THE UNIVERSITY DARRY KANSAN
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2007
NEWS
3A
CONCERT
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
From left, Nate Walcott, Mike Mogis and Conor Oborst make up the indie folk-rock band Bright Eyes, which has recently seen some mainstream success. The group will play a show at 7:30 tonight in the Lied Center. The students are still available at the SLIA office.
Bright Eyes takes stage at Lied
Students say band's folk-rock style to fit well in Lawrence
BY MATT LINDBERG
mlindberg@kansan.com
Student Union Activities will bring the indie folk-rock music scene to Lawrence at 7:30 tonight when Bright Eyes hits the Lied Center stage.
Stephanie Altoro, Castle Hill, N.Y., junior and SUA live music coordinator, said the idea to bring Bright Eyes to the University stemmed from a meeting of the SUA live music committee last semester. She said the band was happy about the gig.
"Bands know what Lawrence is about," Altoro said. "They know it can do a lot for upcoming artists and that Lawrence has a big music scene."
The band consists of singer/guitarist Conor Oerst, multi-instrumentalist Mike Mogis and Nate
Walcott, with additional rotating members who play alongside the trio. They have released 11 albums since 1988 and have had some mainstream success. They've performed on both the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Show with David Letterman, had a song featured in the film "Knocked Up," and their songs "Lua" and "Take It Easy" each took the top spot on Billboard's Top 100 singles chart in 2014.
Josh Adams, Overland Park freshman, said he thought the band was a perfect choice because the group's music was original enough to bring a lot of different people to the show.
"I like Bright Eyes because they have a certain diversity within their music that makes it stand out," Adams said. "I like to be able to listen to a band that doesn't get old over time. Bright Eyes is a band that
is always changing their style."
Altozo said the group had a lot of great music to offer to students, even ones who weren't necessarily fans of the band.
"I really didn't know much about them." Altoro said. "I started listening to them because I was curious, and they are great. The lead singer is a wonderful songwriter."
Jason Wiley, Topeka sophomore, said he was looking forward to the show.
"They are a great band and just sort of starting to become well-known, so it's nice to see them get a chance here," he said.
Tickets for tonight's show cost $15 for students and $25 for the general public. Tickets are still available at the SUA box office.
OREAD INN
Hotel plan up for review by City Commission
Edited by Tara Smith
BY MARK DENT mdent@kansan.com
In Oread Inn, Tom Jennings, a planning commission member, sees a new, student-friendly future complete with spaces for Greek functions, wedding receptions and, coffee shop.
Patrons at The Crossing don't They see a tall building with no tradition, life or excitement.
"I would never go there," Dallas freshman and Crossing patron Zachary Taylor said.
Both visions could soon become a reality. The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission voted 9-1 in two decisions to recommend approval to the City Commission for the project Monday night. It will have to go before the City Commission before it is formally approved.
"Certainly The Crossing isn't a bad place," lead commissioner Grant Eichhorn said, "but I don't think they're going to miss it."
Oread Inn is a proposed seven-story hotel slated to be built at 12th and Oread streets. If the proposal is passed, the building that houses The Crossing, Beat the Bookstore, Big Burrito and the now-closed Yello Sub would be torn down.
Oread Inn wouldn't just be a hotel. The structure would include a ballroom that Jennings said would be a good place for sororities and fraternities to have formals and parties. Parents of students would be able to stay for parents weekends, he said.
The plan also calls for retail space on the lower levels of the structure. Paul Werner, architect for Oread Inn, hasn't talked to specific businesses yet, but said the space could include
coffee shops and restaurants.
The hotel and all the extra features also mean jobs for students, Jennings said.
"I think this replaces money spent here in a much more positive way," Jennings said.
Getting students to think the same might be a little more difficult. Yello Sub, which has been closed since July, The Crossing, Big Burrito and Beat the Bookstore are all places where students spend time and money.
The Crossing had been a mainstay at the north end of campus for years. Taylor and Adrian Levsky, Glastonbury, Conn., freshman, have been coming to The Crossing at least once a week since school started. Both said the place had helped them meet people, something they said was important because they came to Kansas from far away. Levsky said
coffee shops and restaurants couldn't replace their current hangout.
"There's plenty of places to eat around here," he said. "You could go to Big Burrito or Massachusetts Street."
Students such as Levksy and Taylor might not have to worry yet. Although the Planning Commission issued a formal recommendation, commission members still questioned its 95-foot height and the possible parking problems. Last month, the Historic Resources Commission voted unanimously against the project because it didn't meet the standards necessary for structures built in the vicinity of historic districts.
The City Commission will likely give the final decision about Oread Inn next month at the earliest.
Edited by Elizabeth Cattell
>> NATURAL DISASTER
Fueled by 70 MPH winds wildfire destroys 600 homes
BY ALLISON HOFFMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN DIEGO — Wildfires blown by fierce desert winds Monday reduced hundreds of Southern California homes to ashes, forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee and laid a hellish, spidery pattern of luminous orange over the drought-stricten region.
At least one person was killed and dozens were injured. More than 600 homes burned, nearly 130 in one mountain area alone, and thousands of other buildings were threatened by more than a dozen blazes covering at least 520 square miles.
Soon after nightfall, fire officials announced that 500 homes and
100 commercial properties had been destroyed by a fire in northern San Diego County that exploded to 145,000 acres, said Roxanne Provaznik, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry. The fire injured seven firefighters and one civilian, and was spreading unchecked.
Firefighters — who lost valuable time trying to persuade stubborn homeowners to leave — had their cut out for them as winds gusting to 70 mph scattered embers onto dry brush, spawning spot fires. California officials pleaded for help from fire departments in other states.
"A lot of people are going to lose their homes today," San Diego Fire Capt. Lisa Blake had said earlier.
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