ENJOYING THE RIDE NURSE AND MORE KU redshirt freshman Lucas ‘ready to go’ Sports 1B
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HEALTH CARE
In the spirit of Thanksgiving
Agency addresses canceled policies ——
Insurance dept. working with Blue Cross on continued coverage for thousands in state By John Milburn Associated Press
SCHOOL FINANCE
Governor opens talks on avoiding litigation ———
TOPEKA — A Kansas insurance department official said Monday that the agency is working with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas to provide guidance for continuing coverage for some 10,000 policies that previously were canceled because they wouldn’t have conformed to the federal health care law. Linda Shepherd, the health policy director for Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, told a legislative oversight committee that Blue Cross would renew the policies for one year for customers who still want them and was working to get the policies reviewed and in place. “We expect that Blue Cross will be sending letters to these insured in the very near future explaining the various options that are available to them,” Shepherd said. The company opted to restore the policies after President Barack Obama announced this month that insurers would be allowed to keep offering existing plans for at least another year, even if those plans don’t comply with federal coverage mandates. At least 4 million U.S. customers had already received cancellation notices. Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, a Shawnee Republican and chairwoman of the Legislature’s Health Care Oversight
Some in attendance simply call for funding the school formula By Peter Hancock phancock@ljworld.com
TOPEKA — Gov. Sam Brownback met for nearly an hour Monday with education officials and legislative leaders, hoping to find a way to avoid future lawsuits over the funding of Kansas public schools. The meeting included three district superintendents, the president of the Kansas Association of School Boards and leaders of the Kansas House and Senate. “We’ve got excellent K-12 schools in the state of Kansas, and we’ve had 40 years Brownback of litigation over how we fund it,” Brownback said after the meeting. “So what we’re trying to do is see how we can continue to have excellent K-12 schools, have them financed and not have the courts shut them down.” The meeting came while the Kansas Supreme Court is weighing arguments in a
VOLUNTEERS HELP PACK hundreds of Thanksgiving meals Monday inside Just Food, 1200 E. 11th St. The meal boxes assembled at the food bank will be distributed to residents in need. At right, volunteer Patrick Woods, director of advancement in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Kansas University, carries a food box to the distribution line.
Please see TALKS, page 9A
School board pleased so far with Common Core phase-in
Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photos
Please see POLICIES, page 2A
Peter Hancock
KU grad is executive officer on newest aircraft carrier
phancock@ljworld.com
Captain calls post on Gerald R. Ford ship ‘big honor’ By Sara Shepherd sshepherd@ljworld.com
Capt. Sean Bailey
LJWorld.com
The last time someone became executive officer of the first in a new series of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers was more than three decades ago, with the com-
missioning of the USS Nimitz in 1975. Now, as the Navy launches its next-generation series of carriers, there’s a Kansas University graduate in the job. Capt. Sean Bailey is executive officer of the newly
christened Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier — a giant vessel that, once deployed, will carry about 4,500 people and the latest war-fighting technology. “It’s a pretty big honor,” Please see NAVY, page 2A
Lawrence school board members said Monday night they were generally pleased with the district’s progress in implementing the new Common Core standards for reading and math. But the test of how well students and parents accept them will likely come later, after the first round of statewide tests that are tied to those standards. “I don’t think people should have false expectations. I think they should wait and see,” board member Randy Masten said. “I think we’re moving in the Masten right direction as far as a more comprehensive learning environment, trying to make it actually translate into the real world rather than just rote memorization.” Masten and other board members commented after hearing a presentation from district staff about how teachers are learning to put the new standards into effect in their classrooms. Please see BOARD, page 9A
INSIDE
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High: 36
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Low: 12
Today’s forecast, page 12A
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Surge in domestic violence The number of domestic violence incidents in Kansas is at its highest since 1992, according to a Kansas Bureau of Investigation report. Page 3A
Vol.155/No.330 24 pages