McLemore leads KU rally past Chattanooga, 69-55 Sports 1B
L A W R E NC E
JOURNAL-WORLD ®
75 CENTS
&2)$!9 s ./6%-"%2 s
Field of memories
LJWorld.com
KANSAS SUPREME COURT
Kline says he didn’t lie in abortion investigation By John Milburn
Associated Press
Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo
FREE STATE HIGH SCHOOL COACH BOB LISHER talks to his team in the locker room before the Firebirds’ game against the Lawrence High Lions on Oct 26. Free State meets Shawnee Mission West in a semifinal game tonight at Shawnee Mission South District Stadium.
Near a state title, Free State coach has past and present on his mind By Tom Keegan tkeegan@ljworld.com
When the Free State Firebirds kick off against Shawnee Mission West in a state football semifinal game at 7 tonight in Shawnee Mission South District Stadium, Bob Lisher’s eyes will be focused on the field. Looking into the stands could put the longtime Free
State coach in jeopardy of getting distracted by all the memories the faces in the crowd might trigger. Seeing Mel Lisher Jr., Bob’s older brother, might bring memories of calling the family’s Running Walker Foxhounds and then watching their father, Mel Sr., swing the gate open so that the hounds could chase coyotes into a brush
pile. Area farmers losing calves and sheep to coyotes appreciated the efforts of the hounds. Mel Jr., aka Curly, and Bobby, country boys raised in a home near Clinton Lake and Lone Star Lake, were in it strictly for the laughs. Seeing Curly’s face in the crowd also might make
Tonight’s game The Free State Firebirds will play Shawnee Mission West in a state football semifinal game at 7 p.m. today at the Shawnee Mission South District Stadium.
Please see COACH, page 2A
TOPEKA — Former Attorney General Phill Kline told the Kansas Supreme Court on Thursday that he never lied or intentionally misled authorities as he conducted an extensive investigation of abortion providers during his term in office. The seven-member court heard 90 minutes of arguments from Kline and from attorneys representing the Board of Discipline of Attorneys who recommend that Kline’s license to practice law be suspended indefinitely. The disciplinary panel Kline contends Kline repeatedly misled or allowed subordinates to mislead others, including a Kansas City-area grand jury, to further his investigations. “This kind of misconduct would have been prosecuted no matter who the prosecutor was,” said Stan Hazlett, the disciplinary administrator. But Kline’s attorney Tom Condit, an Ohio attorney who has represented numerous clients in abortion-related cases in the past 20 years, suggested that the complaint Kline faced wasn’t about how he practiced law but who his investigation was targeting. “I always smile when I hear judges, prosecutors and attorneys saying about a case, ‘This isn’t about abortion’,” Condit said. “Let me tell you, folks, it’s always about abortion.” The case was heard by two Supreme Court Please see KLINE, page 5A
Brownback says little chance of base increase to higher ed By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
TOPEKA — With state revenue shortfalls looming, Gov. Sam Brownback on Thursday said there was little chance of an overall spending increase for higher education. But in a talk with the Kansas Board of Regents, Brownback said the possibility existed to provide additional dollars for specific projects at the schools. “I really don’t think the time is appropriate with the Legisla-
ture or with me to ask for base funding” increases, Brownback said. Brownback, however, said he and the Legislature are focused on trying to target funding for specific projects or programs, such as technical education. Regents Chairman Tim Emert said Brownback has delivered that message before and the board has adjusted its “ask” downward. “We’ve kind of reached the point that we just hope that we can hold our own and keep
the 2013 session starts in January. Brownback’s administration has told state agencies to prepare for tight budgets and has directed them to include a 10 percent cut in their spending requests for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. And the most recent revenue estimates show the state faces a $327 million revenue shortfall, mostly because of tax cuts Brownback signed into law. The state is decreasing its individual income tax rates for
INSIDE
Patchy clouds Business Classified Comics Deaths
High: 58
funding where it is in this very difficult economic time,” Emert said. In September, the board sent Brownback a recommended $47.1 million in Brownback additional funding, which would be an increase of about 6.2 percent. Brownback will work on a state budget later this month to present to the Legislature when
Low: 34
Today’s forecast, page 8A
6A 1C-6C 7B 2A
Events listings Horoscope Movies Opinion
8A, 2B Puzzles 5C Sports 4A Television 7A
5C 1B-8B 8A, 2B, 5C
Join us at Facebook.com/LJWorld and Twitter.com/LJWorld
2013, with the top rate dropping to 4.9 percent from 6.45 percent. Also, the state will exempt the owners of 191,000 partnerships, sole proprietorships and other businesses from income taxes. Included in the proposed $47.1 million increase in higher education funding is $2.8 million to improve the Wichita campus of the Kansas University School of Medicine, and $1 million as part of a proposed $30 million in state funds to pay for a new Please see BUDGET, page 2A
Holiday Bazaar is Sunday
Vol.154/No.321 22 pages
For this year’s Holiday Bazaar, local craftmakers are working full blast to cater to the 4,500 to 5,000 people expected to attend the 36th annual event. Page 3A
7KLV 3ULQW DGYHUWLVHPHQW LV QRW UHGHHPDEOH IRU DGYHUWLVHG GHDO *HW \RXU GHDOV YRXFKHU RQOLQH DW /DZUHQFHGHDOV FRP