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WEDNESDAY • JUNE 29 • 2011
Abortion providers sue to block ‘sham’ rules By John Hanna Associated Press Writer
TOPEKA — Two doctors who perform abortions in Kansas filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday to block a new licensing law and regulations that abortion rights advocates fear will make Kansas the first state in the
Brownback
Hotter and humid
High: 93
country without an abortion provider. Dr. Herbert Hodes and his daughter, Dr. Traci Nauser, argue that the new licensing process for abortion providers is a “sham” and the law and accompanying regulations are designed to stop the state’s three abortion providers. One
provider has already been denied a license. Hodes and Nauser offer abortions and other services at the Center for Women’s Health in Overland Park in suburban Kansas City, and their clinic was scheduled to be inspected by health department workers Wednesday. The lawsuit, filed in
U.S. District Court in Kansas City, said the doctors canceled that inspection. The law takes effect Friday. If a clinic doesn’t have a license by then, it won’t be able to perform abortions under the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s new regulations. “At every step of the chal-
lenged process, KDHE implemented the licensing provisions ... in ways that made it impossible for existing medical practices to obtain a license by the effective date,” the lawsuit said. Supporters of the new law and regulations argue that both are Please see ABORTION, page 2A
Last of ticket felons goes to prison
High temperatures expected this week
Low: 76
Today’s forecast, page 8A
INSIDE
By Mark Fagan mfagan@ljworld.com
FSHS football punter looking at Div. I play
Watch out for furry friends For pets, the heat can be just as deadly. Mary Berg, veterinary technician at Gentle Care Animal Hospital, said it’s best to keep pets indoors in the air conditioning if possible. Walks should be taken in the early morning and evening.
The last co-conspirator in an operation that stole and sold thousands of tickets for Kansas University basketball and football games is behind bars, awaiting designation in a federal medical complex in Massachusetts. Ben Kirtland, former associate athletic director for development at Kansas Athletics Inc., arrived last week at Federal Medical Center Devens, 39 miles west of Boston. He is serving a 57month term for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, tax obstruction and transportation of stolen property across state lines. Kirtland is scheduled to be released Aug. 8, 2015. “That’s no guarantee,” said Kirtland Bob Lanza, a prison spokesman. “That’s as long as he behaves.” For now, Kirtland is incarcerated inside the prison’s Special Housing Unit, reserved for inmates awaiting designation. He must clear medical tests and other screenings before joining many of the other 1,000 minimum- to maximum-security inmates held on the decommissioned army base. While more than half of inmates are assigned to Devens for medical reasons, Lanza said, a medical or mental health condition is not a requirement. “He’s in a cell, either by himself or with another inmate,” Lanza said. “He’s in there 23 hours a day. He gets one hour a day of recreation, and he is escorted to that. His meals are served to him three times a day.” The routine likely will continue for another couple weeks, until testing and screenings — such as those for tuberculosis — are complete. Kirtland cannot qualify to have visitors until he has been cleared for general population.
Please see HEAT, page 2A
Please see TICKETS, page 2A
A little more than a year after he first gave punting a try, Free State High School senior Kale Joyce is now a five-star recruit and the ninth-ranked punter in the Class of 2012. The ranking puts him in line for a possible spot on a Division I college football team. Page 1B Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo
FOOD
Cook with lemongrass Lemongrass is often used in Thai cooking but, despite the name, has nothing to do with lemons. Find out more about the culinary grass and how to use it. Page 8B
“
QUOTABLE
Word is spreading about the great atmosphere here, and in the process we’re creating an event that will be great for the Lawrence economy and for area spectators.” — Bob Sanner, of the Lawrence Convention and Visitors Bureau, on the third annual Tour of Lawrence bike races, which take place this weekend. Page 3A
COMING THURSDAY We’ll go hang out with Red Dog’s Dog Days participants as they shape up.
