L A W R E N C E
JOURNAL-WORLD
®
75 CENTS
Above freezing
High: 39
LJWorld.com
MONDAY • JANUARY 17 • 2011
Going through the roof
Low: 19
Today’s forecast, page 10A
INSIDE
City may take step on ‘Let’s Move’ ——
Commissioners will decide whether to join campaign that promotes activities to reduce child obesity
Mini tractors have quite the pull Duane Newman of Lawrence is one of a small but dedicated group of tinkerers in the U.S. who builds mini tractors that can pull up to 100 times their weight or more. Page 3A
By Karrey Britt kbritt@ljworld.com
SPORTS
Baylor’s Perry Jones has big role tonight Baylor University freshman Perry Jones is beginning to live up to his billing as possible No. 1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He may present a big challenge to the Kansas Jayhawks in tonight’s Big Monday matchup. Page 1B
“
QUOTABLE
Dr. King’s message was about inclusion and the recognition of human dignity, of human rights and making sure that all of our voices are heard. I hope people in Arizona, in particular, embrace that part of his message. The politics in Arizona recently have often seemed to revolve around excluding people.” — Imani Perry, an African-American studies professor at Princeton University. Today is the 25th federal observance of the birth of Martin Luther King Jr. Page 7A
COMING TUESDAY We’ll bring you the highlights of community events on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
FOLLOW US Facebook.com/LJWorld Twitter.com/LJWorld
INDEX Classified Comics Deaths Events listings Horoscope How to Help Movies Opinion Puzzles Sports Television Vol.153/No.17
6B-10B 9B 2A 10A, 2B 9B 2A 5A 8A 9B 1B-5B 5A, 2B 36 pages
Kevin Anderson/Journal-World Photo
CHRIS CLATERBOS ADDED SOLAR PANELS last month to his Lawrence home after waiting nearly 24 years. The panels also have the latest solar technology. Recently covered by snow, the panels’ energy output last week was small, but will increase when they can process more sunlight.
Recent demand for solar energy shows dramatic increase By Christine Metz cmetz@ljworld.com
With the 1970s energy crisis still fresh on his mind, Chris Claterbos built his Lawrence home with the intent to one day generate solar electricity. Twenty-four years later, the idea made economic sense. “It just took a little longer than I thought,” the Lawrence resident said. Spurred by more efficient solar technology, a drop in the price of solar panels and a 30 percent
KU health initiative aims to fight sepsis By Andy Hyland ahyland@ljworld.com
A Kansas University initiative is trying to get professionals in rural hospitals to recognize the signs of severe sepsis infections more quickly in an effort to save lives. Sepsis is a term used to describe a widespread infection that attacks the bloodstream, said Steven Simpson, professor of medicine in the division of pulmonary and critical care at KU Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan. Severe sepsis involves bodywide cases of inflammation and causes organs to malfunction. It’s a problem in hospitals across the country and in Kansas. Nationally, the mortality rates from sepsis are
similar to the number of people who die from heart attacks, Simpson said. HEALTH KU educators say more training will lead to lower mortality rates, shorter stays in intensive care and lower costs for providing care. About eight people per day in Kansas die from a septic infection, said Elizabeth Wenske Mullinax, project manager for continuing medical education at KU. She is helping to organize a project that takes lessons learned at KU Hospital and transfers them to critical access hospitals, which are
smaller, rural hospitals with fewer than 25 beds. “We’re trying to get those critical access hospitals to recognize severe sepsis and recognize it early,” she said. And early recognition is often the key, Simpson said. Minutes can be the difference when it comes to two key treatment efforts — the administration of fluids and the introduction of antibiotics. Every five minutes without an antibiotic, the likelihood a patient with severe sepsis will die goes up by 1 percent, Simpson said. When presented with a case, Simpson said he’ll go to the pharmacy and explain the urgency in filling out the prescription so that it gets to the patient as quickly as possible. A patient’s survival can
depend on doctors and other health care professionals essentially remembering to flip a few switches. “You’d be astonished at how often those switches aren’t flipped,” Simpson said. Sepsis is a word doctors probably hear from their first year of medical school onward, but many aren’t well-trained in exactly how to deal with it, he said. The sepsis prevention courses are operated within KU’s Continuing Education program. By enrolling in the programs, Kansas health care professionals can earn continuing medical education credits needed to maintain licenses. — Higher education reporter Andy Hyland can be reached at 832-6388.
