Lawrence Journal-World 02-03-13

Page 1

NICARAGUA IN PHOTOS

BUZZ WORDS

Photographer recounts Central American trip Arts and Entertainment 1C

8th-grader wins county spelling bee Lawrence & State 3A

L A W R E NC E

JOURNAL-WORLD ÂŽ

$1.50

35.$!9 s &%"25!29 s

LJWorld.com

Fritzel company owes $3.4M in back taxes, fees ————————

Developer, proposed Rock Chalk Park partner involved in troubled Junction City project By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com

Thomas Fritzel, the key private partner in Kansas University’s proposed $50 million Rock Chalk Park athletics complex, is part of an

investment group that owes more than $3 million in back taxes and fees stemming from a troubled real estate project in Junction City. Records provided by the Geary County Treasurer’s Office show that a development company of which

Fritzel is an owner has $3.42 million in unpaid property taxes and special assessments dating to 2009. The unpaid taxes and fees stem from Fritzel’s involvement in Fort Development LLC, a company that in 2008 built the now-struggling Olivia

Farms housing development near the Fort Riley military base in Junction City, about 90 miles west of Lawrence. Fritzel served as resident agent for the project, which made him the key point of contact for the partnership under state law. Front Devel-

opment is owned by multiple Lawrence residents, including other members of Fritzel’s family. Junction City officials are not happy about the stalled project and unpaid debts, which have contributed to Please see FRITZEL, page 7A

Fritzel

Tax cuts, anti-union bills hot topics of discussion

Oklahoma State stuns KU in Allen Fieldhouse

By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com

Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo

KANSAS STUDENTS REACT LATE IN THE KANSAS UNIVERSITY MEN’S BASKETBALL GAME AGAINST OKLAHOMA STATE on Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse. The Cowboys defeated the Jayhawks, 85-80, ending KU’s 18-game winning streak this season and the team’s 33-game home winning streak. More from the game in Sports, page 1B.

Girl throws birthday bash to benefit Ballard Center By Ian Cummings icummings@ljworld.com

Ivori hasn’t been in Lawrence long, but she’s already planning to help make a difference in the community. The Langston Hughes School first-grader moved to town with her family this summer and has turned her seventh birthday party Saturday into a benefit event for Ballard Community Services. She asked partygoers to bring nonperishable donations for the social service agency in lieu of presents, suggesting cereal, diapers and other staples that Ballard provides to families in need. Seven-year-old Ivori Jones has taken a different approach to cel-

ebrating her birthday. Jones along with her parents, Jason and Hillary Jones, have invited all the first-graders at Langston Hughes School to her birthday party and have requested that parents bring nonperishable items to be donated to the Ballard Center rather than traditional birthday gifts. The party could end up collecting quite a lot of donations — 70 firstgraders from Ivori’s school were on the guest list. Ivori’s mom, Hillary Jones, said the list was long because they haven’t been in town long enough for her to get to know everyone in Ivori’s class. John Young/Journal-World Photo “I thought, ‘hey, invite them all,’� SEVEN-YEAR-OLD IVORI JONES HOLDS UP a birthJones said. And since they were inviting 70 day cupcake as she is surrounded by the presents donated by those who attended her birthday party Please see BIRTHDAY, page 2A Saturday at Laugh Out Loud, 1000 Massachusetts St.

INSIDE

A few clouds Arts&Entertainment Books Classified Deaths

High: 41

Low: 29

Today’s forecast, page 10B

1C-8C 6C 1D-8D 2A

Events listings Horoscope Movies Opinion

Gov. Sam Brownback’s tax plan and anti-union legislation advancing through the Statehouse dominated discussion Saturday at the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce’s first Eggs and Issues meeting of the 2013 legislative session. Democratic legislators said Brownback, a Republican, was driving state finances into the ground by pushing through massive income tax cuts last year and proposing more this year. Brownback has said the cuts will Holland boost economic growth and put more money into the pockets of Kansans. He has said he wants to eventually eliminate the state personal income tax, calling it a “glide path to zero.� But state Sen. Tom Holland, DBaldwin City, and the ranking minority member on the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee, said, “There is no glide path to zero. From a budgetary standpoint, this is crash and burn.� House Minority Leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, handed out a state budget profile produced by the nonpartisan Kansas Legislative Research Department that shows Brownback’s tax plan will produce a $781.5 million budget shortfall within five years. Davis said that shortfall would occur even assuming that Brownback’s proposals are approved to extend what was supposed to be

OFF THIS WEEK 2B, 8C Puzzles 7D Sports 2C Television 9A

7C, 7D 1B-9B 2B, 8C, 7D

Please see ISSUES, page 2A

Vol.155/No.34 36 pages

Journal-World reporter Chad Lawhorn was on assignment this week, but his “Lawhorn’s Lawrence� feature will return at a later date.

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

1BZ "UUFOUJPO UP )ZQFSUFOTJPO 5VFTEBZ 'FCSVBSZ Q N # " ! $ "! ! ! ! ! ! " % ! % ! ! "! "! ! " ! !

! !

t XXX MNI PSH # ! ! " " ! ! !

$PNJOH 4PPO %S %SFJMJOH XJMM EJTDVTT BUSJBM GJCSJMMBUJPO JO B GSFF QSPHSBN PO 'FC


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.