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INDEX Business Classified Comics Deaths Events listings Food Horoscope Movies Opinion Puzzles Sports Television Vol.153/No.180
6A 1C-8C 10C 2A 8A, 2B 8B 9C 5A 7A 9C 1B-5B 5A, 2B, 9C 26 pages
Energy smart: The Journal-World makes the most of renewable resources. www.b-e-f.org
HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY TEACHERS Drew Ising, Junction City High School, left, and Scott Sharp, De Soto High School, steady themselves Tuesday along rocks across Potter Lake as they measure the level of algae of the lake as part of a National Science Foundation grant. As summer temperatures soar, experts recommend that people who work outdoors protect themselves against the heat.
Hot weather can be dangerous, so here’s what to do to keep cool By Karrey Britt
Remember the contest
kbritt@ljworld.com
It’s going to be hot, hot, hot. Kelsey Angle, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said temperatures are going to reach triple digits Thursday with a heat index of 105. And the heat is sticking around. The NWS has issued an excessive heat watch for Douglas County from Thursday to Saturday. “People should take appropriate precautions because the heat will build this week and last through the weekend,” Angle said. Doctors and veterinarians warn that people need to take the heat very seriously because it can be fatal. Dr. Charles Yockey, of Lawrence Memorial Hospital, said those most at-risk are the elderly, outdoor laborers and athletes. He said the elderly don’t perspire as much as younger adults and because they aren’t perspiring they may not recognize how hot they are. And younger adults may actually perspire so much that they become dehydrated. Yockey’s tips for avoiding heat exhaustion:
● Take precautionary measures: Drink plenty of water, avoid alcoholic and caffeinated beverages, wear loose-fitting and light-colored clothing and limit outdoor activities to early morning or late evening if possible. ● Know the warning signs: urinating less frequently, light-headedness, dizziness, rapid heart beat, nausea and muscle cramps. ● Treatment: Rehydrate with water or a sports drink, get rid of unnecessary clothes, use cool, moist cloths to cool skin and use a fan. Don’t do any physical activity for the rest of the day. Heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke. That’s when the body is unable to regulate its temperature. The sweating mechanism fails, the body is unable to cool down, and temperature may rise to 106 degrees or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. If this happens, call 911 immediately. “That’s basically where your brain thermostat goes berserk and nothing works right. It’s a true critical med-
As the temperature creeps toward triple digits, check LJWorld.com to see if you're a possible winner in the 100Degree Day Contest! For the rest of the week, we'll list that day's possible winners. The person who correctly guessed the day and time that Lawrence records its first 100degree day will win a summer prize pack from LJWorld.com. The contest is no longer open for entries. ical emergency with a very high mortality rate,” Yockey said.
KU considering policy to allow study in countries with travel warnings By Andy Hyland ahyland@ljworld.com
Officials who oversee Kansas University’s study abroad program are considering a policy that would allow students to study in countries with state department travel warnings if a committee of KU officials deems it to be safe. Current KU policy forbids any undergraduate students from studying in any country with a state department travel warning. Sue Lorenz, director of KU’s study abroad program, said that some graduate students and facul-
ty members can apply for exemptions from the policy through KU’s Office of International Programs to pursue their research. The move could give KU the flexibility to allow students to study abroad in situations where the risk to their safety remains minimal, despite travel warnings. “When there was (a tsunami) that was located in Japan, we had a student in the far west of Japan that probably wasn’t very close to the action at all,” said Susan GronbeckTedesco, associate vice provost for international programs. Also, a warning regarding drug
violence in Mexico has caused KU to suspend its long-standing arrangement with a university in Puebla, a city far south of much of the violence. Lorenz said the review committee would potentially include KU administrators, one or more people who could offer legal counsel, someone from the international programs office and someone from the Office of Study Abroad. The committee might also get advice from faculty and staff who have expertise in the areas under consideration, Lorenz said. KU’s current policy is in place at
many other public institutions, Lorenz said, but many private institutions have regulations that aren’t as restrictive. KU’s new committee and new policy could be in place by the spring 2012 semester. “We needed to take a look at this policy,” Gronbeck-Tedesco said, and review the kinds of policies that could expand available options while still ensuring the safety of KU students studying abroad. — Higher education reporter Andy Hyland can be reached at 832-6388. Follow him at Twitter.com/LJW_KU.