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Brownback says he’ll sign deficit-causing tax bill By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
Gov. Sam Brownback said Friday he will sign into law a deficit-producing tax cut after the Senate blocked a less aggressive measure to cut taxes. Brownback said that next
Facebook stock flat in debut
week he will release plans for a bill-signing ceremony of a measure that a state financial projection estimates would drive the budget into a negative ending balance ranging from $2.5 billion to $3 billion by 2018. Brownback and his team,
however, have disputed the forecast, saying the tax cuts will jolt the economy, producing jobs and revenues. “We will have pro-growth tax reform in Kansas this year that will create tens of thousands of jobs and will make our state the best place
in America to start and grow a small business,” Brownback said. “I look forward to signing the bill on my desk and I call on legislators to finalize their work on the budget based on the enactment of Senate Sub. for HB 2117. The
legislative session needs to conclude,” he said. Moderate Republicans, Democrats and even some conservative Republicans have said the bill Brownback intends to sign would crater the budget. Please see TAX CUT, page 2A
From broken homes to loving ones
NEW YORK (AP) — It was barely a “like” and definitely not a “love” from Facebook investors as the online social network’s stock failed to live up to the hype in its trading debut Friday. One of the most anticipated IPOs in Wall Street history ended on a flat note, with Facebook’s stock closing at $38.23, up 23 cents from Thursday night’s pricing. That meant the company founded in 2004 in a Harvard dorm room has a market value of about $105 billion, more than Amazon.com, McDonald’s and Silicon Valley icons HewlettPackard and Cisco.
Brownback
REDISTRICTING
Map moves ahead, but fate unclear ——
Measure puts part of Lawrence in the 1st District By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
Breezy John Young/Journal-World Photo
EUDORA RESIDENTS AMAN AND LAURA REAKA play a game of Sequence with 3-year-old Kayden and 17-month-old Eric at their home on Thursday. The couple adopted Kayden after becoming foster parents and are in the process of also adopting Eric.
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Today’s forecast, page 8A
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QUOTABLE
Now we’re seeing the larger percentage is firearmsrelated calls and assaults on officers. That is a statistic that we can’t overlook, and we really need to examine why that is.” — Lawrence Police Chief Tarik Khatib. Khatib was among city officials, retired officers and chaplains and others taking part in the annual ceremony Friday to honor Lawrence police officers that have been killed in the line of duty. Page 3A
COMING SUNDAY We’ll introduce you to two remarkable young women who will graduate on Sunday from Lawrence’s high schools.
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Foster parents make big difference in lives of children By Karrey Britt kbritt@ljworld.com
Learn more
ONLINE: See the video, wellcommons.com
More than 5,000 children are in state custody, and the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services is always seeking foster families to help care for these kids. To learn about becoming a foster parent or mentor, call 877-345-6787.
Feeling a little under the weather, 3-yearold Kayden was quietly thumbing through a picture book while 17-month-old Eric went from one toy to the next. The smiling, brighteyed Eric couldn’t sit still; he was too busy exploring, and he tried to stop and give Kayden a hug, but Kayden wasn’t in the mood. The two boys were brought together by chance and through the care of Eudora couple Laura and Aman Reaka, who became foster parents three years ago. “This little guy is crazy — crazy in a good way. He’s like me when
I was little,” said Aman, 38, as he picked up Eric and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
The state is constantly looking for foster parents to help change the direction of a child’s life.
There are about 5,120 children in state custody, and about 120 are in Douglas County. Most often, children who have been removed from their home and placed in foster care are vulnerable and disadvantaged. “It’s not what the child did. It’s what was done to the child,” said Jim Kallinger, deputy secretary of Integrated Service Delivery for the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. “In the majority of the cases, it’s neglect, and neglect could be they are not getting three square meals a day or they are not getting proper medical attention.” When children are re-
moved from the home, Kallinger said, about 30 percent are placed with relatives, 10 percent are placed in group homes, and 60 percent are placed with foster families. There are 58 group homes in Kansas and four in Douglas County, and there are 2,480 licensed foster families, 53 in Douglas County. The goal is to keep children as close to home as possible, so they can go to the same school and be with friends. The average stay in foster care is 18 months.
While they hoped for adoption, Laura and Aman Reaka said they were aware that the priority was to reunite the Please see FOSTER, page 6A
Police urge caution in dealing with home security representatives going door to door By George Diepenbrock gdiepenbrock@ljworld.com
A Utah-based home security and alarm company with door-to-door solicitors in the Lawrence area has an F-rating from the Better Business Bureau and recently reached a $76,000 settlement with the Missouri attorney general partly for misleading customers about its relationship with other security companies. A Journal-World article Friday detailed how Lawrence police said they had received three calls in the last week from northwest Lawrence residents about
solicitors asking several questions about their home security systems. In two instances the solicitors were unable to provide business cards, and in another a female solicitor did not have any information about her company, said Sgt. Trent McKinley, a Lawrence police spokesman. Shayne Kahle, operations manager at Lawrence-based security company Rueschhoff, said about a dozen customers had called about door-to-door solicitors who in some cases were misrepresenting them-
selves as Rueschhoff employees. The solicitors said they needed to check the person’s home alarm system as a way to try to get inside to pitch them a new system from an out-of-state company. The Better Business Bureau of Kansas also recently sent out an alert warning of a possible scam in which salespeople will wear logos of well-known security companies and target a house because they see that company’s sign in the yard. Clint Cushing of Pinnacle Security identi-
fied himself as a regional manager in an online comment he posted on Friday’s Journal-World story and said the company was sending representatives door-to-door in Lawrence. “We have and enforce a code of conduct that requires honesty and ethical behavior,” Cushing wrote in the online comment. Cushing in an email Friday referred questions to company spokesman Stuart Dean, who did not return a message. In his online comment, Cushing referred to Pinnacle Security as a Please see SECURITY, page 2A
TOPEKA — A move to put a portion of Lawrence in the 1st congressional district advanced Friday but final approval of the measure in the House remained unclear. The redistricting plan moved forward on a 56-54 vote, but to gain final House approval requires 63 votes, which is a majority in the 125-member chamber. That final-action vote is planned for today, House Majority Leader Arlen Siegfreid, R-Olathe, said. Even if it is approved by the House, the measure would face a chilly reception in the more moderate Senate. “I don’t believe this is a fair map Ballard for Kansans,” said Rep. Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence. “If this was your community, you would say no,” Ballard told the Sloan House. Rep. Tom Sloan, R-Lawrence, said the proposal was “antithetical” to preserving communities of interest in congressional districts. But Rep. Lance Kinzer, R-Olathe, called the plan a “good map.” He said the House should approve it as a way for the measure to gain consideration for judicial review during redistricting challenges in court. Lawrence is now divided between the 2nd and 3rd congressional districts. Under the proposal, north and east Lawrence would be placed in the vast 1st district, which covers western Kansas and most of central Kansas. The Kansas University campus area would be in the 2nd district. In effect, the measure would put one of the most liberal areas of the state in one of the most conservative congressional districts in the country. Democrats said the Republican-dominated Legislature wanted to dilute Democratic voting strength. Earlier plans pushed by Republican leaders would have split other Democratic areas, such as east Topeka and Kansas City, Kan. Kinzer acknowledged Please see MAP, page 2A