START YOUR ENGINES
A NEW TAKE ON OZ
Check out our automotive special section Inside 7B
‘Great and Powerful’ latest ‘Wizard’ movie Arts & Entertainment 1C
L A W R E NC E
JOURNAL-WORLD ®
$1.50
35.$!9 s -!2#( s
Conservative GOP changing government
KU flexes muscles in blowout
By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
TOPEKA — The conservative takeover of state government has resulted in numerous bills aimed at insulating the Kansas Legislature from both judicial and public review and federal requirements, while attempting to give legislators more control over local governments and schools. “After the most recent state election, there seems to be a heightened interest in limiting the authority of local governments,” said Don Moler, executive director of the League of Kansas Municipalities. “Bills that would not LEGISLATURE have been heard previously are being heard and seriously considered.” Conservative Republicans are pushing for changing city election dates, prohibiting lobbying that uses taxpayer dollars and making tax changes that would cost local governmental entities plenty. There are bills that provide wide exemptions for legislators from the Kansas Open
Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo
KANSAS GUARD ELIJAH JOHNSON FLEXES FOLLOWING A ONE-HANDED ALLEY-OOP DUNK during the second half of KU’s 91-65 victory against West Virginia on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse. Johnson finished with 12 points and 10 assists, while freshman Ben McLemore had 36 points in the rout of the Mountaineers. See a complete wrap-up of the game in Sports, page 1B, and a photo gallery at KUSports.com.
Please see GOP, page 8A
A snowstorm, a man and his shovel
A
snow shovel with a metal handle is a dumb idea. But I own one. It had to win some sort of worstengineered-product-of-theyear award in the year that it was manufactured... which seems to be circa 1948. Think about it: An unwrapped metal handle in the cold. You need gloves made out of actual polar bear hide to have a chance to keep your hands warm. And to top it off, despite the shovel having a handle sturdy enough to lift a Sherman tank, it has a scoop that is approximately large enough to remove two tablespoons of snow at a time. In other words, I need a new snow shovel. And my cheap, devious mind has a plan for getting one: I’ll go out and help people shovel during the snowstorm and write a column about it. Because I’m doing it for
Warmer
Lawhorn’s Lawrence
By Matt Erickson merickson@ljworld.com
Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
work, I’ll have no choice but to expense the new snow shovel to the company. Let’s see how it goes.
First, let me say this new $25 snow shovel drives like a Mercedes. I had always suspected your fingers didn’t have to turn blue after a snow-shoveling job, but I was never certain until now. What I am not certain
TEN-YEAR OLD SNOW SHOVELERS Sean Ayers and Kyle Miller helped Journal-World reporter Chad Lawhorn while he was out recently assisting Lawrence residents dig out from the massive winter storms. about is why Sheena Parsons and I are shoveling this person’s driveway in the 200 block of East 18th Street. This isn’t Sheena’s driveway. Her driveway is across
Low: 34
Today’s forecast, page 10A
the street and it is already cleaned. “I’ve only met a couple of people in the neighborhood, and this is one of
2A 2B, 8C 7D 2C
In 2009, a Kansas University student and football player had an idea, and leaders on campus jumped on it. They would publish a poster picturing men at KU who were examples of success, at a time when too many male students were struggling. In 2009, Matt Visser stepped on the KU campus for the first semester Visser of his freshman year. He was the son of an Army officer who Please see MERIT, page 5A
Please see SHOVEL, page 8A
INSIDE Arts&Entertainment 1C-8C Deaths Automotive 7B-8B Events listings Books 6C Horoscope Classified 1D-8D Movies
High: 50
Man of merit: After probation, KU student now model of success
Opinion Puzzles Sports Television
9A 7C, 7D 1B-6B, 9B-10B 2B, 8C, 7D
Join us at Facebook.com/LJWorld and Twitter.com/LJWorld
Shooting hoops to stop malaria
Vol.155/No.62 36 pages
Five local pastors stepped onto the basketball court Saturday to raise money to fight malaria. Page 3A
EVERY GAME WE’RE COURTSIDE PHOTOS | STATS | VIDEOS | COMMENTARY | BLOGS
All ’Hawks. All the Time.