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Bill aims to head off brain injuries
Colder
High: 24
Low: 6
Today’s forecast, page 10A
INSIDE
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Packers prevail in Super Bowl XLV
Better medical clearance for young athletes is advocated
The Pittsburgh Steelers rallied from a 21-3 deficit but let victory slip through its fingers as the Green Bay Packers capitalized on turnovers and held on for a 31-25 win in the Super Bowl. Page 1B FAIRGROUNDS
Vintage motorcycles draw biker crowd Leather jackets, Harley gear, and ZZ Topstyle beards were in full supply at the second annual Santa Fe Trail Vintage Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet. Page 3A EGYPT
Vice president meets with protesters Egypt’s vice president met with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and other opposition groups for the first time Sunday and offered sweeping concessions, including granting press freedom and rolling back police powers in the government’s latest attempt to try to end nearly two weeks of upheaval. Page 7A
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MONDAY • FEBRUARY 7 • 2011
QUOTABLE
It’s the most miserable thing you’ll ever do. And while you’re doing it, you hate it. But when you finish, it feels so good.” — Competitive stair racer Keith Dowell, Lawrence, who is preparing to run a “vertical mile” at a race in Cincinnati. Page 3A
COMING TUESDAY The Missouri Tigers come to Allen Fieldhouse, and we’ll give you full coverage of all things KU basketball.
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INDEX Classified Comics Deaths Events listings Horoscope Movies Opinion Puzzles Sports Television Vol.153/No.38
6B-8B 9A 2A 10A, 2B 9B 5A 8A 9B 1B-5B, 10B 5A, 2B, 9B 36 pages
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Safety vs. savings illuminated ————
Fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, but energy efficiency outshines incandescents By Christine Metz cmetz@ljworld.com
ONLINE: See video at LJWorld.com
Across Lawrence, more than 1,500 incandescent light bulbs already have been switched out for compact fluorescent lights as part of an intrastate energy competition with Manhattan. In the Take Charge Challenge competition between Lawrence and Manhattan, residents are encouraged to reduce their energy use. The winning community will receive $100,000 to help fund an efficiency project, money that comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Using compact fluores-
cent lights is one way to cut back energy use. And while CFLs offer a great way to save money and conserve energy, many people have questions about just how safe and practical they are. We asked experts in Lawrence to answer some of the most commonly asked questions.
Do CFLs contain hazardous material? Yes. On average, a CFL contains about four milligrams of mercury, which is sealed within the bulb’s glass tubing, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In comparison, the amount of mercury is less than 0.01 of the amount found in an old mercury thermometer. At high levels, exposure
How do I dispose of CFLs? Just like paint and household cleaners, CFLs should not be thrown in the trash and taken to land-
fills, said Kathy Richardson, operations supervisor for the city of Lawrence’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Division. Instead, Richardson said, they can be recycled through the city or at some local hardware stores. As part of the city’s Household Hazardous Waste Program, residents can schedule an appointment to drop off CFLs by calling 832-3030. In Lawrence, Home Depot, 1910 W. 31st St., and Cottin’s Hardware and Rental, 1832 Mass., also accept household CFLs.
What do I do if I break a light bulb? Since CFLs contain a Please see CFL, page 2A
TICKET SCANDAL
KU mulls options for recovering losses By Mark Fagan mfagan@ljworld.com
Kansas Athletics Inc. knows it lost $1 million to $3 million, and maybe more, when at least six of its employees stole more than 19,000 tickets for football and men’s basketball. What KU officials don’t know is how much of that money they’ll be able to get back. “Nothing has changed,” said university spokesman Jack Martin, noting that the university’s intentions to seek financial compensation had been disclosed months ago. “We will pursue appropriate legal avenues to recover money from the tickets these individuals diverted.”
