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School board approves expansion of construction
Unexpected heat hard on people, crops
By Peter Hancock phancock@ljworld.com
The Lawrence school board agreed Monday night to expand the scope of bondfunded construction projects by adding 12 more new classrooms at various elementary schools, plus unfinished space for another six classrooms in the future at Sunset Hill Elementary. That brings to 29 the total number of new classrooms, or potential new classrooms, to be funded with the recently passed $92.5 million bond issue. SCHOOLS Those plans, district officials said, are the result of larger-than-expected enrollment growth this year, mainly at schools west of Iowa Street. “One of the worst things we could do is conclude our bond construction process and not have enough room,� Superintendent
Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo
LAWRENCE RESIDENT ISAAC MITCHELL takes off in a sprint while tethered to resistance cords during his workout on Monday morning at the Lawrence High School football field. Mitchell, a personal trainer and cornerback for the Kansas Koyotes arena football team, chose to get his workout done early to avoid high temperatures later in the day. Below, Mitchell douses himself in water to help shake off the sweat.
Temperatures turn in surprising performance By Ben Unglesbee bunglesbee@ljworld.com
Weather in 2013 has been a couple steps behind all year. May, absurdly, brought snow. June was as wet as some Aprils. July was reasonable, felt like early summer. And now, in mid-September, we’ve been punished with 100 degree-plus heat as though it were August. On Sunday, Lawrence hit 103, about 20 degrees above the aver-
age since records started being kept by the National Weather Service in 1996. Kris Sanders, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Topeka office, said the culprit is a dome of hot, high-pressure air in the upper atmosphere sitting over the central part of the country, knocking aside any weather that could bring cooling rains. “It’s a pattern we usually see in August, delayed into September,� Sanders said. “It’s kind of been the
Please see SCHOOLS, page 2A
3 more buses to help shuttle fans to games
story of the year.� The heat wave is expected to break later in the week. Until then, the heat’s making life tougher for plants, animals and people. Bill Wood, director of the Doug-
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Increased demand for rides caused late arrivals to KU
Please see HEAT, page 2A
By Chad Lawhorn
City to vote on rental licensing, inspections By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
On one side, Lawrence’s proposed rental registration and licensing program is a great safety improvement for the city’s renters. On the other side, it is the beginning of a broad, overreaching, government bureaucracy. City commissioners at their meeting tonight are being asked to pick a final side as they are expected to vote on the final details of a
new rental licensing and inspection program that would cover all 18,000 rental units in the city. “These inspections re- Dever ally revolve around the safety of our housing stock,� Mayor Mike Dever said. But the proposed inspection program is expected to
Business Classified Comics Deaths
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Today’s forecast, page 12A
said in written comments provided to the JournalWorld. If the measure is approved tonight, city staff members estimate that registration and licensing of apartments could begin shortly after Jan. 1. The new program seemingly has an inside track toward approval. In July, commissioners approved a 2014 city budget that includes
If there is one thing Kansas University season ticket holder Paul Stevens has learned about Jayhawk football, it is that you don’t want to be late for kickoff. “At KU, sometimes the pre-game stuff is better than the game,� Stevens said. But Stevens and quite a few other people who relied on the shuttle service from downtown to Memorial Stadium were late for Saturday’s season-opening contest, as ridership spiked with the opening of the city’s new parking garage near Seventh and Vermont streets.
Please see RENTAL, page 2A
Please see SHUTTLE, page 8A
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draw one last round of opposition from a coalition of large apartment complex owners. “Unfortunately, the proposed ordinance is unduly burdensome, unnecessary, makes our community’s business climate appear unfriendly and will have serious unintended results to the large Lawrence population which resides in apartments,� Matthew Hoy, an attorney for the Lawrence Apartments Association,
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Vol.155/No.253 24 pages
Driving law praised Alcohol-related traffic fatalities have dropped 30 percent since a strong ignition interlock law went into effect, advocates of the law said Monday. Page 3A
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