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MONDAY • JULY 4 • 2011
Tour of Lawrence offers thrills, spills
Mel Evans/AP Photo
WORKERS WALK PAST the square building that houses the nuclear reactor at the Oyster Creek nuclear plant in Lacey Township, N.J. Called “Oyster Creak” by some critics because of its aging problems, this boiling water reactor began running in 1969 and ranks as the country’s oldest operating commercial nuclear power plant.
Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photos
CYCLISTS MAKE A TIGHT TURN at the corner of Eighth and Massachusetts streets during Sunday’s Men’s Pro 1/2 event, the final event of the Tour of Lawrence. See more coverage of the competition in Sports, page 1B, and video of the event at LJWorld.com.
Slick streets add new element to race By Chris Hong chong@ljworld.com
As Andrew Farmer explained why he came to Sunday’s Tour of Lawrence bicycle race downtown, the sound of scraping metal suddenly arose from the corner of Eighth and Massachusetts streets. About eight riders had just crashed, and it was only the first lap of this race. Just another part of the excitement that is criterium racing. A criterium is a high-speed road bike race that occurs on a short, closed course. The Lawrence course covered a mile and took racers along Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont streets. The length of the race increases with the skill level of the racers — the novice categories raced for 25 minutes while Sunday night’s professional race lasted 75 minutes. Farmer said he was impressed with the racers’ skills. “It’s fun to see them come around the corner at insane speeds,” he said. Jose Alcala, whose SRAM Neutral Support team helps racers with equipment problems, said criteriums are a great spectator sport. The racing is exciting, and riders pass by every few minutes, he said. Alcala said the racers need
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It’s fun to see them come around the corner at insane speeds.”
U.S. nuclear regulators weaken safety rules By Jeff Donn Associated Press Writer
— Tour of Lawrence spectator Andrew Farmer great bike-handling abilities to navigate the technical courses. He said eff iciency is key because riders need as much energy as possible for the final laps of the race, which generally end in a mass sprint. However, riders do manage to break away from the main group, also known as the peloton. Several times during the race, organizers will announce “primes laps,” which offer a prize to the first rider across the line. Racing intensifies during these laps and gives racers a chance to escape. Alcala, who travels to bike races across the country, said Lawrence’s eight-turn course is one of the best he’s seen. Tour of Lawrence activities began Sunday morning with the Mass Street Mile run and the children’s bike race. Heather Harper, of Olathe, participated in the run while her children, Connor, 9, and Lauren, 7, rode in the children’s race. Her husband competed in one of the bike races later Please see TOUR, page 2A
ENJOYING THE CYCLING RACE and a meal outside La Parilla, 814 Mass., during Sunday’s Tour of Lawrence events, from left, are Dave Byrne, Beth Ennis and her husband, Fred Ennis, all of Lawrence.
LACEY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Federal regulators have been working closely with the nuclear power industry to keep the nation’s aging reactors operating within safety standards by repeatedly weakening those standards, or simply failing to enforce them, an investigation by The Associated Press has found. Time after time, officials at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission have decided that original regulations were too strict, arguing that safety margins could be eased without peril, according to This is Part records and interviews. One of a fourThe result? Rising fears part series that these accommodalooking at the tions by the NRC are sigaging nuclear nificantly undermining facilities in safety — and inching the the United reactors closer to an acciStates. Part dent that could harm the Two will public and jeopardize the examine leaks future of nuclear power in found at many the United States. nuclear sites. Examples abound. When valves leaked, more leakage was allowed — up to 20 times the original limit. When rampant cracking caused radioactive leaks from steam generator tubing, an easier test of the tubes was devised, so plants could meet standards. Failed cables. Busted seals. Broken nozzles, clogged screens, cracked concrete, dented containers, corroded metals and rusty underground
This series
PARENTS TRY TO PREPARE their children for the Kids Bike Race that was part of the Tour of Lawrence event.
Please see NUCLEAR, page 7A
Teen volunteer brightens patients’ lives at LMH By Micki Chestnut Special to the Journal-World
Bryce Ridgway knew how he wanted to mark his 14th birthday. He wanted to become a youth volunteer at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. It’s an unusual birthday request, but Ridgway is an unusual teen. In the year and a half since he submitted his volunteer application on the day he turned 14, Ridgway has logged nearly 400 volunteer hours at LMH, won the admiration of LMH staff and volunteers, and earned himself a nomination as the 2010 Wallace Galluzzi Outstanding Volunteer Award for Youth, presented annually by the United Way Roger Hill Volunteer Center.
Ridgway, a sophomore at Free State High School, has volunteered in nearly every area of the hospital, whipping up meals in the cafeteria, manning the information desk and transporting patients. But his favorite task is listening to patients talk about their lives. “All the patients have their certain stories, and if they are old enough, they will spill their life stories out to you,” he said. Ridgway has spent many hours listening to patients as he joins them for meals or to play games. Working with an array of people at LMH has given him more confidence. “I’ve learned how to communicate better with people and not to jump to a conclu-
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Today’s forecast, page 10A
gives up sleep to volunteer?” Last year, LMH used 870 adult and youth volunteers, who provided 65,000 hours of service, Carl Stutz said. “We couldn’t do much of what we do as a hospital without our volunteers,” she said. “We would be at a loss without them.” In August, LMH will begin taking applications for youth volunteers for the 2011-2012 school year. For more information, visit lmh.org or contact Carl Stutz at becki.carlstutz @lmh.org or 505-3146. Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo
— Micki Chestnut is associate director of the United Way Roger Hill Volunteer Center.
● See current volunteer
opportunities on page 2A.
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sion based on their appearance,” he said. The impact Ridgway has had on LMH is remarkable, said Becki Carl Stutz, student volunteer coordinator for LMH. “It’s highly unusual to see a freshman in high school dedicate so many hours to volunteer activities on top of school and other extracurricular endeavors. So the fact that he finds time to be here over 20 hours a month is amazing. “He comes in over school breaks and during snow days, because, in his words, ‘It’s better than sitting at home playing video games.’ But what is most impressive about Bryce is that he comes in on Sunday mornings at 7:30 a.m. to volunteer. What kid do you know that
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LAWRENCE TEEN BRYCE RIDGWAY volunteers at Lawrence Memorial Hospital doing everything from greeting people to helping out in the cafeteria. He says that he especially enjoys conversing with patients and that the experience has given him confidence and made him a better communicator.
COMING TUESDAY It’s party time in Lawrence, and we’ll tell you all about how the community celebrated Independence Day.
Vol.153/No.185 36 pages
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