Lawrence Journal-World 09-19-12

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NEW LAW ON WINE

SIMS IS BACK

Redefining “made in Kansas” Food 10B

RB to play after coming off suspension Sports 1B

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City moving forward with new rec center site meeting unanimously directed staff members to begin investigating the feasibility of joining forces with Kansas University on a new joint sports complex on 110 acres north of the northeast corner of Sixth Street and the South Lawrence Trafficway. But commissioners left the future of a 146-acre site at the

By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com

Lawrence city commissioners are moving on, but they’re not entirely sure what they’ve left behind as they shift gears on a proposed sports complex. Commissioners at their weekly

northwest corner of the intersection — a corner commissioners had studied for nearly 11 months as a potential recreation center site — uncertain. Commissioners had already annexed the 146-acre site and were poised to rezone it for commercial uses, including a $24 million recreation center/

youth fieldhouse, until KU leaders last week said they were no longer interested in placing their track and field and soccer facilities on the site. On Tuesday, a majority of commissioners said they no longer were interested in retail zoning for the site, which is owned by a group led by the

New U.S. 59 almost ready for traffic

Schwada family, but they said they weren’t certain what the land should be zoned. “It bothers me that we have annexed this land, and we’re going to leave it undesignated,” City Commissioner Mike Dever said. “That is going to create a Please see REC CENTER, page 2A

Test scores fall with budget cuts By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com

TOPEKA — On the heels of state budget cuts, Kansas student performance on statewide reading and math tests dropped for the first time since 2001, education officials reported Tuesday. History and science scores dropped, too. Mark Tallman, a lobbyist for the Kansas Association of School Boards, said the decline was linked to cuts in state funding to schools. SCHOOLS “In our view, you put in targeted resources, you get some good results. You have to withdraw some of those resources, and you start falling back,” Tallman said. Please see TEST, page 6A Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo

OFFICIALS CUT THE RIBBON ON THE NEW U.S. HIGHWAY 59 Tuesday. The new $82 million four-lane freeway replaces the two-lane road that was known for its high rate of accidents. From left are Kansas Secretary of Transportation Mike King, Douglas County Commissioner Mike Gaughan, state transportation engineer Jerry Younger, Baldwin City Mayor Ken Wagner and Lawrence Mayor Bob Schumm.

Road set to open in early October “

By Chad Lawhorn

Almost all of us who have grown up in this county or live in this county very long know people who have been injured on this highway. Many of us know people who were killed on this highway.”

clawhorn@ljworld.com

The ribbon is cut, and soon — but not quite yet — a new U.S. Highway 59 will dramatically cut the risk of serious accidents for motorists traveling between Lawrence and Ottawa. Area government leaders joined with officials from the Kansas Department of Transportation on Tuesday to cut the ribbon for an $82 million project to convert the two-lane U.S. Highway 59 through southern Douglas County into a four-lane freeway. KDOT officials said they

— Baldwin City Mayor Ken Wagner expect the road to open to traffic in the first week of October after the final road markings and signs are installed. “Almost all of us who have grown up in this county or live in this county very long know people who have been injured on

Please see HIGHWAY, page 2A

INSIDE

Warmer, breezy Business Classified Comics Deaths

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this highway,” said Baldwin City Mayor Ken Wagner. “Many of us know people who were killed on this highway. One of the things I want to talk about today is to honor the memory of those friends and neighbors.” KDOT officials estimat-

ed rates of serious crashes on U.S. Highway 59 were about 25 percent more than on other state highways. The project takes U.S. Highway 59 from a twolane highway largely devoid of shoulders to a four-lane freeway with interstate-style entrance and exit ramps. The existing Highway 59 largely will remain intact and will be used as a county road. “This project will give you a greater sense of security as you put your children on the school bus each morning,” said Mike

Low: 48

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By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com

City Manager David Corliss said he can’t say with certainty that now is the right time to spend $1 million to add 72 new parking spaces in downtown Lawrence. “But I know now is the right time to ask the question,” Corliss said Tuesday. Thus far, the answer City Hall largely has received is silence. Fewer than 10 property owners and downtown merchants showed up for a Tuesday morning meeting to Corliss discuss a proposal to create a special 10-year property tax assessment to pay for an expansion of the proposed parking Please see PARKING, page 5A

Rapidly expanding girth

Vol.154/No.263 28 pages

A new study forecasts the adult obesity rate in Kansas could reach 62 percent — more than double the current rate — by 2030. Page 3A

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