Lawrence Journal-World 07-27-2016

Page 1

LLAMAS

&

OH MY!

BIRDS:

TROTTERS

&

USA TODAY

Fauna and family fun at the fair. PAGE 3A

It’s official: Clinton is Democratic nominee. 1B

L A W R E NC E

Journal-World

®

$1.00

LJWorld.com

WEDNESDAY • JULY 27 • 2016

Stepfather of baby found in trash to face charges Police accuse man of attempted murder, child abuse

By Conrad Swanson Twitter: @Conrad_Swanson

Nearly three weeks after an infant girl was found abandoned and seriously injured in an apartment complex’s trash, police say the child’s stepfather will face criminal charges.

Marquis Jamall Young, 27, of Lawrence, will face charges of attempted first-degree murder and child abuse, said Lawrence Police Department Sgt. Amy Rhoads on

Tuesday. Young is currently being held in the Johnson County Jail on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery, according to the jail’s booking logs. He

was booked into the jail on Sunday and is currently being held in lieu of a $20,000 bond. In the early morning hours of July 7, police received a report

that a 9-month-old infant girl was left in a trash receptacle at an apartment complex in the 2500 block of West Sixth Street. Please see CHARGES, page 2A Young

S&P downgrades state’s credit rating By John Hanna

The downgrade reflects what we believe to be structural budget Topeka — A major rating agency on Tuesday down- pressures.” Associated Press

graded Kansas’ credit rating for the second time in two years because of the state’s budget problems. S&P Global Ratings dropped its rating for Kansas to AA-, from AA, three months after putting the state on a negative credit watch. S&P also dropped the state’s credit rating in August 2014. Forty-one states now have a higher rating from S&P, and only three — Illinois, New Jersey and Kentucky — have worse ratings. The ratings agency cited the state’s lack of cash reserves, even after multiple rounds of budget adjustments over the past year.

FIRE STATION NO. 1

— David Hitchcock, S&P credit analyst

Renovations would cost $6 million.

“The downgrade reflects what we believe to be structural budget pressures,” S&P credit analyst David Hitchcock said in the agency’s statement. Kansas has struggled to balance its budget since Republican Gov. Sam Brownback successfully pushed the GOP-dominated Legislature to slash personal income taxes in 2012 and 2013 in an effort to stimulate the state’s economy.

Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo

Please see S&P, page 2A

WAKARUSA & KASOLD Reconstructing portions of these two streets would cost $8 million in total.

Pulitzer winner Brooks to visit Lawrence this fall

L

Twitter: @HlavacekJoanna

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks will visit Lawrence this fall as part of the Lawrence Public Library’s 2016 Ross and Marianna Beach Author Series, the library announced earlier this week. “We are delighted that Geraldine Brooks is coming to Lawrence,” said Brad Allen, Lawrence Public Library executive director, in a news release. “She has so much to share with us about her career as a writer. Ms. Brooks has worked as a reporter in the Middle East, written three works of nonfiction and five novels. Her books are huge favorites of local book clubs.”

TRANSIT HUB AT KU The city’s share of the project is set at $4 million.

VEHICLE REPLACEMENT $500,000 is budgeted to replace aging city vehicles — the same amount as last year.

Please see BROOKS, page 5A

Low: 70

awrence’s new capital improvement plan — revamped and given more weight under new City Manager Tom Markus — includes $107.5 million worth of projects in 2017 under Markus’ recommendations. The plan cleared its first hurdle Monday when the 10-member Lawrence Planning Commission quickly and unanimously voted that all of the projects in the five-year plan, including approximately 65 in 2017, aligned with (Funding deciLawrence’s comprehensions) need to be sive plan. “It gives us the opportu- looked at in the nity to take the long view context of all the on our expenditures,” things that are City Planner Sheila Stogsdill told the 10-member competing for planning commission. those dollars. This “Your role (as planners) gives you a much is a small role. It’s not the role of deciding how longer horizon to we spend the money; it’s look at.” looking at the projects that have been proposed — City Manager Tom Markus and evaluating if they are in conformance with the comprehensive plan.” The Lawrence City Commission will consider the capital improvement plan Tuesday, when it holds a public hearing on the full 2017 budget. Commissioners will be asked to adopt the budget — with the capital improvement plan — on Aug. 16. For 2018 through 2021, commissioners will review projects in that year’s plan and have the ability to make changes. Please see PLAN, page 2A

Journal-World File Photos

INSIDE

Humid

Today’s forecast, page 10A

Twitter: @nikkiwentling

AP Photo

High: 91

By Nikki Wentling lll

By Joanna Hlavacek

Business Classified Comics Crave

Capital plan includes $107.5M in projects

2A 1D-6D  6A    1CR, 4CR

Events listings Horoscope Opinion Puzzles

7A, 2C Sports 8A Television      9A USA Today 8A

Haskell rape trial 1C-4C 8A, 10A, 2C  1B-6B

Join us at Facebook.com/LJWorld and Twitter.com/LJWorld

Prosecutors on Tuesday described an alleged rape at Haskell University as an act of betrayal, but the defense said the encounter was consensual. 3A

Vol.158/No.209 34 pages


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.