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Little sun
High: 32
FEDERAL COURT
Low: 9
Today’s forecast, page 12A
INSIDE Jayhawks take on Cornhuskers today Nebraska’s men’s basketball team may be visiting Allen Fieldhouse for the final time for today’s game against Kansas University because it is headed to the Big Ten Conference next season. KU, which has beaten NU 15 straight times, looks to improve to 17-0 on the season and 2-0 in the Big 12. Page 1B ASTROLOGY
New sign? Horoscope readers upset Countless people reacted, some angrily, Friday to the report that the stars have shifted alignment, astrologically speaking, and that they may not be the sign they thought they were. Page 10A LAWRENCE
Man found guilty in day care sex abuse A Douglas County jury deliberated for four hours Friday and convicted a 68year-old man of sexually abusing a 4year-old girl at a rural Lawrence day care center in 2009. Page 3A
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QUOTABLE
It is hard to replace Judge Shepherd since many years of judicial experience walk out of the courthouse with her. But I’m proud to have the opportunity to be a judge in Douglas County.” — Kay Huff, Douglas County’s newest judge, who was sworn in Friday. Page 3A
COMING SUNDAY Candidates aren't exactly lining up at the Douglas County Courthouse to file for the local school board. So, what's the case for running? We explore the pros and cons.
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Ex-Williams Fund leader pleads guilty in tickets case Rodney Jones also agrees to cooperate in prosecution of others By Mark Fagan mfagan@ljworld.com
WICHITA — Rodney Jones pleaded guilty Friday to his role in a five-year conspiracy to steal, distribute and pocket proceeds from the sale of Kansas University basketball and football tickets through ticket brokers. Selling season basketball tickets through one broker alone generated proceeds of more than $975,000, the former assistant athletics director admitted in U.S. District Court in Wichita. “Are you telling the court that you’re guilty?” asked U.S. DisFormer ticket trict manager Kassie Judge Liebsch, had Wesley pleaded guilty to Brown. conspiracy the “Yes, day before. sir,” Jones said. Brown accepted Jones’ guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a conviction punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and responsibility for paying on a monetary judgment of up to $2 million. “He has accepted responsibility for his role in the diversion and sale of tickets from Kansas University,” said Gerald Handley, Jones’ attorney. “He deeply regrets his involvement in this episode. He apologizes to the university for his conduct. He has agreed to and is cooperating with the authorities to resolve the issues that are
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To me, funding schools is the absolute most important thing that we can do.” — House Democratic Leader Paul Davis of Lawrence
School budget under attack ——
But Brownback says his plan is necessary to avoid tax increase and to bridge $550M revenue shortfall By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
higher the points, the better seat selections. In court Friday, Jones admitted that he received tickets from Kirtland, Liebsch and Charlette Blubaugh — tickets that then would be sold through brokers, with proceeds returning to Jones to be split with fellow conspirators. One broker in the
TOPEKA — Democratic leaders in the Legislature on Friday criticized Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposal to cut base state aid per pupil back to levels last seen in the 1990s. They said the Legislature should try to repeal some tax exemptions and loopholes to find additional funds for schools. “To me, funding schools is the absolute most important thing that we can do,” House Democratic Leader Paul Davis of Lawrence said. The proposed cuts will result in teacher layoffs, larger Brownback class sizes and local property tax increases, educators and legislators have said. “Teachers deeply understand that students and their learning will suffer when teachers, counselors, librarians and support professionals lose their jobs,” said Blake West, president of the Kansas National Education Association. “Every community in our state depends upon its local schools,”
Please see FORMER, page 5A
Please see PROPOSED, page 10A
Jeff Tuttle/AP Photo
FORMER WILLIAMS FUND DIRECTOR RODNEY JONES, right, leaves the federal courthouse in Wichita Friday with his attorney, Gerald Handley, after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in the KU sports tickets scandal. Jones is scheduled to be sentenced March 31. referred to in the indictment.” The plea came a day after one of Jones’ former co-workers, one-time ticket manager Kassie Liebsch, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy. Three others remain charged with conspiracy and await trial Feb. 15: ● Charlette Blubaugh, who preceded Liebsch as leader of the ticket office. ● Tom Blubaugh,
Charlette Blubaugh’s husband and a former paid consultant to Kansas Athletics Inc. ● Ben Kirtland, former associate athletics director for development. Jones had worked as leader of the Williams Fund, whose members receive access to purchase KU tickets based on the number of points they have accumulated through monetary donations; the
Sierra Club files lawsuit against coal-fired plant By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
INDEX Business Classified Comics Deaths Events listings Horoscope Movies Opinion Poll Puzzles Society Sports Television Vol.153/No.15
LJWorld.com
SATURDAY • JANUARY 15 • 2011
TOPEKA — The Kansas Sierra Club on Friday filed a legal challenge to the state permit for an 895-megawatt coal-burning electric power plant in southwest Kansas.
The lawsuit alleges that the permit issued last month by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment fails to adequately control hazardous pollutants that could endanger Kansans. It also says that the permitting process was improperly influ-
enced by special interests. “When it comes to millions of tons of pollution for a coal plant that is not needed for Kansas, there is no place for mistake or misconduct,” said Stephanie Cole, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Sierra Club. The proposal by Sunflower
Electric Power Corp. to build a coal-fired plant near Holcomb has been at the center of controversy for several years. In 2007, then-KDHE Secretary Roderick Bremby rejected Sunflower Electric’s proposal to Please see SIERRA, page 5A
COURTS
Proposed legislation calls for prison in hit-and-runs By Andy Hyland ahyland@ljworld.com
After hearing from victims’ family members, Kansas lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make those who leave the scene of a fatal hit-and-run accident face prison time. The bill would increase the punishment for the crime to up to 32 months in prison. Charles Branson, Douglas County district attorney, said that one of the hardest things he has to do is explain to families of victims why the law doesn’t allow defendants to be held accountable for their crimes. “We have a problem in Kansas with DUIs and people circumventing DUI laws,” Branson said.
And in many of these hit-and-run cases, that’s exactly what’s happening, he said. Defendants are leaving the scene, and often turning themselves in the next day to Branson rob the state of evidence in a DUI case. As it stands today, someone who leaves the scene of a fatal crash would likely face only probation. “I think everyone knows it’s the right thing to do, to stay at the scene of an accident, and at least call the authorities for help,” said Jeff Stolz, whose sister-in-law, Rachel Leek, died in a hit-and-run accident in October 2009.
Leek was riding her bicycle just south of 10th and Tennessee streets when she was hit and left unconscious. State Rep. Paul Davis, DLawrence, and state Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, said at a Friday news conference that they supported the legislation. Davis said he introduced it after he heard from families who had been affected by the law, and saw defendants get off with lighter sentences than they deserved. “As folks in Lawrence and Douglas County are well aware, we’ve had a couple of terrible tragedies in the last couple years,” Davis said. Leaving the scene of a fatality accident would increase from a level nine person felony to a level five per-
son felony. The severity of the punishment for the charge of leaving the scene of an accident that caused great bodily harm would also increase under the bill, as the charge would increase from a level 10 to a level eight person felony. Davis expressed optimism that the bill would become law, and hearings for the bill will be scheduled soon. “I’ll be ecstatic if it happens,” said Ryan Crum, who has also fought for the changes in the law since his father, Thomas Crum, was killed in a hit-and-run accident in May 2008. “Basically what I wanted to do was force people to do what’s right.” — Higher education reporter Andy Hyland can be reached at 832-6388. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/LJW_KU.