“
Please see CITY, page 2A
Street crews have better battle plan for potholes By Christine Metz
“
We are anticipating a large percentage of them As temperatures inch above will remain intact freezing, drivers should expect the return of a familiar winter throughout the winter.” cmetz@ljworld.com
Energy smart: The Journal-World makes the most of renewable resources. www.b-e-f.org
federal tax rebate, Claterbos put six solar panels on his roof this winter. “Now I can afford it,” Claterbos said. An added incentive was the state’s recently passed net metering law, which requires utility companies to pay homeowners for unused energy that goes back into the electric system. Claterbos is among the growing number of Chris Claterbos/Special to the Journal-World homeowners who have decided that the time has CLATERBOS HAS SIX SOLAR PANELS on his roof now, but he plans to add more. When he built his come for solar energy. home more than 20 years ago, he planned for the Please see DEMAND, page 2A eventual installation of solar panels.
The Lawrence City Commission will decide Tuesday whether to become a “Let’s Move” community or not. So far, 458 cities, including 15 in Kansas, have joined the national movement to fight the rising childhood obesity rate. These include Leavenworth, Overland Park, WichiThe city ta and Her- already is ington. The “Let’s ingrained in a Move” cam- lot of these paign was activities and started by First Lady we are already doing a lot of Michelle Obama and the kicked off requirements Feb. 9, 2010. that are part “Let’s Move is of this pushing for initiative. It’s a sustainable, way to be evidencebased prac- recognized tices,” said with this Judy Baker, national regional director for initiative.” the Department of — Megan Gilliland, Health and communications manHuman Ser- ager for the city vices. “In other words, having a fun run once a year is great, but we are looking for change within the community that is sustained over time.” For example, she said, putting down more walking paths and having school policies that promote nutrition in the lunchroom. “Let’s Move” communities are encouraged to take action in each of the following areas: ● helping parents make healthy family choices; ● improving the health of schools; ● increasing physical activity opportunities; ● making healthy food affordable and accessible. There is no cost to participate. The benefits include access to branding and marketing materials, networking opportunities, and the initiative’s ability to promote communities, like Lawrence, on a national level. And there’s plenty to brag about. LiveWell Lawrence, Douglas County Community Health Improvement Partnership, and Lawrence P ublic Schools,
nemesis: potholes. On Friday, city of Lawrence crews were still clearing residential streets of the 4 to 6 inches of snow that graced the city last week. With temperatures staying below freezing, potholes haven’t been a problem so far, Assistant Public Works Director Mark Thiel said. But when the weather warms, Thiel said the city will be ready.
— Mark Thiel, assistant director of public works, on potholes that were patched in the fall using a new method designed to make repairs last longer “Once the snow is gone, we will start paying more attention. We will start to send crews on arterial and collector (roads). But we don’t have anyone out right
now,” he said Friday. Thiel hopes that measures taken this fall will help prevent the rough conditions of last year’s winter, when crews were fixing 400 to 500 potholes a day. The city has purchased a $168,000 piece of equipment that allows road crews to spray a chip seal-like substance into potholes. The method, which is used by the Kansas Department of Transportation and other larger cities in the state, is faster, requires Mike Yoder/Journal-World File Photo fewer workers and lasts longer. Before winter, city crews WHEN TEMPERATURES BEGIN TO RISE, potholes will begin popping up on area streets. This photo is from Please see POTHOLES, page 2A last April along 31st Street.