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‘All tatted up’
Senate OKs bill giving KDOT turnpike control
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Please see TURNPIKE, page 2A
Players wear hearts on their sleeves — and elsewhere By Jesse Newell
By Scott Rothschild
TOPEKA — The Kansas Senate on Wednesday put the pedal to the metal to deliver control of the Kansas Turnpike to Gov. Sam Brownback. The Senate approved, 2614, a bill that would make Brownback’s Secretary of Transportation Mike King the chairman of the Kansas Turnpike Authority and its chief executive officer. State Sen. Ty Masterson, R-Andover, sought to ease concerns that the KTA would be taken over by the much larger Kansas Department of Transportation. “It is not a merger. It is not a money grab,” MasBrownback terson said. To ensure that, Masterson urged approval of an amendment to the bill that prohibited the use of toll revenue for anything other than the operation and maintenance of the 236-mile turnpike. But Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, said the KTA board’s most important decision is hiring the chief executive. Under the bill, that would be taken out of the board’s hands. “This is a huge change to take the autonomous nature of the board away from them,” Hensley said. One of the staunchest defenders of the turnpike, state Sen. Les Donovan, RWichita, said, “Trust me,
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TATTOOED ON KU BASKETBALL PLAYER BEN MCLEMORE’S RIGHT SHOULDER, top photo, are the words “Best of Both.” Above the words are hands cradling half a world and half a basketball. McLemore explains the tattoo as a symbol of coming from poverty and also of his success on the basketball court. On McLemore’s wrist, bottom right, is the first name of his mother, Sonya Reid. On player Jamari Traylor’s back, bottom left, are the words “God Walks With Me” with footprints along a beach.
hen Kansas University senior guard Travis Releford looks into a mirror, his mind often goes back to his freshman year when he was only picking up a handful of minutes. The words “Only God can judge me” are written across his chest. It was his first tattoo. “I was hearing, ‘He’s not good enough to play at Kansas.’ All types of stuff like that,’” Releford said. “That quote just came across to me. I was just like, ‘If I just think about that every time I hear something like that and keep working, then everything will pay off for me.’ “And so far, it has.” Though Releford told himself earlier in life he wasn’t going to have a About half of lot of tattoos at the players a young age, the self-expression on the men’s became, in his basketball team words, “addicthave tattoos, ing.” He now has his with most of son, Travis Jr.’s, them turning to footprints on his left arm, his area ink to help tell code “816” across their life stories. his chest and the Kansas City skyline wrapped around his left forearm. And that’s just a small sample. “I got one, and I was like, ‘This would look good if I add this to it. Then I’ll add that,’” Releford said. “ ... Then you just keep going. Next thing you know, you’re all tatted up.” About half of the players on the men’s basketball team have tattoos, with most of them turning to ink to help tell their life stories. KU sophomore guard Naadir Tharpe says tattoos also have brought teammates closer together. Tharpe, along with freshman Ben McLemore and junior Niko Roberts, got matching tattoos — “KUCMB,” which Tharpe says stands for “Kansas University college men’s basketball” — on their arms. Traylor came up with the idea. “If it’s going to be on me forever,” Traylor said, “I’ve got to put a lot of thought into it.” Releford says it’s up to the players to stay responsible financially. That means not spending too much on their hobby with the money they earn. “We work camps and stuff, so it’s Please see TATTOOS, page 2A
Modest turnout so far for advance voting in upcoming election By Peter Hancock phancock@ljworld.com
Douglas County election officials are reporting modest turnout in advance balloting leading up to Tuesday’s school board and City Commission elections. But those numbers could change over the weekend when multiple advance polling sites will be open throughout the county.
Benjamin Lampe, deputy county clerk for elections, said his office had received 581 advance ballots through Tuesday. That would equal about 5 percent of the total number of ballots cast in the last municipal elections in April 2011. Municipal elections typically produce low turnout. In 2011, only 13.5 percent of registered voters in Douglas County par-
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City Hall, Eudora City Hall and the Baldwin City fire station. Lampe said Kansas statutes require advance voting to be closed at noon Monday. Voters must be in line before noon to cast a ballot that day. Voters may also request an advance ballot be mailed to them. Requests must be submitted in writing. However, the deadline for counties to mail
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ticipated in the April elections. In 2009, only 14 percent did. Voters can cast advance ballots in person at the Douglas County Courthouse from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, and from 8 a.m. until noon on Monday. Also on Saturday, advance voting will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lecompton
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out advance ballots is Friday, so Lampe says people needing a mail ballot should request one as soon as possible. Voters can call the county election office at 832-5267 for information about how to request a mailed ballot. Regular polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, which is Tuesday, April 2.
Expanding Medicaid Two former Kansas officials, Kathleen Sebelius and Andy Allison, may be helping Kansas leaders find a way to expand Medicaid without appearing to embrace Obamacare. Page 3A
Vol.155/No.87 24 pages