HAPPY NEW YEAR! WORLD RINGS IN 2011
L A W R E N C E
JOURNAL-WORLD
®
75 CENTS
LJWorld.com
SATURDAY • JANUARY 1 • 2011
A HOW-TO FOR A NEW YOU
PHI GAMMA DELTA
KU fraternity sued by pledge injured at party Staff and wire reports
KANSAS CITY, MO. — A Stilwell man has filed suit against a Kansas University fraternity over injuries he suffered at a party in September. The Kansas City Star reported Friday that Matt Fritzie sued Phi Gamma Delta this week in Missouri’s Jackson County Circuit Court for unspecified damages. Fritzie, a freshman pledge from Stilwell, was injured Sept. 17 after jumping into a homemade pool constructed of sandbags and a tarp at the fraternity house, 1540 La. The lawsuit alleges Fritzie was ordered to dive into the pool during the fraternity’s “Fiji Island” party and suffered “severe injuries, including permanent spine damage and paralysis.” The lawsuit alleges that fraternity officials were aware of past problems with the annual Fiji Island party, and that national fraternity officials had specifically prohibited the building of any pools or ponds. The lawsuit also asserts that minors were allowed to drink alcohol during the party.
The Jackson County lawsuit filed this week names three defendants: the Phi Gamma Delta S S Chapter House Association, the fraternity’s national organization, and David R. Smith of Kansas City, Mo., who is a trustee and a member of the local fraternity’s House Corporation. Attempts to reach Fritzie’s attorney and representatives of the fraternity on Friday were unsuccessful. KU placed the fraternity on a two-year probationary period after finding that the fraternity violated KU’s Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities for hazing, though the university was not able to substantiate that the hazing resulted in physical injuries. As part of the probation, the fraternity will be alcohol-free through the 2011-12 school year and will not be allowed to have social events on chapter grounds through the Please see FRATERNITY, page 2A
Interactive map keeps track of city services By Mark Fagan mfagan@ljworld.com
Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo Illustration
Tips to make your resolutions successful By Karrey Britt kbritt@ljworld.com
The new year is a time when many Americans reflect on the past year and make resolutions for the coming one. Barbara Torgerson, child and family therapist at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, says it’s healthy to make resolutions, even if we often don’t follow through. “I think it’s an opportunity to start fresh and refocus our lives,” she said. Torgerson recommends making one to three resolutions — not 10. To be successful: Set realistic goals, be specific and frame them in a positive way. Lawrence community leaders offer more tips for the new year:
Try something new The Rev. Peter Luckey, senior
pastor at Plymouth Congregational Church, believes resolutions are healthy because they give us a goal and keep us from being stagnant in life. Luckey suggests making a resolution to try something new once a week or once a month that’s outside our comfort zone. It could be anything from food or a road trip to picking up a musical instrument or foreign language. “They really help us grow as human beings. They deepen our life experience, and the important thing isn’t that we succeed at it, but that we give it a try,” he said. Luckey is taking a trip next week to India — something that will be outside his comfort zone. “What’s really scary in life is not
Low: 6
Today’s forecast, page 10A
Eat healthier After the sugar-laden holidays, many people want to get on a healthier track with their diets. Nancy O’Connor, education and outreach coordinator at The Community Mercantile, said people want cooking classes on chocolates, cakes and cookies before the holidays, and then they switch to healthy cooking classes after the start of the new year. O’Connor advises residents to make small changes in their diet. “It’s much better to have one small success than trying to go after a dietary overhaul,” she said. Please see TIPS, page 4A
INSIDE
Staying cold
High: 28
failure, but looking back at life and wishing I would have taken the trip to India,” he said. “It’s better to have striven than not to have done anything.”
Some of the same detailed information that municipal engineers, administrators and other decision-makers use to schedule sewer repairs, plan pavement upgrades and determine development patterns now is available for all to see. One computer click at a time. On Wednesday, the city of Lawrence unleashed a beta version of an interactive map loaded with information in the city’s geographic information system, or GIS. The goal: Take the same facts used for everyday decision-making and information at City Hall and get it into the hands — through Internet browsers — of the public. “If you need to get driving (or) transit directions, or the location of a particular business, stick with Google or Bing maps,” said Micah Seybold, the city’s GIS coordinator, in a blog posted at the city’s website, LawrenceKS.org. “The city map is going to have city of Lawrence information too detailed and specific for the big commercial maps. “You can find out how your
Classified Comics Deaths Dilbert Events listings
6B-9B 9A 2A 10A 10A
Faith Horoscope Movies On the Street Opinion
7A 9B 5A 2A 8A
Puzzles Society Sound Off Sports Television
Join us at Facebook.com/LJWorld and Twitter.com/LJWorld
9B 4B 2A 1B-3B 5A, 2B, 9B
house is zoned, the quality of your street and when it was rated, the locations of underground pipes and depth of manholes, if your house is in a flood zone, where the nearest bike route is and other property information that commercial maps won’t have.” The interactive map — you can follow the link at LawrenceKS.org — admittedly is a work in progress. Seybold has set up a page on the site for providing feedback, such as suggestions for additional features. Plans call for adding more data in the future. Seybold’s advice for first-time users: Start by watching the instructional video at the site that includes his own descriptions for how the map works and what features it offers. Adds Chuck Soules, the city’s director of public works, who regularly checks various locations’ pavement-condition ratings (zero being the worst and 100 being the best), storm sewer alignments and drainage contours: “It’s more information for people to use, however it best fits their needs.” — Schools reporter Mark Fagan can be reached at 832-7188.
COMING SUNDAY We’re hanging out inside a local man’s teepee and you’re invited.
Vol.153/No. 1 44 pages
Energy smart: The Journal-World makes the most of renewable resources. www.b-e-f.org