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Former KU coach said to be joining Iowa State as offensive coordinator
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TUESDAY • JANUARY 7 • 2014
Brutal cold taxes city
ROCK CHALK PARK
Concrete removal urged after warnings disregarded By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
City engineers are recommending that a portion of the roadwork at the Rock Chalk Park sports complex be torn out and rebuilt after crews employed by Lawrence contractor Thomas Fritzel disregarded warnings that the project wasn’t being built correctly. A new City Hall report found that a Nov. 30 concrete pour at the northwest Lawrence sports park proceeded even after cityhired inspectors told contractors that the rebar and other structures to support the streets didn’t meet city standards or specifications. “That is an issue,” Mayor Mike Dever said of the report’s findings. “You won’t Fritzel get any argument from me on that point. We’re not going to pay a construction management firm to tell us how to do this and then let the contractors do it however they are going to do it.” Bliss Sports, a Lawrence company controlled by Fritzel, is conducting the work as part of an unusual no-bid contract with the city that totals about $12 million. The contract calls for the city to pay for infrastructure work — such as streets, parking lots and utilities — for both the city’s 181,000-square-foot recreation center and the private track and field, soccer and softball stadiums that will be owned by one of Fritzel’s Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo
EUDORA FIRE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL move hoses and spray water Monday afternoon at a home at 1056 East 1479 Road, south of Lawrence. A continuous line of trucks from several area township fire departments delivered water throughout the afternoon as they tried to contain the house fire in single-digit temperatures.
Dead cars, burst pipes, canceled events come with Arctic blast By Nikki Wentling nwentling@ljworld.com
An influx of Arctic air that gripped much of the country on Monday sent temperatures in Lawrence well below zero, paralyzing cars, bursting pipes and keeping children home from school. Temperatures in the Lawrence area dipped to minus 9 degrees Monday morning with wind chill values as low as minus 25. The temperature did not break records, but the National Weather Service does not keep records on wind chill, the combined effect of the temperature and wind on exposed skin, which was a major factor Monday. Sgt. Trent McKinley, a Lawrence Police Department spokesman, said officers received several requests Sunday night and Monday morning to check on people and animals out in the subzero conditions. “For the most, part I think people didn’t want to get out and about,” McKinley said. “But there was one
Across the nation Deadly freeze setting records around the country. Page 7A
person that did end up going to the hospital because of exposure to the elements.” In an effort to keep people inside, the city of Lawrence extended the time allotted for homeowners to clear sidewalks of snow and ice from the typical two days to four. Even so, some took the time Monday to shovel snow off sidewalks and driveways. Kansas University student Brandon Currie shoveled the driveway at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house Monday afternoon when the temperature reached about 5 degrees. Though dressed in several layers of clothing, Currie had to take short breaks during
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Low: 14
Today’s forecast, page 10A
Firefighters from the Wakarusa, Osage, Palmyra, Lecompton and Clinton fire departments battled a house fire south of Lawrence on Monday afternoon. Firefighters responded to reports of a structure fire at 1056 East 1479 Road around 1 p.m. Lt. Steve Lewis, a spokesman for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, said the fire began in the garage and spread. It’s not clear how much damage has been caused. Residents of the home, Andy and Mary Fry and their children, were uninjured. “The wife and kids were home at the time of the fire because school was called off,” Lewis said. “They were able to get out safely and are currently with friends.” The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
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Price tag of proposed KU apartments in question By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
Topeka — A proposed $17.5 million apartment building for students, including student-athletes, near Allen Fieldhouse, has raised the concern of one member of the Kansas Board of Regents. “I’m really struggling with the cost there,” Regents Vice Chairman Kenny Wilk said Monday. KU is seeking authorization for a two-story, 49,500-squarefoot building, which would be built along the west side of Naismith Drive, starting on the south end of the parking lot north of Oliver Hall and runKANSAS UNIVERSITY ning north from there. All the parking spots taken up by the building would be replaced west of Oliver Hall. The Fieldhouse Apartments would house 66 students, including 34 students who have at least 30 credit hours, and 32 student-athletes.
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INSIDE
Sunny, still cold
High: 33
Firefighters battle house fire, icy conditions
Please see CONCRETE, page 2A
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All the small things Want to keep with the New Year’s resolution? You may need to make smaller changes over time, rather than quitting cold turkey. Page 5A.
Vol.156/No.7 20 pages