Charlette Blubaugh
Tom Blubaugh
Now that six former employees have admitted their guilt in federal court, and four have agreed to jointly owe $2 million in a “monetary judgment,” attention is starting to turn toward just how the university and its athletics department might be made whole. The short answer: They can’t. There’s no way to tell precisely how many tickets
Jones
Liebsch
had been stolen, nor for how long, although an internal investigation conducted for the university estimated losses at up to $3 million. The longer answer: The university and the department have options for getting at least some of the money back, even if they haven’t decided yet whether or how to pursue them.
“It is us, as Kansas Athletics, that will have to go after the restitution,” said Jim Marchiony, associate athletic Kirtland director for external relations. “As soon as the courts decide everything, as soon as that process plays through, we will then determine what our next step is going to be.” One step already is being taken: seeking coverage from a $250,000 insurance policy taken out by Kansas Athletics to protect against Please see KU, page 5A
srothschild@ljworld.com
TOPEKA — No one would hit a soccer ball with a laptop computer. “You would be appalled and furious that such a fine, delicate instrument would be used in such a misused fashion,” said Dr. Bart Grelinger, a neurologist from Wichita. But Grelinger adds, “We think nothing of seeing a star soccer player jump up and deflect a ball with their Grelinger head towards the goal.” His argument is that the human brain is more complicated, more delicate and less reparable than a laptop computer. Physicians and sports trainers are pushing for legislation aimed at protecting young athletes from head injuries during sports. Senate Bill 33 would require that an athlete who appears to have suffered a concussion be removed from practice or a game. It also would require clearance from a health care provider before the youth could participate again, and provides education on head injuries to youngsters, parents and coaches. Grelinger said concussions represent nearly 9 percent of all high school athletic injuries. “We are getting leaner, meaner, faster and have more agility, and that means head injuries,” he said. And because concussions are invisible — unlike a broken arm or twisted ankle — sometimes children are sent back “in harm’s way” before they should go, he said. “Putting athletes at risk before their brains are ready to control the next trauma, should injury reoccur, is careless, and once understood, unconscionable,” he said. The Lawrence school district policy is to follow Kansas State High School Activities Association guidelines, which require any athlete who exhibits behavior consistent with a concussion, such as loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, confusion Please see BILL, page 2A
Debater aiming to go out on top By Brenna Hawley bhawley@ljworld.com
ONLINE: See a video at LJWorld.com Energy smart: The Journal-World makes the most of renewable resources. www.b-e-f.org
to mercury can harm a person’s brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and immune system. In newborns and young children, the mercury can affect the nervous system, which makes a child less able to think and learn. The risk of a small mercury spill has to be weighed against the amount of energy savings the bulbs provide, said Eileen Horn, the sustainability coordinator for Douglas County and the city of Lawrence. “In general, all new technology has costs and benefits,” Horn said.
By Scott Rothschild
Dylan Quigley has been to Los Angeles six times and never seen the Hollywood sign. Last year, he was in San Francisco for almost a month and never saw the Golden Gate Bridge. Quigley is an expert on topics ranging from immigration to Supreme Court decisions to agricultural subsidies. His best friends live in places like Dallas, Chicago and Berkeley, Calif.
“We’re a close-knit community who comes together in hotel ballrooms every couple weeks, but no matter where we are, the community is the same,” he said. Quigley’s life is consumed by these things as a debater on Kansas University’s squad. But Quigley, a fifth-year senior from Wichita majoring in political science and philosophy, is about to leave this life he loves. After nine years of debate, starting his freshman year of high school, he’s about to age out of debate. To finish that career, he’d like to add one last win on his record — a national championship.
KU DEBATER DYLAN QUIGLEY has been filling tubs with research material since he was a freshman in high school. Now in his final season of debate, he hopes to finish with a national title.
“It doesn’t matter if you win the first one, it only matters if you win the last one,” he said. “There’s no pickup debates. When you’re done, you’re done.”
Successful career These nine years of debate, starting at Wichita East High School, have culminated in an incredibly successful career for Quigley, who recently won one of the biggest tournaments of the year at Wake Forest with his partner, Sean Kennedy. The win was exhilarating for Quigley, Please see DEBATER, page 5A
Kevin Anderson/Journal-World Photo