “It’s going to change the way the game’s played, there’s no doubt about it,” said Kansas University baseball coach Ritch Price. Page 1B

QUOTABLE

After contemplating the statements I made in the Federal and State Affairs Committee meeting, I understand how they could have been misconstrued. I misspoke and apologize to those I offended. I have learned from this situation and will be more careful with my choice of words in the future.” — State Rep. Connie O’Brien, RTonganoxie, issuing an apology for commenting that she could tell a woman wasn’t a citizen because of her “olive complexion.” Page 3A

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ANNE JACOBSON, OF GLENDALE, ARIZ., reads at Borders Wednesday. The bookstore at 700 N.H. will be one of 200 stores across the country to close by the end of April as part of the company’s bankruptcy filing.

Dozens of jobs, major source of books, local hangout to be lost By Brenna Hawley bhawley@ljworld.com

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Borders in Lawrence is closing, according to a Wednesday filing the company made in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, N.Y. The Lawrence store, 700 N.H., is one of 200 locations nationally that the troubled bookseller is closing as part of the bankruptcy filing. As of Jan. 29, Borders operated 642 stores in the United States and Puerto Rico, with 6,100 full-time employees, 11,400 part-time employees and 600 contingent workers. The bankruptcy filings said the bookseller had about $1.3 billion in debt. Mary Davis, public relations manager for Borders Group, said all stores on the closure list would be shut down by the end of April. Davis said employees were notified of the closure today and that sales to get rid of merchandise would likely start Saturday in time for Presidents Day weekend. Twenty-seven people work at the Lawrence store, and all will be losing their jobs. According to bankruptcy documents, closure of an additional 75 stores might be necessary. Merchandise at the closing stores is not being replenished, but the Borders Rewards program is still operating. Gift cards can still be redeemed, but not bought, at closing stores. The only other Kansas store that is closing, according to the list released by Borders, is in Wichita. The Lawrence building is owned by Agree Realty Corp., a company based out of Farmington Hills, Mich. The company also owns the Wichita Borders store that is closing. Agree Realty leases 14 properties to Borders, including its corporate

Please see BUDGET, page 5A

COUNTY APPRAISER

No major declines in home values this year A MAIL CARRIER DELIVERS PACKAGES to Borders Wednesday. The store is set to close by the end of April. It opened in 1997.

Heidi Raak, right, owner of the locally owned Raven Book Store, 6 E. Seventh St, said she was sad about Borders closing. The Raven has been open for 23 years, but Raak has owned it for only three. When Borders opened in 1997, then-owners of the Raven thought the big chain store would damage the local store’s business, but Raak said that had not been the case. headquarters. With the bankruptcy filing, it is losing five, amounting to about $2.6 million of the total $7.4 million Agree receives annually from Borders. After the two stores close, three full Borders stores, two Waldenbooks and one Borders Express will remain in Kansas.

Contentious beginnings The Borders building, which is 20,000 square feet, was built specifically for the bookstore for $3.9 million — and not without opposition. Downtown business leaders could not reach a consensus about Please see BORDERS, page 2A

Legislation proposed to legalize medical marijuana in Kansas By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com

TOPEKA — Legislation has been filed to legalize medical marijuana for people with debilitating conditions, such as cancer. “I feel very strongly that the chronically and terminally ill should be allowed to use the medicine that works best for them without having to fear being arrested or thrown in jail,” said state Rep. Gail Finney, DWichita, who suffers from lupus. “I am not advocating the use of cannabis for recreational types of

TOPEKA — Gov. Sam Brownback’s budget director Steve Anderson on Wednesday declined to tell the Kansas Board of Regents his personal opinion on higher education funding. “Opinions are like belly buttons,” Anderson said. “Everyone’s got one. The only important belly button to me right now is the governor’s.” In his f irst face-to-face with the regents, Anderson urged board Anderson members to meet with him and Brownback and present ideas on how to improve higher education in Kansas. “The governor’s door is open. He is there to talk to people. When good ideas come forward, we’ll jump on them,” Anderson said. Brownback’s choice of Anderson as state budget director raised eyebrows because of Anderson’s previous work with Americans for Prosperity, an organization founded by billionaire David Koch, which espouses

activity,” Finney said Wednesday. House Bill 2330 would provide for the registration and operations of notfor-profit “compassion centers,” which would have the authority to Finney possess, cultivate, manufacture and dispense marijuana. Buyers would have to have a doctor’s prescription and a license from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The license

would permit them to possess up to six ounces of marijuana. Medical marijuana would be allowed for patients with cancer, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis and others. Currently, 15 states and Washington, D.C., have medical marijuana laws, Finney said. Proposals have been made in the past in Kansas for medical marijuana, but they have never gotten anywhere in the legislative process. — Statehouse reporter Scott Rothschild can be reached at 785-423-0668.

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47 percent will see an increase By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com

Home values in Douglas County largely have weathered another year without major declines, according to new numbers from the county appraiser’s office. Douglas County Appraiser Steve Miles will start mailing change of value notices — the statement that shows how much a home’s value has changed from Jan. 1, 2010 to Jan. 1, 2011 — on Feb. 28. Odds are about 50-50 that a homeowner’s property will have increased slightly in value — at least according to the folks who figure such things for property tax purposes. “It was a complicated year,” Miles said of pegging the value of Douglas County real estate. He said a federal tax credit for homebuyers early in the year spurred a lot of activity, but then sales slowed significantly before showing some signs of a rebound in December. “At one point, we though it was great and that values were really starting to come back,” Miles said. “Then it was like somebody pulled the rug out.” In the end, Miles said that about 53 percent of all residential property in Douglas County will either see their values hold steady or decline. The remaining 47 percent will see an increase in values, although increases likely will be 3 percent or less. Please see HOME, page 2A


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