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Arts input shapes outline
KU prepping for spring football game
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State panel drafting new strategic plan By Sara Shepherd sshepherd@ljworld.com
ONLINE: Find a link to an online survey with this story at LJWorld.com Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo
IGNACIO AYALA, left, and Jorge Rivera, both with All Seasons Event Rental, Kansas City, Kan., set up a large tent on the hillside south of Memorial Stadium in preparation for Kansas University’s spring football game Saturday. See Sports, page 1B.
Some sun
High: 53
Low: 28
Today’s forecast, page 10A
INSIDE
Judge finds no basis to reconsider result in Murray murder conviction
Collecting public input to help draft a strategic plan for the new Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission was the goal of a meeting Thursday night. Not surprisingly, “Go back to the way things were when Kansas funded the arts” was a common theme. Commission director Peter Jasso, who attended the meeting, said those comments were to be expected and not necessarily a bad thing. “It’s important to listen and to let people express those,” he said, “and then get to the task at hand — what is the reality that we exist in now?” About 20 people, many leaders of Lawrence arts organizations, attended Thursday’s meeting at the Lawrence Arts Center. The meeting was the second of seven such sessions the commission has scheduled statewide. Members of Kansas State University’s Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy — which promotes processes that foster an informed citizenry and community-based decision making — facilitated the discussion. In addition to setting ground rules (talk about issues, not personalities, for one), expert moderators helped steer input away from criticism and toward ideas that would help accomplish the task at hand. Attendees whittled conversation to a handful of
In a 2005 trial that Fairchild presided over, a Douglas County jury A Douglas County convicted Murray of A tiny magnetic bracelet implanted judge has rejected a first-degree murder. at the base of former Kansas State In January, Murray’s University English pro- court-appointed attorthe throat is Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo greatly improv- fessor’s attempt to chal- ney, Adam Hall, argued THOMAS E. MURRAY, left, talks with his lawyer, Adam Hall, lenge his prison sentence that the defense attoring life for some for the killing of neys who repre- during a civil case Jan. 23 aimed at overthrowing his 2005 people with his ex-wife in 2003. sented him in the sentencing in the November 2003 murder of his ex-wife, severe acid Douglas County murder trial failed Carmin D. Ross, at her rural Douglas County home. to respond to reflux who need District Judge RobHEALTH problems with the Murray was challenging his conviction based on ineffective more help than ert Fairchild issued the decision Tuesstate’s DNA evi- assistance of counsel and alleged problems with DNA evimedicine can give them. Page 7A day, in a lawsuit dence and search dence. A court has rejected his challenge. that Thomas E. COURTS warrants. The lawMurray, 56, filed suit proceeded as challenging the legality a civil case under a law trial defense attorneys mixed with Ross’ blood of his prison sentence of that allows prisoners to were professionally in- on a baseboard in Ross’ Facebook.com/LJWorld 25 years to life. He was challenge their sentenc- effective because they bathroom but later testiTwitter.com/LJWorld convicted in the stabbing es. did not hire their own fied that he believed the death of Carmin Ross, Hall argued that a expert or object to the DNA belonged to Murwhose body was discov- DNA expert for the pros- testimony. According to ray. ered Nov. 14, 2003, in her ecution at trial perjured this argument, the expert Murray also claimed home near Lake View, himself by testifying found in his initial report that the search warrants Business 2A in the 1800 block of East contrary to his initial re- an “unknown contribuPlease see MURRAY, page 2A 1150 Road. port, and that Murray’s tor” in a blood sample Classified 6B-10B Comics 9A Deaths 2A Events listings 10A, 2B Horoscope 9B Truman dents nominated by their “The Truman FoundaMovies 4A By Matt Erickson merickson@ljworld.com Scholar. schools. She’s the first tion says that they’re reOpinion 8A KU anKU Truman Scholar since ally looking for people Puzzles 9B When Hannah Sitz n o u n c e d 2006. who want to make a difSports 1B-5B, 10B walked into the Kansas the scholThe Truman Schol- ference,” said Anne Walarship Foundation, es- len, a coordinator for the Television 10A 2B, 9B University Honors Pro- a r s h i p , gram office last fall, she’d w h i c h tablished by Congress Honors program who Vol.155/No.102 32 pages made her decision: She provides in 1975, began awarding helps students apply for wasn’t going to apply for up to scholarships in 1977 to national scholarships a Harry S. Truman Schol- $ 3 0 , 0 0 0 Sitz college juniors aiming to and fellowships. “So you arship. for gradube leaders in public ser- want to see students who But by the time she ate school, Thursday. vice. Truman Scholars already are making a difwalked out, her mind had Sitz is one of 62 col- need to have extensive ference.” been changed. And about lege juniors from around leadership experience, a Sitz fits that bill, Walsix months later, the KU the United States to win devotion to public service len said. She’s on track to junior from Andover is Truman Scholarships for and good grades, Wallen graduate with highest disthe university’s 17th-ever 2013, picked from 629 stu- said. tinction, Wallen said, and
‘Bracelet’ implant treats heartburn
By Ian Cummings
icummings@ljworld.com
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Please see ARTS, page 2A
Service-minded junior is KU’s 17th Truman Scholar
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she’s a co-director of the KU Alternative Breaks program, which sends students on weeklong service trips during their spring, summer, fall and winter breaks as well as on weekend projects during the school year. She started volunteering in high school, when she organized trips for her church youth group to volunteer at a soup kitchen in downtown Please see TRUMAN, page 2A