SUNSHINE
Tomorrow's weather
Partly cloudy with a high of 42 and a low of 26.
The University Daily Kansan
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Sports: They're off! Members of the Kansas track and field team had 11 first-place finishes in the KSU/MU/KU triangular meet Saturday.
(USPS 650-640) • VOL. 110 NO. 85
SEE PAGE 3B
MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2000
Inside: Bill Bradley says Al Gore jumped into bed with special interests.
SEE PAGE 7A
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Worth the wait: A Smashing ticket
Band's tour kickoff sells out in 24 minutes
By John Audlehelm writer@kansan.com Kansa stuffer writer
The Smashing Pumpkins, a Grammy Award-winning rock band, is kicking off its world tour in Lawrence today with an in-store appearance at 6 p.m. at Kief's CDs and Tapes, 2429 Iowa St., and a concert at 8 p.m. at the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St.
The band is promoting its new CD entitled MACHINA/ the machines of God, in stores Feb. 29, and it wants to give its true fans a chance to meet the members.
Tickets went on sale at 2 p.m. yesterday for $20 a ticket, with a two-ticket per-person maximum to prevent scabbing.
Some fans waited more than 12 hours through a cold night to get tickets. Jim Picard, Granada employee, said that the roughly 700 tickets were sold out in 24 minutes.
He said that people tried to start camping at 8 p.m. Saturday, but Granada employees told them to come back at 2 a.m. when the club shut its doors.
"We didn't encourage camping out overnight,"he said.
He said that the line wrapped around the block but that only the people between Granada's front door and 11th Street got tickets
If you weren't in line by 2 a.m. or didn't have friends to cut you in, Piccard said, you didn't get tickets.
She said that the club had not had much time to prepare and that the band's appearance had not been confirmed until Monday or Tuesday of last week.
Nicole Geist, manager at the Granada, said that the show's promoters originally had intended to announce the show today but that information had leaked to the radio early.
Geist said the whirlwind nature of the Lawrence stop and the small venue was Smashing Pumpkins' and Virgin Records' goal.
"They want to make sure the people who really want to see them can see them," she said. "They're doing it for the fans."
The chosen 80 who will get first crack at meeting the band were selected during the weekend by radio call-in contests.
Steve Wilson, manager of Kief's, said the instore appearance would start at 6 p.m. The band was obligated to stay an hour, he said, but members might stay longer.
Wilson said Kief's was working with KJHK and KQRC radio stations. The stations would announce the contest at certain times, he said, and the first 10 callers got wristbands from Kief's.
He said winners had to wear the wristbands from the time they received them until the appearance.
"Showers or no." Wilson said, "they will have to wear them for that period of time."
He said fans who did not win wristbands could wait outside Kiel's for a chance to meet the band. Fans are limited to one autograph per person per item, Wilson said, but the band would not sign musical instruments.
Wilson said the appearance was mostly Smashing Pumpkins' and Virgin Records' show.
"We're just the host for it." he said.
Wilson said his understanding was that Billy Corgan, the band's lead singer, had approached Virgin Records and said they should work with independent stores.
Kief's helped found the Coalition of Independent Music Stores in 1995, Wilson said, and had a good reputation, which may be why Kief's was selected for the appearance.
"For all I know," he said, "Billy could have shopped at our store when they were still in a bus."
Barbara Berry, Olathe freshman and one of the radio contest winners, said she was a big among Pumpkins fan and that between albums, bootlegs and imports she owned more than 20 of the band's CDs.
"Words cannot express how excited I am," she said.
Above: Martene Del Percio, Chicago native, waits at the front of the Smashing Pumpkins ticket line in front of the Granada Sunday afternoon. Below: Joseph Proffitt, Lawrence freshman, and Emily Proffitt, Lawrence resident, wait for Smashing Pumpkins tickets in the alleyway behind the Granada. Although the tickets did not go on sale until 2 p.m. yesterday, many fans spent the night in front of the Granada to getickets. Photos by Nick Knauz/KANSAN
Fire forces many from apartments
Crews respond to 3 area blazes
By Mindie Miller writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
An apartment fire — one of three Lawrence fires in three days — forced dozens of residents out of their homes Friday afternoon and into frigid temperatures and falling snow.
By yesterday afternoon, residents still had not been allowed to return to their homes at Southridge Plaza Apartments, 1704 W. 24th St. A representative of Innovative Security stood guard at the front door, turning people away who tried to return early.
"It'll be tomorrow afternoon or early evening before anyone's allowed back in," he said. "Some of the doors were knocked down by firefighters. The owner wants to get those replaced before any one comes back in the building." It took about two dozen Lawrence firefighters 20 minutes to extinguish the fire Friday, which forced more than
"The Red Cross is checking in with as many residents as we can. They're probably not going to get back in tonight."
Michelle Jantz
Executive director of the Douglas County chapter of the Red Cross
30 residents from their homes. Most residents found refuge with friends or family members, but several sought assistance from the Douglas County chapter of the Red Cross.
The chapter had a disaster team on hand to deal with the survival needs of displaced people. Michelle Jantz, executive director, and her staff were compiling a list of residents.
"The Red Cross is checking in with as many residents as we can," Jantz said. "They're probably not going to get back in tonight."
See FIRE on page 3A
Parking meter hike could be instituted
By Brent Wasko and Gary Cloward
Special to the Kansan
University of Kansas students who use parking meters may have to dig deeper into their pockets to help pay for the University's new parking garage.
Donna Hultine, assistant director of parking, said the parking board was considering a proposal to raise the price of all long-term parking meters from 50 cents to $1 per hour. No date has been set for when the increase would take effect.
The parking board is offering the profits to help finance the construction of the new parking garage adjacent to the Kansas Union. Chancellor Robert Hemenway has final approval on what the parking fee will be on the new meters.
"Our hope is that the new garage will be self-sustaining." Hultine said. "The one we have now does not make any profit."
When completed, the new garage will have 818 parking stalls, 500 of which will be metered. Meters around the Kansas Union will be removed and replaced with open stalls for people who own yellow and blue
"Our hope is that the new garage will be self-sustaining. The one we have now does not make any profit."
Donna Hultine
Assistant director of parking
parking permits.
Hultine said the new garage would help significantly with the parking problems at the University.
"Once we open up the garage, we can remove quite a few meters, which would open up more spots for students and faculty," she said.
Site Construction Manager Roger Harmon said construction crews would complete the new garage by early August. Construction began in June 1999.
"The things have been going great for us so far," