Lawrence Journal-World 06-09-12

Page 1

GIFT OF KINDNESS

FAST TRACK

Teen donates money to special charity Lawrence & State 3A

KU sprinter comes in 3rd at NCAA event Sports 1B

L A W R E NC E

JOURNAL-WORLD ®

75 CENTS

3!452$!9 s *5.% s

Cancer survivors lead the way

LJWorld.com

REDISTRICTING

Voters to see big changes in political representation ——

All of Douglas County is now in 2nd District By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com

John Young/Journal-World Photos

FORTY-THREE-YEAR CANCER SURVIVOR GARY WATSON, LAWRENCE, LOOKS AT THE LUMINARIAS lining the track as he participates in the Douglas County 2012 Relay for Life event Friday at the Free State High School track, 4700 Overland Drive.

Hundreds walk track at Relay for Life to support those who fought disease By Meagan Thomas mthomas@ljworld.com

More than 295 cancer survivors walked a lap around the luminaria-lined Free State High School track Friday night to begin the Douglas County Relay for Life. The lap represented survival, and the luminarias were in memory of loved ones who have died or are fighting cancer. Although the event itself is meant to represent a day in the life of a cancer patient, for Lawrence resident Leila Gollhofer, Relay for Life represents that she wasn’t defeated by her breast cancer diagnosis seven years ago. “It just gives you hope and a feeling of being alive, and that’s the greatest feeling — knowing you beat cancer, not that it beat you,” Gollhofer said. Relay for Life was started in 1985 when a surgeon from Washington walked 24 consecutive hours and raised $27,000 for the American Cancer Society

FOUR-YEAR CANCER SURVIVOR CAROLYN DOWNING HELPS CARRY a chain representing the total number of survivor years during the Douglas County 2012 Relay for Life event Friday at the Free State High School track. In total, more than 2,200 years were represented by the chain. RIGHT: Twenty-year cancer survivor Jeff Miller, of Lawrence, proudly walks the survivor lap carrying his 3-year-old grandson Caden Pritchard, of Eudora.

in honor of his patients. The campaign spread across the world, and now individuals and teams who participate often begin

Douglas County Relay for Life raised more than $175,000 this year. The money will go toward the American Cancer Society for cancer research and assisting cancer patients. Gollhofer had attended Relay for Life before she received her cancer diagnosis and said the event helped her to meet others who had been through similar experiences with cancer. After her diagnosis, she said, she was able to relate to them and now has many friends who participate in the event, including the people who supported her when she was going through treatment. “It touches (the people walking) in a way that is just indescribable,” Douglas County Relay for Life co-chair Shelle Arnold said. their fundraising efforts “It really gives everyone a months before the walking sense of community.” event is scheduled. — Staff intern Meagan Thomas can be With more than 695 reached at 832-7188. registered participants,

TOPEKA — Most voters in Douglas County will see a change in their political representation because of a redistricting ruling made by a three-judge panel. “This is a complete redrawing of the political landscape,” Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew said Friday. The federal court placed all of Douglas County in the 2nd Congressional District. For 10 years, the county and city of Lawrence have been split between the 2nd and 3rd Districts. On the legislative side, significant boundary changes will shift state Senate and House districts in the counCOURTS ty, as well as across the rest of Kansas. “This is probably the most significant redistricting to happen in this state for decades,” Shew said. It happened after the Legislature wrestled and failed all year to come up with a plan to redraw political boundaries based on changes and shifts in population. The impasse arose after a power struggle erupted between moderates and conservatives in the Kansas Republican Party. Republicans control the Legislature with large Please see VOTERS, page 5A

Local Chamber of Commerce not renewing state membership ——

Programs and mission do not align, board decides By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com

Family seeks answers in mysterious death By George Diepenbrock gdiepenbrock@ljworld.com

OTTAWA — Elsie Kelly stares at the floor in her daughter’s living room as she speaks. She’s used to the waiting. For 16 months her family was in the dark about the whereabouts of her son, Gregory Price, until Johnson County Sheriff’s officers in April found his body inside an abandoned refrigerator near De Soto. Price would have been 34 when officers made the discovery. But now, instead of holding out hope her son would return safely, the family’s wait is different.

“I want to see whoever did this to him punished because he didn’t deserve this,” Kelly said last Wednes- Gregory Price’s day. “He body was found didn’t de- in an abandoned serve to be refrigerator. put in a refrigerator and us not knowing anything about it until a year and four months later. Gregory, he would have helped anybody. I just don’t understand.” Johnson County Sheriff’s investigators and others

Business Classified Comics Deaths

Low: 70

Today’s forecast, page 8A

Few public details When they found the body, officers said they were investigating it as a suspicious death, but they have released few other details about the case. Erickson did say last week investigators were preparing to forward information in the case for prosecutors to review. He

did not specify to which office they would be sent. The case apparently has some Douglas County tie, and federal authorities are involved as well. “We are aware of the situation,” Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson said. Branson said that he could not comment about specific details of the case but that his office was working with Johnson County and Douglas County sheriff’s investigators as well as prosecutors in the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office and U.S. Attorney’s Office. Please see FAMILY, page 2A

INSIDE

Hotter, breezy

High: 92

have been working for the past two months to try to determine circumstances surrounding Price’s death. “We are coming close, completing interviews of everything and getting all the reports and things done,” said Master Deputy Tom Erickson, a sheriff’s spokesman.

8A 1C-6C 7A 2A

Events listings Horoscope Movies Opinion

8A, 2B 5C 4A 6A

Puzzles Society Sports Television

Join us at Facebook.com/LJWorld and Twitter.com/LJWorld

5C 8B 1B-6B 4A, 2B, 5C

A difference in philosophy has caused the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce to part ways with the sometimes controversial Kansas Chamber of Commerce. The leader of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce confirmed Wednesday that his board of directors has decided not to renew its membership with the Kansas Chamber of Commerce. “Our board has determined the state chamber’s program of work simply does not align with the Law- Williams rence Chamber’s programs and our economic development mission,” said Greg Williams, the president and CEO of the Lawrence Chamber. Williams said the chamber board decided not to list specific disagreements in philosophy it may have with the Kansas Chamber, but he said he believes other chambers of commerce have taken similar actions. Please see CHAMBER, page 5A

Plane crash victim was Lawrence High alumnus A prominent Junction City businessman who was killed in a plane crash on Thursday along with his wife and their four young children had ties to the Lawrence area. Page 3A

Vol.154/No.161 22 pages


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Lawrence Journal-World 06-09-12 by Lawrence Journal-World - Issuu