WINNING OPENER
‘HORRORSHOW’ TONIGHT
KU women defeat Pittsburg, 85-54 Sports 1B
Six-play production takes audience to a dark place Going Out 6A
L A W R E NC E
JOURNAL-WORLD ®
75 CENTS
LJWorld.com
4(523$!9 s /#4/"%2 s
CAPITAL MISSION
Lawmakers tour KU campuses, looking for funding answers
Tech training center on schedule for 2015 By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photos
LAVERNE EPP, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN of the Bioscience and Technology Business Center, bottom left, talks about BTBC with legislators from the House Appropriations and the Senate Ways and Means committees. Legislators toured the Kansas University campus in Lawrence and the KU Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., on Wednesday.
KU faces legislators in budget talks By Scott Rothschild
SEN. TY MASTERSON, R-Andover, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, visits with members of the KU Young Democrats Wednesday at KU.
srothschild@ljworld.com
KANSAS CITY, KAN. — Top Kansas University administrators on Wednesday tried to make the case for state funding, but they faced some critical questions from legislators who have already cut higher education funding. “We are doing the best job that we can” in being efficient and bringing more federal research and donor dollars to KU, Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little said. Talking to a room packed with dozens of legislators at the KU Medical Center, GrayGray-Little Little said every dollar the state invests in the university “is a good investment” and that state support was crucial to the school. “I believe … the state of Kansas is better off, the higher quality the University of Kansas is,” she said. She was joined by Provost Jeff Vitter; Dr. Doug Girod, executive vice chancellor of KU
Students voice concerns to lawmakers Ben Unglesbee bunglesbee@ljworld.com
Kansas University students, who have a large stake in legislative decisions about higher education, attended Wednesday’s meeting of KU officials and Kansas legislators. Some of the students were invited, some were not. Members of the KU chapter of Young Democrats waved ban-
ners protesting cuts to higher education at passing legislators as they toured of West Campus in Lawrence. The protestors eventually joined the gathering of state and university officials inside the Bioscience and Technology Business Center. Ben Cohen, a recent KU alumnus, said about 12 of their group showed up to send a message to Please see STUDENTS, page 5A
Economic development leaders believe a new technology training center for area employers can be open by 2015, even though the community lost out on a federal grant for the facility. Greg Williams, president and CEO of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, said Wednesday that a contract is expected to be signed in the next two weeks by the Economic Development Corporation of Lawrence & Douglas County to purchase the Hiper Technology building at 2920 Haskell Ave. in southeast Lawrence. “EDC will provide a significant cash injection into the project, and it also has a consortium of local banks Williams that will loan money on the project,” Williams told members of the city and county’s Joint Economic Development Council, an advisory board that is separate from the EDC. The adult technology center will be one part of a larger training complex slated for the approximately 20 acres that the Hiper building sits upon. The site also will include a 30,000-square-foot building that will Please see TECH, page 2A
No charges in Sunset Hill gun incident By Peter Hancock phancock@ljworld.com
A person who carries a loaded gun into a school cannot be charged with a crime, even if the school prohibits such weapons, as long as the person has a valid concealed-carry license, Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson said Branson Wednesday. As a result, no charges will be filed against a Sunset Hill School employee who was removed from the building Monday and later fired for carrying a Taurus .380 handgun to work. Police were dispatched to Sunset Hill, 901
Please see BUDGET, page 5A
Please see GUN, page 2A
HALLOWEEN DOUBLE-TAKE
Spooky stories from our contest winners
Ready for some trick-or-treating fun The day has finally 1 arrived: It’s time to don the fake fangs or pick up the magic wand and scurry forth in search of bite-sized fun. The city of Lawrence recommends residential door-to-door trick-or-treating from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. But there are several other places to get a candy fix: O Beginning at 5 p.m. and running “until the candy runs out,” kids can trick-or-treat at the businesses on Massachusetts Street, said Sally Zogry, executive direc-
tor of Downtown Lawrence Inc. Participating business will have a representative located out front on the sidewalk handing out treats. O The Hy-Vee at 3504 Clinton Parkway will have special candy in each department for trick-ortreaters from 4 to 6 p.m. O Residents of the Drury Place at Alvamar retirement community will dispense candy from 6 to 7 p.m.
Going Out, page 7A
INSIDE
Morning rain Business Classified Comics Deaths
High: 64
Journal-World File Photo
2A 5B-10B 9A 2A
Events listings Going Out Horoscope Movies
The Journal-World asked 2 young writers across the Lawrence area to submit their best scary stories, and the winners have been chosen! In today’s paper, read stories from high school winner Addie Wendel, 14, of Free State High School; middle school winner Jasmine Colbert, 13, of Perry-Lecompton Middle School; and elementary school winner Emily Silvers, 9, of Saint John Catholic School.
10A, 2B 6A-7A 9B 4A
Opinion Puzzles Sports Television
8A 9B 1B-4B 10A, 2B, 9B
Low: 38
Today’s forecast, page 10A
Join us at Facebook.com/LJWorld and Twitter.com/LJWorld
Calder Pickett dies Calder Pickett, who taught journalism at Kansas University for nearly four decades and wrote a regular column for the Journal-World, has died. He was 92. Page 3A
Vol.154/No.304 32 pages