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FRIDAY • JUNE 3 • 2011
McLouth teen shot to death director during trip to Costa Rica ofNew KBI named Kirk Thompson has served as a captain in the Topeka Police Department. Prior to that, he served for 30 years with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
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Appointment of Kirk Thompson subject to Senate confirmation By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photos
KIANA HERNANDEZ, 12, left, and Jessica Rogers, 12, arrive for a candlelight vigil for Justin Johnston at the United Methodist Church in McLouth.
Small town unites in outpouring of grief By Shawn Linenberger
Lawrence students leaving today
slinenberger@theworldco.info
ONLINE: See the video and a photo gallery at LJWorld.com
Justin Johnston had a knack for putting a grin on the face of anyone with whom he made contact. “He was a real cool guy,” said Jeri Holwick, a friend and recent McLouth High graduate. “Even if I was having a bad day or one of my best days of my life, he found a way to make it just a little bit better.” Many in McLouth were remembering the McLouth High School junior in that way Thursday and finding comfort in each others’ arms. Johnston, 16, died early Thursday in Costa Rica, the victim of an overnight shooting. He was on a nine-day trip with 12 students and two school district sponsors for a MHS Spanish Club trip to the Central American country, school district Superintendent Steve Splichal said Thursday. Splichal, who delivered a written statement outside McLouth High School late Thursday afternoon, said he did not have information about the incident because the investigation was ongoing. The superintendent said
A dozen students from Southwest and West junior high schools in Lawrence are preparing to leave early this morning for a trip to Costa Rica. The trip was organized through EF Educational Tours, the same group that led Justin Johnston’s trip to Costa Rica. Johnston, a McLouth High School student, was shot and killed there Thursday. Two teachers from Southwest are serving as chaperones for the trip, said Julie Boyle, a district spokes-
McLouth student Justin Johnston students and staff would be returning before their originally planned return date of Tuesday. He did not specify when the students and sponsors would return. Splichal said counselors were being made available for students and sponsors in Costa Rica, as well as students and school staff in McLouth.
woman: Lisa Ball and Dani Lotton Barker. “They are in the process of communicating with their participants about the tragic news today,” Boyle said, noting that the Lawrence group “is reviewing safety precautions and security measures associated with its travel plans.” The trip is not organized through the Lawrence school district and is not considered a school trip, Boyle said. Participants are financing their own travel. — Mark Fagan
MORE THAN 300 PEOPLE GATHERED at the church Thursday night to memorialize Justin Johnston, 16, a McLouth junior who died while on a trip to Costa Rica.
Overflowing emotion Thursday evening, McLouth residents packed the McLouth United Methodist Church for a prayer vigil that Johnston’s
TOPEKA — Attorney General Derek Schmidt on Thursday announced the appointment of a longtime lawman, Kirk Thompson, as director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. Thompson, 54, of Topeka, will take over the agency from Bob Blecha, who is retiring July 1 after 44 years in law enforcement, including 31 years with the KBI and the last four years as director. “Bob Blecha has served Kansas generously and well,” Schmidt said. Since 2008, Thompson has served as a captain in the Topeka Police Department, where he is in charge of the Professional Standards Unit. Prior to that, he served for 30 years with the KBI, starting as a field agent and rising to associate director. Originally from Great Bend, Thompson started his career as a deputy sheriff in Barton County. “Kirk is a man of integrity, and he has the right experience and dedication to lead this vital safety agency,” Schmidt said. The KBI provides investigative and laboratory services to criminal justice agencies throughout the state. The appointment is subject to Senate confirmation. Thompson said his first order of business was to get back up to speed at the agency and help it navigate through tough budget times. — Statehouse reporter Scott Rothschild can be reached at 785-423-0668.
Park closes as flooding looms By Andy Hyland ahyland@ljworld.com
The Kansas River is expected to reach flood stage in Lawrence today and Saturday, according to officials at Douglas County Emergency Management. Thursday evening, Lawrence city officials said they would close Burcham Park until river levels had subsided. According to the city, the river was expected to overflow its banks and into the park sometime Thursday. The river could get as high as 18 feet in Lawrence in the late afternoon today, said Jillian Rodrigue, assistant director of Douglas County Emergency Management, which would place it at flood stage. As of Thursday morning, the river in Lawrence was measured at 15.35 feet, she said. At that height, Burcham Park on the south side of the river and lowlands on the north side of the river outside the levee would likely see flooding. It is important to monitor local media outlets and weather radios in case the forecast changes, Rodrigue said, and for families to have a plan if they are affected by flooding. She said people shouldn’t go down to the river or play in flood waters, as the river banks can become unstable during a flood. — Higher education reporter Andy Hyland can be reached at 832-6388. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/LJW_KU.
Please see McLOUTH, page 2A
Noted sculptor creating ‘sandrat’ mascot to honor North Lawrence residents By Andy Hyland ahyland@ljworld.com
ONLINE: See the video at LJWorld.com
As North Lawrencians from across the country reunite again this year to celebrate their history and to catch up with each other, they’ll have something else to celebrate. Elden Tefft, a Lawrence bronze
sculptor, is creating a 3-foot “sandrat” to commemorate the traditions and people of North Lawrence. “Sandrat” began as a derogatory term that people from across the river called North Lawrence inhabitants, but North Lawrencians, over time, adopted it as their own. The etymology of the term varies — with some of the stories being quite colorful — but
sandrat most likely is a reference to actual rats that live in the sand, said Patty Breithaupt, a North Lawrence resident. South Lawrencians were called “bluebellies,” a reference to their higher economic status. Their overalls, it’s said, were newer, so after a swim in the water, the dye would come off and turn their Please see SANDRAT, page 2A
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LAWRENCE SCULPTOR Elden Tefft applies coats of wax to “Sandy the Sandrat” in his studio in May. North Lawrence residents, who consider themselves honorary sandrats, were looking for a mascot and Tefft sketched out Sandy. The annual Sandrat reunion in North Lawrence is Saturday, and attendees can get an early look at the sculpture in progress.
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