Lawrence Journal-World 05-01-13

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Lawrence almost dead last in economic survey ‘It is a good reminder that we can’t just rest on our laurels’

By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com

The rankings rut continues for Lawrence and its economy. A national study has ranked Lawrence as the second-worst performing small metropolitan area in the country, based on a variety of economic measures. The Milken Institute ranked Law-

rence 178 out of 179 metro areas in its most recent Best Performing Cities index. Community leaders said the results reinforced the efforts underway to improve the community’s economic development programs. “It is a good reminder that we can’t just rest on

our laurels and all the good things that KU brings to the economy,� said Greg Williams, who was brought in as Chamber of Commerce president and CEO in mid-2012 to revamp its economic development program. “We’re making strides to get back on the radar screen of business

decision makers across the country.� This latest report adds to the negative news released earlier this month by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis about Lawrence’s gross domestic product. It ranked 339th out of 366 metro areas and was shrinking.

The Milken report uses some of the same types of economic numbers to create its index. But it places a particular emphasis on an area in which Lawrence is supposed to be positioned to excel: hightech, knowledge-based jobs. Please see RANKING, page 2A Williams

Brownback’s proposal to move funds draws fire

‘Way of the future’ has arrived

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Governor wants education program’s money to help balance state budget By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com

neighborhood in Lawrence would be served by one. He estimated about 90 percent of the households in the city would be served by the automated trucks, once the city gets more of the trucks ordered. He said tightly confined spaces, such as the alleys in the Oread Neighborhood, likely would be the only places that aren’t served by the high-tech vehicles. “But it will be a severalyear process to make the full conversion,� Pruett said.

TOPEKA — Gov. Sam Brownback has proposed taking $9.5 million from an endowment fund set up to pay for early-childhood programs and transferring that to the state’s all-purpose general fund to help balance the budget. Advocates for children are unhappy with the proposal. “We are taking money from little kids to bail the state out,� Shannon Cotsoradis, president and chief executive officer of Kansas Action for Children, said Tuesday. In his budget amendment, Brownback said the state recently received $68 million as part of its annual share of the landmark lawsuit with Big Tobacco companies. The amount was larger than expected, so the transfer of $9.5 Brownback million to the general fund, he said, would not affect any of the children’s programs. The state has budgeted $55.8 million for children’s programs from the tobacco settlement. But Cotsoradis argues that the difference between the annual tobacco settlement and what is budgeted for children’s programs, which is $12 million, should be kept in what is called the Kansas Endowment for Youth. The KEY fund was established in 1999 as a conduit for the state to receive money from the settlement with tobacco companies. Most of the funds are appropriated annually to a multitude of early-childhood education programs. A portion of the money was supposed to be held back over the years to ensure funding of those early-childhood programs once the tobacco settlement runs its course in 2025.

Please see TRASH, page 2A

Please see BUDGET, page 2A

Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo

CHARLES BARNES, OPERATOR OF ONE OF THE CITY’S new automated trash trucks, uses a mechanical arm to lift city trash bins off the street Tuesday in the Prairie Park Neighborhood. The vehicle requires only one crew member.

Fully automated trash truck hits the streets, with more to follow City officials are urging residents to be sure to have their trash out by 7 a.m., to fit all the trash Even the adults may they can into the city-issued trash carts, and catch themselves peering to make sure the carts are at least three feet out their windows to watch clear of any obstructions, such as parked cars the trash truck arrive now. or mailboxes.

By Chad Lawhorn

clawhorn@ljworld.com

Lawrence households on Tuesday started seeing a new sight pull up to their curbs: a fully automated trash truck, complete with a robotic arm that snatches the city’s new mandated trash carts. “So far, it is working pretty well,� said Charles Barnes, the city sanitation worker who drives the truck and also operates its

joystick that controls the high-tech arm. City managers like what they’re seeing too. Craig Pruett, solid waste operations supervisor, said the new truck was expected to be able to service 850 households. The more traditional trucks that rely

INSIDE

Rain chance Business Classified Comics Deaths

High: 70

Low: 40

Today’s forecast, page 10A

on crew members to bring the trash to the truck serve about 400 households. “It is the way of the future for this industry,� Pruett said. Many area communities already use the fully automated trucks, and Pruett said eventually most every

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A new, improved KBA The head of the Kansas Bioscience Authority is trying to spread the word about what he says is a new way of doing things for the agency. Page 3A

Vol.155/No.121 28 pages


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