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FRIDAY • MARCH 4 • 2011
Senators say no to abolishing Arts Commission Gov. could still line-item veto funding; Lawrence students demonstrate against cuts By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
TOPEKA — A Senate committee on Thursday rejected Gov. Sam Brownback’s attempt to abolish the Kansas Arts Commission.
Brownback
Rain chance
High: 50
The Federal and State Affairs Committee voted against Brownback’s order before a packed hearing room that included about 20 high school students from Lawrence. Keil Eggers, a senior at Free
State High School, said he made the trip to the Capitol because he wanted the Arts Commission funded so that “kids behind me would have the same opportunities” in arts programs that he had.
Jonas Upman, a senior at Lawrence High School, said the students spontaneously decided to come to Topeka to show their support of the Arts Commission. “Everyone should have an
equal opportunity to pursue becoming an artist,” he said. The students, who arranged with their teachers to make the trip, briefly demonstrated and Please see ARTS, page 2A
Population increases in difficult decade
Whooping cough reported at area day cares
Low: 31
Today’s forecast, page 10A
INSIDE
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Vaccination is best protection against the disease By Karrey Britt kbritt@ljworld.com
Free State girls move on to sub-state finals Free State High School’s girls basketball team will move on to the sub-state finals after defeating Topeka High School, 6556, on Thursday. The Firebirds will face Olathe South at 7 p.m. Saturday. Results were more disappointing for Lawrence High School’s team, which ended its season with a 57-21 loss to secondseeded Olathe Northwest. Page 1B
“
QUOTABLE
Not only have I embarrassed the University of Kansas, but I also embarrassed myself at the same time. I am doing everything I can to rebuild my name.” — Former Kansas University football player Vernon Brooks, who was sentenced on Thursday to 60 days in jail and three years on probation for a May 2010 burglary incident in which four KU students were held at gunpoint. Page 3A
COMING SATURDAY More controversy is expected at the Kansas Statehouse over the Kansas Bioscience Authority.
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PEDESTRIANS ENJOY THE SPRINGLIKE WEATHER Thursday in downtown Lawrence. According to 2010 census figures released Thursday, Lawrence’s population grew 9.4 percent for the decade, to a total of 87,643 people. The total population for Douglas County was 110,826 in 2010.
Census: Douglas County grew in past 10 years, though slowly By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
ONLINE: See interactive population maps for the county and the nation at LJWorld.com
Douglas County still grew in the difficult decade of the 2000s, but it did so at its slowest rate since the days of the Great Depression, according to the official Census population totals released on Thursday. Douglas County’s 2010 population stood at 110,826 people, a gain of 10,864 people since 2000. That’s a growth rate of 10.9 percent. Lawrence’s population grew slightly slower to a total of 87,643 people, an increase of 7,545 people. That’s a growth rate of 9.4 percent for the decade.
Douglas County was one of only 28 counties in the state that saw a population increase, but its rate of growth — which averaged out at about 1 percent a year — was about half as fast as the community grew in the 1980s and 1990s. Local leaders on Thursday largely were choosing to focus on the fact that the county had kept growing even during a serious economic downturn. “I’m very comfortable with a 1 percent growth rate,” said Douglas County Administrator Craig Weinaug. “It is not only something I can live with, but be very happy with.”
‘Growing the best’ Community leaders largely were expecting growth numbers to slow
from past levels. Single-family home construction in Lawrence has fallen from more than 300 homes a year to less than 100 in several of the past years. But the size of the slowdown did create some surprise. The city’s Planning Department makes annual estimates about the city’s population. Its most recent estimate pegged the city’s population at 91,464 people — or about 3,800 more people than the Census Bureau counts for the city. City planners estimated that the city topped the 87,000 mark in 2005. Please see CENSUS, page 2A ● State Hispanic population surges 59%. Page 5A
Douglas County could face redistricting By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
TOPEKA — Just as it was 10 years ago, Douglas County could be in the middle of redistricting battles again, officials indicated Thursday after new census figures were released. The Census Bureau report showed Kansas’ population increased 6.1 percent from 2000 to 2010, but more importantly it showed much of that growth occurred in northeast Kansas. The report shows that the 3rd Congressional District, which includes eastern Douglas County, has the largest population with 767,569 people. That is 112,000 more than the 1st Congressional District, 57,000 more than the 2nd, which includes western Douglas County, and 47,000 more than the Wichitabased 4th. To be equal in population, as the law requires, the congressional districts will have to have roughly 713,000 people each. That means the 3rd, which also includes Johnson and Wyandotte counties, must
shed the most population. Could the Douglas County portion of the 3rd be rejoined with the portion in the 2nd, like it was before 2002? Rep. Paul Davis, Jenkins D-Lawrence, said that’s a possibility. “I’ve always operated under the assumption that Douglas County would go into the 2nd District because you would want to keep the Kansas City metro area together,” Davis said. But Davis said that because Douglas County has been voting Democratic, Republican U.S. Reps. Kevin Yoder in the 3rd and Lynn Jenkins in the 2nd may not want the whole county in their districts. And Davis said that while many opposed splitting Douglas County in the last redistricting battle, “the split has not served us as badly as people had thought it might.” He said having two congressional representatives has worked to Douglas County’s advantages in
some ways. On the legislative side, it is too early to tell how the population shifts will affect Douglas County’s Statehouse delegation. Johnson CounYoder ty could see an increase of up to five state House districts, having grown by 93,093 people. Johnson County essentially added a Douglas County to its population over the past 10 years. Douglas County grew by 10.9 percent, from 99,962 to 110,826. The Legislature’s redistricting committee will meet later during the current legislative session and set a schedule for public hearings during the summer to consider congressional and legislative boundaries. The Legislature will then draw new maps during the 2012 legislative session. — Statehouse reporter Scott Rothschild can be reached at 785-423-0668.
The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department reported Thursday that there have been seven cases of whooping cough in Lawrence day cares during the past month. The cases involved two adults and five children in three day cares. Names of the facilities were not released because of federal health privacy regulations. Pertussis, commonly called whooping cough, is a contagious, bacterial respiratory disease spread by coughing or sneezing. In young children, the illness can be complicated by pneumonia and occasionally brain inflammation. In rare cases — one out of 200 — whooping cough can cause death, especially in children under 1. Jonathan Larance, Kansas Department of Health and Environment spokesman, said there are no community outbreaks in Kansas. So far this year, there have been 27 cases statewide. Last year, there were 180 cases, down 28 percent from 251 in 2009. Vaccination is the best protection against the disease. Six of the seven Lawrence cases involved unvaccinated children and adults, who were not staff members. “Unfortunately, these people who don’t get vaccinated put a lot of other folks at risk,” said Lisa Horn, spokeswoman for the local health department. State child care regulations require up-to-date immunizations with a couple of exceptions: religious beliefs or a doctor’s signature that it would endanger the child’s life. If an outbreak occurs, unimmunized children are sent home; the length of time children are excluded from day care is based on the disease. In the whooping cough cases, it was 21 days from their last contact with an infected person. The symptoms of pertussis begin much like a common cold: ● Runny nose or congestion ● Sneezing ● Occasionally a mild cough or fever ● Infants and children with the disease may cough violently and rapidly, over and over, until the air is gone from their lungs and they’re forced to inhale with a loud “whooping” sound. If you or your child are experiencing pertussis symptoms, contact your doctor or the health department at 843-0721 and ask for a communicable disease nurse. — Health reporter Karrey Britt can be reached at 832-7190. Britt’s health blog can be found at WellCommons.com, and follow her at Twitter.com.