Lawrence Journal-World 11-14-11

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City hard-pressed to stop sign thefts By Christine Metz cmetz@ljworld.com

The stealing of traffic signs — almost a rite of passage among today’s teenagers — has cost the city of Lawrence more than $30,000 this year. And, those costs are something that the city’s traffic engineer David Woosley thinks many vandals don’t consider when eyeing the streets for their latest living room decor. “It’s not something that comes to mind, that your tax dollars are being spent to install and maintain them,” Woosley said. “And, if you do something to cause a safety hazard, then it’s an incident that can really cost the public.” So far this year, 230 signs have been stolen (or in Woosley’s words “have disappeared”) within the city limits. And replacing them has cost the city between $30,000 and $35,000. Those numbers are nothing out of the ordinary. “It’s just one of those things you pretty much have to live with,” Woosley said. By far, signs with the name of streets are the most common ones stolen. In fact, 84 were reported missing this year. You have until the end of this story to guess which street sign in Lawrence is the most popular one to steal. The biggest concerns are when stop signs are stolen. So far in 2011, there have been 56 taken, Woosley said. For drivers on unfamiliar roads, missing stop signs can lead to serious accidents, especially at intersections where drivers on the other road have become used to vehicles stopping. Lawrence Police Sgt. Matt Sarna said when the police are notified of a stolen stop sign at an intersection, they’ll stand by until the public works department replaces it. “People need to be aware of the dangers that the loss of signs poses and have to think about the consequences if there was a major accident at an intersection that would lead to death or serious injury of innocent civilians,” Sarna stated in an email. Also on the list of safety concerns are one-way street signs. “But most one-way streets, if you go down the wrong way, you notice it pretty quick,” Woosley said. Neither the police department nor Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical recall any accidents that have been attributed to stolen traffic signs. But both warn of the potential danger it might cause. “It is not a joke or a prank to take signs but very serious and definitely a crime,” Sarna noted in an email. In Lawrence, it’s a misdemeanor crime, but the penalty could be greater depending on the person’s criminal history or the number of signs they have. The fire department doesn’t often rely on street signs for directions, Fire Chief Mark Bradford said. All the trucks have electronic and print maps inside them, and the drivers are familiar with the neighborhoods within their districts. But they do use the signs as confirmation that they’re headed in the right direction. “So, if a street sign is gone, it might hamper that,” Bradford said, but noted a far bigger problem is the unreadable numbers on houses. No parking signs are also popular ones to steal, and 63 have been taken so far this year. Woosley said that’s partially because people believe if they steal the no parking sign, they can’t get ticketed for parking there.

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School ranks third in Big 12 for study abroad, and foreign student enrollment increasing By Andy Hyland ahyland@ljworld.com

Kansas University ranks third among its current Big 12 Conference peers in the number of students studying abroad, and 39th in the country among doctoral institutions, according to a report from the U.S. government due to be released today. KU had 1,345 people study abroad in the 201011 academic year, according to the report, behind only the University of Texas, with 2,284, and Texas A&M University, with 1,844, in the Big 12. Sue Lorenz, KU’s director of the Office of Study Abroad, said the office was looking to continue to grow those programs. “That is certainly what we’re going to be aiming for,” she said. KU has more students who are interested, she Please see KU, page 2A

Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photos

VOLUNTEERS BAG HUNDREDS OF POUNDS of surface scum pulled from Potter Lake on Sunday. Using a boat and a rope to circle around areas of vegetation, the scum was pulled to shore by a truck, removing unwanted aquatic vegetation from the pond.

Volunteers resuscitate Potter Lake

Please see SIGNS, page 2A

By Chris Hong chong@ljworld.com

Kansas University students removed more than a ton of vegetation out of Potter Lake Sunday, part of an ongoing effort to restore the campus landmark. More than 40 students helped clear the lake, which required two boats and the occasional assistance of a pickup truck. Please see POTTER, page 2A

Recession takes a bite out of the free lunch By Chris Hong chong@ljworld.com

Ask Lawrence restaurant owners about the problems on their plate, and they’ll probably mention rising food prices. Subarna Bhattachan, coowner of Zen Zero, 811 Mass., is one such owner. He buys his products domestically and from Thailand, where food prices have also increased. He said the dollar’s weakened value makes the problem a “double whammy

My experience in 35 years in the restaurant business: Sell something too cheaply, and it loses its value. If it’s free, it’s not valuable.” — Chuck Magerl, owner of Free State Brewing Co. and a partner in WheatFields for us.” Greg Mann, co-owner of Dempsey’s, 623 Vt., said food prices have risen since the restaurant opened in 2008. “If that continues to happen,

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we’ll probably see a problem,” Mann said. Bhattachan said he finds creative ways to reduce his costs. Last year, he changed his employee meal policy: Instead of

receiving a free meal during their shift, workers now get a 50 percent discount. Since the recession began in 2008, other local restaurants have cut back on kitchen freebies. Ingredient, 947 Mass., used to give employees a free meal when they worked. But now, they pay half the menu price, according to Ian White, general Kevin Anderson/Journal-World manager. TAYLOR GUSTAFSON IS A SERVER at Dempsey’s, 623 At Encore, 1007 Mass., emVt. She gets a half-priced lunch when she works. ployees receive a 25 percent Many restaurants used to feed employees for free Please see LUNCH, page 2A but can no longer afford to do so.

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COMING TUESDAY A look at the Tuesday night matchup between the Jayhawks and the Kentucky Wildcats in New York City.

Vol.153/No.318 36 pages

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