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Lawrence teen named National Youth of the Year By Karrey Britt kbritt@ljworld.com
Trei Dudley, 18, of Lawrence, was named National Youth of the Year by the Boys and Girls Club of America on Wednesday. She was recognized during a Congressional breakfast in Washington and received the award from actor Denzel Washington. She also met President Barack
Obama, Olympian Michael Phelps and singer Ashanti. Along with her title, she has received $61,000 in scholarships and a new car. “Hands down, this is the single happiest moment of my life,” Dudley said in a news release. “Like the other Youth of the Year finalists, my story could have turned out very different without the support, mentorship and safety of my Boys and Girls Club. I will
forever treasure this experience and commit to representing club members and the nation’s youth well.” The award celebrates youths who have overcome enormous odds and demonstrated exceptional character and accomplishments. There are 4,000 Boys and Girls Clubs nationwide that serve
TREI DUDLEY waves to Lawrence Boys and Girls Club members last week before she headed to Washington, D.C., where she was named National Youth of the Year on Wednesday. Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo
Please see YOUTH, page 6A
City, country clubs still dispute billing Minority test scores falling
City says golf courses were underbilled $260,000 for water By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
This is one golf course debate that is dragging on well past the 18th green. City of Lawrence officials have agreed to write off $65,000 worth of water bills that they contend Alvamar Country Club and Lawrence Country Club were not properly billed for during a multiyear stretch. But neither club has agreed to a settlement with the city, which contends the two golf courses still owe a total of $260,000 for water that was used but not properly billed by the city. “We’re still optimistic that we’ll be able to reach some type of agreement with the clubs,” Assistant City Manager Cynthia Wagner said. “The situation obviously is unfortunate, but we’re still very much in the
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Task force to address declining performance By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo
A GOLFER CHIPS ONTO A GREEN Wednesday at Lawrence Country Club, as a club employee waters a green in the background. The club has started charging its members a special assessment to help pay its water bill. mode of trying to work with them on this.” The Journal-World in June reported that the city had discovered that Alvamar Country Club was underbilled by about $240,000 for
water usage from September 2008 to October 2011. The city contends Lawrence Country Club was underbilled by about $85,000 from January 2009 to September 2011.
Wagner on Wednesday said the city has since had discussions with both clubs and has agreed to reduce Alvamar’s total to $200,000 and Lawrence Country Club’s total to $60,000.
Neither club, however, has accepted those amounts, Wagner said. Attempts to reach representatives with Alvamar Country Club Please see BILLING, page 2A
Regents likely to recommend $47M budget increase By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
TOPEKA — Higher education officials today will likely recommend to Gov. Sam Brownback a $47.1 million budget increase, which would include a 1 percent pay raise for state university employees. On Wednesday, the board members discussed the proposal, noting that over the past few weeks they had whittled away most of $185 million in requests from higher education institutions.
Board Chairman Tim Emert of Independence said the proposals that were cut had merit, but he added, “We are just trying to face the economic and political reality and show that we are credible in what we are asking for.” Regent Dan Lykins of Topeka said the proposed 1 percent pay raise “is something critical for our regents employees.” The proposed budget includes $2.8 million to improve the Kansas University Medical Center, especially the School of Medicine campus in Wichita; and $1
Gray-Little said the funds would be used to increase the quality and viability of the school, making it more attractive to students. After the regents’ budget recommendation goes to Brownback, he will deGray-Little cide what to propose to the Legislature when the 2013 session starts in January. Then legislators will put together a spending plan.
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million for the next fiscal year as part of a proposed $30 million in state funds to pay for a new health education building at the Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan. KU officials have repeatedly said the $2.8 million was needed to increase the “stature” of the medical school’s Wichita campus. Board Vice Chairman Fred Logan of Leawood said KU needed to provide more detail on what that means. “Is that rankings?” he asked. KU Chancellor Bernadette
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The Murphy Art and Architecture Library reopened Monday for the first time since a water line break flooded its Spencer Museum of Art home on Aug. 1. Page 3A
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TOPEKA — Still reeling from the first decrease in more than a decade in statewide student test scores, education officials acknowledged Wednesday that the results were even worse for minority students and those from low-income families. Kansas Education Commissioner Diane DeBacker said she would form a task force to address the sizable drop in test SCHOOLS scores among certain groups of students. “We need to be looking at that at a state level,” DeBacker said. DeBacker said she would seek assistance from the Kansas African American Affairs Commission, Kansas Hispanic and Latino Affairs Commission, the Midwest Equity Assistance Center at Kansas State University, as well as “asking some districts to give us some of their best thinkers in this area.” Student math, reading, science and history test scores in Kansas fell for the first time since the federal No Child Left Behind law was adopted, according to the 2012 Kansas Report Card.
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Vol.154/No.264 20 pages