USA TODAY
Ferguson, Justice Department near deal on police policy. 1B
JAYHAWKS IN 8:O30MP.M.A, ESHPNA2
SPORTS.COM ALL THE LATEST AT KU
Final Four volleyball pits No. 9 Kansas vs. No. 4 Nebraska. 1C
L A W R E NC E
Journal-World
®
$1.00
LJWorld.com
THURSDAY • DECEMBER 17 • 2015
City wants Oread group to repay $520K By Nikki Wentling Twitter: @NikkiWentling
The city is seeking more than $500,000 from the developers of The Oread hotel after a city-ordered audit found the development group filed incorrect sales tax returns in order to receive sales tax rebates from the city and the county. The improper reimbursements, which were paid from January 2010 through May 2015, total $429,594.74. The city is charging developers $63,320.11 in interest, as well as the cost of the audit, which is estimated at slightly more
Audit finds improper use of taxing district, possible violation of state law
“
This is certainly a situation that was not contemplated by the city, that than $27,000. The total bill is ed by the city, that something almost $520,000. like this would be occurring,” something like this City officials sent a letter Interim City Manager Diane would be occurring.” to the developers Wednesday demanding repayment by Dec. 31. The findings of the development group’s actions — some of which are thought by the auditing firm to violate Kansas law — have been forwarded to the Kansas Department of Revenue. “This is certainly a situation that was not contemplat-
Stoddard said. “In this particular case, we worked hard — Interim City Manager to get to the bottom of what Diane Stoddard was occurring, and, in the end, we want what is fair to the city.” “He indicated to me that Stoddard said she spoke he wanted to resolve the Wednesday morning with matter,” she said. Thomas Fritzel, a Lawrence Fritzel did not answer a businessman who leads the phone call Wednesday evening development group behind Please see OREAD, page 5A The Oread.
‘May your days be merry and bright’
No-gun zones a matter of cost under Regents’ plan By Sara Shepherd Twitter: @saramarieshep
The Kansas Board of Regents’ proposed new weapons policy will give individual universities the freedom to choose which, if any, buildings or events to prohibit guns from. BOARD OF However, under state law, REGENTS doing so would require universities to put in place adequate Inside: The security measures such as met- Board of al detectors or guards at those Regents has buildings or events, which approved a could be costly. proposal to “They’re going to have to require all weigh that,” Regents chairman state univerShane Bangerter said. “There’s sities to add limits, obviously.” transcript The Regents Governance notations Committee on Wednesday ap- for students proved draft amendments to expelled for the statewide weapons policy forcible sex and forwarded them to the offenses or full board for a final vote, an- other serious ticipated in January. Amending personal ofthe policy is needed to account fenses. 3A for changes to state law that require universities to allow concealed carry of guns on campus beginning in July 2017. Please see GUN, page 5A
State contractors warn of Highway Fund dipping By Peter Hancock Twitter: @LJWpqhancock
Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo
STUDENTS IN THE COMMUNITY TRANSITION PROGRAM, or C-TRAN, sing Christmas carols to residents at the Pioneer Ridge Health & Rehab skilled nursing facility, 4851 Harvard Road, on Wednesday. C-TRAN is for students ages 18 through 21 and offers development opportunities for secondary transition and college and career readiness of youth with disabilities. See the video at LJWorld.com/ctran2015
Updated East Ninth Project plans get tepid response By Mackenzie Clark Twitter: @mclark_ljw
The architecture firm el dorado inc. presented the East Ninth Citizen Advisory Committee with two updated, preliminary design plans at its meeting Wednesday. Josh Shelton, a principal with el dorado inc., presented both plans to the committee in detail. The first plan offers a complete street option with a wider
road with equal right-of-way space to the north and south. The street is wide enough to include bike lanes on either side. Shelton said the first plan was closer to what currently exists in the corridor than the second plan, which justifies the street to the south curb edge and makes room to the north for an 8- to 10-foot-wide sidewalk for pedestrians and bicyclists. Shelton said both plans would allow the street to remain a designated truck de-
Business Classified Comics Deaths
Low: 22
Today’s forecast, page 8A
be impossible, the plan would add a secondary sidewalk, or a “recreation trail.” Phil Collison, an East Lawrence Neighborhood Association representative, raised concerns about the addition of a second sidewalk. “Which sidewalk would need to be shoveled in the wintertime, and who’s responsible for shoveling it, if there’s two sidewalks like that?” Collison Please see NINTH, page 2A
INSIDE
Partly sunny
High: 39
livery route, and both would maintain much of the historic brick sidewalk that lines the street, as well as most of the nearby trees. He noted neither plan includes medians nor a curve in the street, which had been a concern at previous meetings. In the first plan, Shelton said, an artisan brick layer could widen the existing brick sidewalks to 5 feet in order to be ADA accessible. However, for some areas where that would
2A 5C-9C 10C 2A
Events listings Horoscope Opinion Puzzles
8A, 2C Sports 6A Television 7A USA Today 6A
Join us at Facebook.com/LJWorld and Twitter.com/LJWorld
Topeka — An organization that represents highway construction companies is launching a campaign to discourage any more raids on the state Highway Fund to make up for revenue shortfalls that pay for other government programs. “Our message basically is that we’re not taking care of the quality of life,” said Bob Totten, executive vice president of the Kansas Contractors Association. “We have seen a deterioration in the amount of money that is being put into the whole state budget.” Since Kansas lawmakers approved the current 10-year, $8 billion highway program known as T-Works in 2010, Totten said, governors and legislators have continually raided the fund to make up for revenue shortfalls in other areas. Just within the past year, he said, about $300 million has been transferred to the general fund, or nearly $1 million per day. The result, he said, is that the state will only do a small fraction of the “preservation” projects that were originally planned, which he said will eventually force the state to spend money on more costly repairs in the future. Those include such routine things as repaving roads and bridges, filling potholes and repairing shoulders along the roughly 140,000 miles of roadway in the state highway system.
Big boost for pets 1C-4C 8A, 2C 1B-8B
The Lawrence Humane Society has received a gift of nearly $500,000 from the estate of Ann L. Hyde, a local librarian who died in June 2014. Page 5A
Please see DIPPING, page 2A
Vol.157/No.351 26 pages