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SUNDAY • MARCH 6 • 2011
Pantry seeks funding to stay open
KBA: ‘You get what you pay for’ By Christine Metz cmetz@ljworld.com
Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photos
BIZZ O’BRIEN, LAWRENCE, LEFT, PICKS UP SOME BREAD and other food items at the Just Food Warehouse on Feb. 25. Damien St. Julien, right, food bank warehouse manager, stocks the bread table with some items donated. Just Food needs to raise $75,000 by mid-April to stay open.
Just Food provides lifeline in tough times By Karrey Britt kbritt@ljworld.com
Three inches of snow, slick roads and bitter cold temperatures didn’t deter Lawrence residents from accessing the Just Food pantry in east Lawrence. It was Friday, Feb. 25 — the end of the month. That meant money was scarce and cupboards were pretty bare. Thirty-seven families used the pantry, five for the first time. They had lost jobs or just didn’t make enough to pay for utilities, housing and food. A majority were on disability; they had suffered a stroke, been in a car accident or had an illness, and were living on about $650 per month. These were ordinary people who had experienced extraordinary circumstances. Each was grateful for the pantry. “It helps a lot; every little bit counts,” said a 37year-old woman, as she waited in line with her husband, 40, and her 14-year-old son. “I don’t know how we would eat. We are barely getting by.”
HOW TO HELP Just Food, a Douglas County program that serves about 60 people per day, needs to raise $75,000 by mid-April to continue operations. Donations can be made online at justfoodfund.org or by mailing a check to Just Food at 1200 E. 11th St., Lawrence, KS 66046. For more information, contact Just Food at 856-7030 or visit eckan.org/ justfood.
Please see JUST FOOD, page 7A
FAIRLEY MCCAIN, LAWRENCE, A VOLUNTEER with the Just Food Warehouse, delivers bread to the warehouse on Feb. 25. McCain makes bread runs on Fridays and also volunteers on Thursdays.
Less than five years ago, the Kansas Bioscience Authority was an agency with two employees and a nearly empty office. Today, the organization responsible for cultivating bioscience growth in Kansas has a payroll of more than $2.3 million, 21 employees and a $10.8 million building it will move into by the end of the year. Those are numbers that KBA vice chairman Ray Smilor likes. “I’m not only comfortable, but I’m excited about it,” Smilor said. “Others look at us and ask, ‘My gosh, how did you do it?’” But some are uncomfortable with the KBA’s growth and spending. State Sen. Susan Wagle, RWichita, has asked for a foren- See how much sic audit of the agency. She’s Kansas called the staff ’s salaries, Bioscience bonuses and expense reports Authority CEO “lavish and flagrant” in a time and President when the rest of the state is Tom Thornton, cutting costs. Of the staff’s 21 employees, pictured, and 12 make more than $100,000. other KBA CEO and President Tom employees are Thornton’s base salary is making. Page 2A $265,000, another $43,000 goes toward benefits, and in 2010 he received a $100,000 bonus. Another $106,000 worth of bonuses were given out to 12 KBA staff members in 2010.
‘Extremely excessive’ The KBA’s spending on employees has more than doubled over the past few years. At the end of the 2007-08 fiscal year, wages and benefits were listed at $1 million. The Senate’s Commerce Committee, of which Wagle is chairwoman, has held three hearings on the KBA’s spending. Another is scheduled for Friday. “I’m excited about the bioscience authority. I’m excited about getting NBAF,” Wagle said. “But the money seems extremely excessive in this environment in Kansas.” Please see KBA, page 2A
City Commission candidates discuss approach to Lawrence economics Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles highlighting issues in the Lawrence City Commission race. By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
There’s a reason candidates for the Lawrence City Commis-
CITY COMMISSION
sion seemingly are always talking about jobs: Douglas County had fewer jobs in 2010 than it did in 2001. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 46,361 jobs located in Douglas County through June of 2010 (the latest numbers available). That’s about 200 fewer jobs than
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them, and Lawrence City Commission candidates have taken notice. But what do they intend to do about it? At first blush, all of the candidates can sound the same on the issue. After all, no one wins a City Commission election saying they want fewer jobs in the community.
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during the same time period in 2001. The state as a whole is in the same boat — it has lost about 2 percent of its jobs. But there are some Kansas counties, such as Johnson and Riley, that have bucked the trend and become job stars in the state. Douglas County isn’t one of
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Differences do emerge, though, as candidates talk about the issue in more depth. The Journal-World discussed economic development topics with each of the candidates last week. Here’s a look at what each had to say. Please see CANDIDATES, page 8A
COMING MONDAY A story about the first Kansans, part of a series of stories commemorating Kansas’ 150th birthday.
Vol.153/No.65 56 pages
Energy smart: The Journal-World makes the most of renewable resources. www.b-e-f.org
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