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Board of Education approves new science standards By Peter Hancock phancock@ljworld.com
TOPEKA — The Kansas State Board of Education today approved a new set of science standards that supporters say will give students a deeper understand-
ing of science through more hands-on experience. The Next Generation Science Standards were approved on an 8-2 vote after a lengthy public debate over both the science standards and the Common Core State Standards in reading
and math, which the state board approved in 2010. Dozens of teachers and district superintendents turned out for the meeting to show their support for both sets of standards, a marked contrast from the board’s meeting last month
when critics of the Common Core standards packed the meeting room to express their opposition. “When I first read the NGSS, I was very excited to see it was just a clear description of what I’ve been striving toward for
the past 10 years,” said Julie Schwarting, a biology teacher at Free State High School in Lawrence and president of the Kansas Association of Biology Teachers. “It really included all of the things I think are great
‘Douglas County is really unique in this way’
SCHOOLS
Please see SCIENCE, page 5A
Upgrading city’s broadband service an issue for 2014 budget Project likely would cost $40 million to $60 million By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo
AN OLD BARN, A HOUSE AND SEVERAL OUTBUILDINGS still stand on the farmstead of George Hunsinger’s grandfather, who bought the Wakarusa Township property in 1918. Hunsinger, pictured in front of the farmstead’s original barn, lives on property across the road and now rents the house on the property and farms the land.
Survey taking stock of natural, historic assets among the most desirable places to live and farm. “There are some very fine, level, rich fields in Wakarusa Township on both sides of the river that were kind of created by the river and the creeks
By Peter Hancock phancock@ljworld.com
When white settlers first arrived in Douglas County, the rural area directly south of Lawrence in Wakarusa Township was probably
that feed into it,” said Dale Nimz, a historic preservation consultant. “There is some very good land, and there were some good farms. Some of the barns and houses are larger and higher quality, and they re-
flect that.” But as modern urban development in Lawrence spreads south, Nimz said, many of the old farmsteads are being lost. And much Please see SURVEY, page 5A
New state law to significantly reduce historic reviews By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
The question of what type of developments can be located next to historic structures — a question
known to incite a few debates in Lawrence — soon will be asked less frequently. Beginning July 1, a new state law is expected to more than cut in half
the number of Lawrence properties that will require a historic preservation review as part of the development process. “It is the loss of a planning tool,” said Lynne
Braddock Zollner, the city’s historic resources administrator. The new law eliminates the sometimes contentious Please see LAW, page 5A
Keeping up with the Googles of the world will cost a lot of money, and even that may not work. A national broadband consultant told Lawrence city commissioners Tuesday it likely would cost $40 million to $60 million to bring the superfast 1 gigabit Internet speeds to Lawrence homes that the Google Fiber project currently is providing in the Kansas City metro area. City commissioners at their weekly meeting showed no inclination to spend those sums of money but directed staff members to come up with a budget plan to add around $500,000 worth of new fiber optic cable to the city’s infrastructure in hopes that it may attract additional private investment. “With this technology, if you are standing still, you are falling behind,” City CommisIf we fall besioner Bob Schumm said. “If we fall behind hind on broadon broadband service, band service, we might lose a lot of economic develop- we might lose a ment prospects and as lot of economic well as some of our ex- development isting businesses.” prospects and Commissioners took no final action as well as some Tuesday but spent of our existing nearly two hours dis- businesses.” cussing a plan that would involve the city installing conduit and — Bob Schumm, city fiber to complete a 17- commissioner mile ring of fiber optic cable around the city. Much of the ring is already built, but gaps remain in the northwest portion of the city. The city-hired consultant — CTC Technology & Energy — estimated it would cost $320,000 to $640,000 to complete the ring. Mayor Mike Dever said he expected the project to come up this summer as part of the city’s 2014 budget discussions. He also said he expects to approach Kansas University and other large data users about sharing in the costs of the project.
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Please see BROADBAND, page 4A
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New director named
Vol.155/No.163 28 pages
A Lawrence resident with experience as a fundraiser for nonprofit agencies has been named the new executive director of Downtown Lawrence Inc. Page 3A
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