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Longest-serving educator retires LHS librarian, leaving after 46 years on the job, has more than a few stories to recount By Peter Hancock phancock@ljworld.com
After nearly half a century of checking out books to students at Lawrence High School, Martha Oldham is finally checking herself out of the library. Oldham, the longestserving educator in Lawrence school district history, officially retired July 1 after 46 years as the school librarian. “People always said you would know when the time was right,” Oldham said. “The one thing is, I just had fantastic kids all through my years. And working with kids is just such a wonderful experience. It’s just a great school.” Oldham grew up in Emporia and began her career at LHS in 1967 after working the previous seven years in the Manhattan school district. That was also the same year a young student named Dirk Wedd started school there. “She just makes the atmosphere and the climate at Lawrence High like that of a family,” Wedd, who is now LHS’s head football coach, recalled. “She’s constantly reminding kids through those displays (in the cabinets of the hallways) about the history of Lawrence High. She’s been Please see LIBRARIAN, page 2A
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Attorney says city broke its own law with no-bid deal ———
Officials say Rock Chalk Park contract was perfectly legal By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo
FORMER LAWRENCE HIGH LIBRARIAN MARTHA OLDHAM officially retired Monday after checking out books to students in the Lawrence and Manhattan school districts. Oldham is pictured with her poodle, Murphy, with whom she plans to spend plenty of time during her retirement.
The city is breaking its own law by allowing a more than $12 million, no-bid construction contract for infrastructure at Rock Chalk Park, a local attorney specializing in construction law said Monday. “The city’s own law repeatedly affirms the requirement for public bidding by requiring bids and awards to bidders,” said Chris Burger, a Lawrence attorney who also is an adjunct professor of construction law and litigation at Kansas University’s law school. “It does not authorize the city to circumvent these requirements.” CITY Lawrence city commissioners today are set to approve COMMISSION another round of documents that will allow an entity led by Lawrence developer Thomas Fritzel to build an estimated $12.2 million worth of roads, parking lots, utility lines and other infrastructure at the sports park without going through a bidding process. Lawrence’s city attorney, though, contended Monday that the city does have the legal authority to waive its standard bidding process for the sports park, which will include both a city-owned recreation center and a privately owned sports park leased to Kansas University. Please see CONTRACT, page 2A
As regents approved, senator says governor didn’t ‘play by rules’ By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
TOPEKA — Gov. Sam Brownback’s selections to the Kansas Board of Regents were approved Monday but not before a Democratic leader accused the governor of improperly packing the board with too many Republicans. “I don’t understand what it is, that this governor doesn’t think he has to play by the rules,” said Senate Democratic Leader An-
thony Hensley, of Topeka. But Republicans on the Senate Confirmation Oversight Committee accused Hensley of taking a partisan shot. “Seems we are entering election season a little early,” said state Sen. Pat Apple, R-Louisburg. The dispute was over Brownback’s selection of Shane Bangerter, a Dodge City workers’ compensation attorney, to the regents. Under state law, the nine-
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“We have had an intentional circumvention of the law,” Hensley said. When Hensley asked Bangerter when he changed to unaffiliated, Bangerter said he thought it was nine or 10 months ago, but according to the Ford County clerk, it was in February. Bangerter said he was active in the Republican Party up until five years ago, but Hensley produced documents that showed Bangerter served in various GOP positions as late as 2010.
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member board can have no more than five members of one party. Five members, including another Brownback appointee, are ReBangerter publicans. Bangerter, a longtime Republican Party activist, changed his party affiliation from the GOP to unaffiliated.
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Hensley said Bangerter “has an adult lifetime of service and leadership in the Republican Party.” He called Bangerter’s nomination a “sham process,” adding that “someone in the governor’s office should be held responsible.” The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Bangerter said he no longer considers himself a Republican. Please see REGENTS, page 2A
Lawsuit on fast track
Vol.155/No.183 16 pages
The chief federal judge for Kansas has set an aggressive schedule for a lawsuit by Planned Parenthood against parts of a new state abortion law. Page 3A
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