KU DEMOLISHES UMKC, 99-52 Sports 1B
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THURSDAY • JANUARY 6 • 2011
“
Eagles Day on the horizon
KU and Lawrence are not very wellrespected.” — State Rep. Anthony Brown, R-Eudora
Legislator says KU, Lawrence too liberal ——
Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo
A BALD EAGLE PERCHES IN A TREE Wednesday near Clinton Lake. The 15th annual Kaw Valley Eagles Day will celebrate the return of bald eagles to the area from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 22 at Free State High School, 4700 Overland Drive. The event will feature presentations about eagles and bird photography. There will be eagle-viewing trips at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Buses will transport viewers from the high school to the viewing area. Children attending will also be able to build a bird feeder, make an eagle and dissect owl pellets in the exhibit area. For more information, call 842-0475 or visit kawvalleyeaglesday.com.
Brown makes remark while being hosted at downtown event By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
State’s shortfall grows; courts to seek efficiencies Projected budget gap now $550M By John Hanna Associated Press
TOPEKA — Kansas officials learned Wednesday that the state’s projected budget shortfall has grown to $550 million, as the state Supreme Court announced that it has appointed a commission to hunt for ways to make the judicial branch more efficient. The timing of the two events was a coincidence, but they underscored the state’s ongoing financial struggles. The projected budget gap grew because the state’s revenues in December fell short of expectations, and the new commission is largely a response to budget problems that forced court offices to close four extra days earlier this year.
The projected shortfall represents the gap between projected revenues and current spending commitments for the fiscal year that begins July 1, and it now represents about 9 percent of those commitments. Gov.-elect Sam Brownback and the Legislature will have to eliminate the gap once he takes office and lawmakers open their annual session, both Monday. Before December’s revenues were tallied, the projected shortfall was shy of $500 million. The new figure was contained in an internal Kansas Legislative Research Department report obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, before the information began circulating to lawmakers and other officials. “It’s reflective of when you
have an economy that’s not going in the right direction,” said Brownback spokeswoman Brownback Sherriene Jones-Sontag. “There won’t be any good choices, but we’re hopeful that folks in Kansas who care about issues like education and social services help the governor-elect get the state’s economy growing again.” The Supreme Court’s announcement about its commission followed its decision in August to examine caseloads throughout the state’s judicial branch, generating information that takes into account which courts handle the largest number of com-
Abe & Jake’s lease available for $1.3M By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
A prominent building along the banks of the Kansas River can be yours to use for $1.3 million. The operator of the Abe & Jake’s Landing building — which is just east of City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St., and just west of the former Riverfront Mall — is looking for someone to take over his long-term lease after he spent about 10 years renovating the building that used to house a barbed-wire factory in Lawrence’s early days. “I don’t live in Lawrence anymore and it is just really hard to maintain an active business there because of that,” said former Lawrence businessman Mike Elwell, who now lives in Florida. Technically, the city owns the 24,000-square-foot building and the
real estate along the south banks of the Kaw. But Elwell has a low-cost lease with the city that allows him to operate businesses out of the building until 2087. That lease is what’s City Manager for sale. Elwell has operatDavid Corliss ed a college-oriented says costs to nightclub out of the renovate the building for years, but building for he said the nightclub office use could is now only open about one night per be significant. week. He said most of the business’ revenue comes from wedding receptions and other private Please see ABE, page 2A
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State Rep. Anthony Brown, REudora, on Wednesday chastised Lawrence and Kansas University during the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce legislative priorities breakfast. “KU and Lawrence are not very wellrespected,” Brown said. Many people across the state, he said, see Lawrence as too State Rep. liberal. Brown Barbara Ballard, said he sees signs in local D-Lawrence, businesses that came to the read “Free city’s defense. Republic of Lawrence.” “That needs to change,” he said. State Rep. Barbara Ballard, DLawrence, however, defended her hometown as one that recognizes equal rights for all. Please see LAWMAKER, page 4A
More leaving than coming to Kansas By Christine Metz cmetz@ljworld.com
Whether it was the economy or a return of rural flight, more folks were moving out of Kansas than moving in last year. The state was one of nine noted in United Van Lines’ 2010 migration study for the high rate of people leaving the state. After several years of people coming and going from Kansas at a fairly balanced rate, a shift occurred in 2010. Of the 3,370 families United Van Lines moved, 44.1 percent were coming to Kansas and 55.9 percent were leaving. Kansas hasn’t seen such a gap since 2002, according to the company’s data. The balance was even more off kilter in Douglas County,
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members decided last summer to initiate a review of the court system’s workload and its operations. “We’re tired of just reacting to events and having knee-jerk reactions,” Nuss said. “We spend a lot of time on this, and it just goes from event to event. Let’s do some long-range planning here, particularly concerning the financial situation.” The bulk of the judicial branch’s $121 million is financed with state tax dollars, and most of its costs are associated with its payroll — leaving it relatively little flexibility when funds grow short. That’s what led the Supreme Court to order unpaid days off for the court system’s employees earlier this year. Nuss said he’s hoping the commission’s work can serve as an example to other parts of state government.
where 48 households moved into the county and 73 left. Throughout the years, data from the country’s largest moving company have been shown to accurately reflect the migration patterns of regions. Joe Monaco, public information off icer for the Kansas
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plex cases. It’s the first time the court system has undertaken such a detailed study. Chief Justice Lawton Nuss said the commission can consider issues such as the number of court offices, their hours of operation, the use of technology to lower costs and increasing the system’s flexibility in using its staff. He said the goals are to preserve Kansans’ access to justice while delivering services as cost-effectively as possible. The commission has 24 members from across the state, led by Court of Appeals Judge Patrick McAnany and includes members appointed by Brownback, outgoing Gov. Mark Parkinson and legislative leaders. It includes trial judges, attorneys, business owners and state officials. Nuss said in an interview that the Supreme Court’s
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Department of Commerce, wouldn’t comment specifically on the data, but said he wasn’t surprised that the numbers showed more people leaving Please see MORE, page 2A
COMING FRIDAY What does 2011 hold for our neighboring cities of Lecompton, Eudora and Baldwin City?
Vol.153/No.6 20 pages
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