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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, January, 11, 1995
11A
Yard litter, urination annoy people who live near bars
By Sarah Morrison Kansan staff writer
While students may appreciate the wild night life found in Lawrence bars, residents living near some of those bars are fed up with it.
Residents of the 1300 block of Tennessee Street say patrons of the area's three bars litter, vomit and urinate in their yards as they hop from bar to bar.
Gretchen Gwalney, who lives across the street from Bull Winkle's Bar, 1344 Tennessee St., said people walking to Bull Winkle's from the 18th Amendment, 1340 Ohio St., and The Wheel, 507 W. 14th St., often stop to urinate in the yard of her apartment building.
Gwatney said she became fed up with the situation last summer after people urinating in the yard had trampled and unrooted plants.
Once, she confronted a man who was urinating in her garden.
"I asked him to please not step in my garden and told him not to pee in my yard," she said. "He then became belligerent and followed me into my building cussing and yelling at me and my boyfriend."
Gwalitne is not the only resident of the building at 1343 Tennessee Street who says the bar patrons are a nuisance.
Another resident of the building wrote a letter to Jo Andersen, Lawrence mayor, detailing the residents' complaints.
The letter, written at the end of October, said as many as 60 people a night urinate in the building's yard.
Bob Moody, vice mayor, said he remembered reading the letter. The city can only act within the guidelines set by a city habitual public nuisance ordinance, he said.
The ordinance, passed in 1992 in response to residents' complaints about a bar on Ninth Street, says the Lawrence City Commission can revoke or suspend a drinking establishment's license if the commission feels it is not operating in the public's interest.
Moody said the establishment must be deemed a public nuisance, and the owners and operators of the bar must have failed to take action to eliminate the problem.
Tucker Trotter, manager of Bull Winkle's, said employees of Bull Winkle's had taken steps to remedy the problem.
Trotter said the bar operated an outdoor beer garden during the warm months, and patrons often jumped over the fence and urinated in the yard across the street rather than battle bathroom lines inside the establishment.
"We have doornent out there trying to tell people not to do it, but they just claim that they are leaving," Trotter said. "We know it's a problem and we have tried to deal with it."
Litter from the bars is another complaint residents of the building have.
Trotter said Bull Winkle's is planning to add more bathrooms in the spring. Beyond that, he said he did not know what else Bull Winkle's could do.
Gwalmuthey said the bar employees apparently did not do a sufficient job of enforcing a city law that prohibits patrons from taking beer bottles and cups outside with them when they leave a bar.
"Ultimately, the bottle bottles and cups end up in my yard," Gwaltney said. "The bars should do a better job of making sure that doesn't happen."
Gwalitey said the bars' management should also help pick up the trash generated by their establishments that is strewn through residents' vards.
Gwalitney said she would also like to see the area Greek houses whose members frequent the bars take more action.
"A lot of the problem has to do with the students' housing in the area," she said. "I would like to see the fraternities and sororites on Tennessee take more responsibility as well."
K-State student stabbed in dorm
The Associated Press
MANHATTAN — A Kansas State University student died of a single stab wound to the chest, according to the results of an autopsy completed yesterday.
Taton was found in a hallway of Goodnow Hall about 4 a.m. Monday with a wound. He died about 2 1/2 hours later in Memorial Hospital.
An investigation is continuing into the death of Ross Taton, 19, of Argonia, said Capt. Robert Mellgren of the university police department.
A filet-style knife with a 6-inch-long blade was found in Taton's room in the dormitory.
"We're investigating as a homicide," Mellgren said. The University police department was working on the case with Riley County police and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
"We're ruling out nothing at this point," he said. "Since there were no witnesses ... anything is possible at this point."
Investigators were conducting interviews, but they had no suspects or motive in the death. Mellgren said.
The university planned to step up security on campus because of the death, Mellgren said.
"We're going to probably try to increase patrols around the residence halls, and we're asking residence hall staffs to add more activities until we get this resolved," he said.
Shah Hasan, assistant director of housing and dining services, said Kansas State officials had scheduled meetings each night through tonight in the lobbies of all residence halls to keep students informed and to answer questions and concerns.
Spring semester classes begin today at the University.
Goodnow Hall, which houses about 500 students, was about 25 percent to 30 percent occupied Sunday night, with most students expected to return to campus Monday or Tuesday, the University said.
Dole considers forming group to explore presidential run
TOPEKA — Bob Dole has said he will probably form an exploratory committee to study running for president in 1996.
The Associated Press
Dole said Sunday, while attending Gov. Bill Graves' inaugural ball, that he would decide within the next week to 10 days whether to form the committee.
"It's probably going to be a positive decision," Dole said.
The new U.S. Senate majority leaders said his decision whether to form an exploratory committee doesn't necessarily indicate whether he'll seek the GOP nomination.
"I think an exploratory committee ought to be what it is — you ought to see if it's real out there and (if) you have a chance to take a look and see how much support you can muster." Dole told reporters.
He said the final decision about running would probably come in mid-March or early April.
"I want to be certain I can do the majority leader's job and be a candidate." Dole said. "I think I can."
He said President Clinton appears to be getting back on the offensive after the November elections that gave Republicans majorities in the House and the Senate for the first time in 40 years.
Dole said House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Georgia, and other House Republicans deserve to be excited.
"We adjourned the Senate so we could go over and watch what was happening" in the House last week, Dole said. "I didn't think it would ever happen in my lifetime."
Dole said he does not see his role as Senate majority leader to be a moderating influence on Gingrich, who is noted for his partisanship.
"Some people have suggested that I should be the referee between Gingrich and Clinton," he said. "I don't think that's my role."
Matt Flickner / KANSAN
Kicker goes here
Clifton Realsback, Bartlesville, Okla., junior, checks his list to make sure that Marc Steinle, Olathe junior, is not a bad check writer. Steinle was one of many students purchasing books at the Kansas Union yesterday.
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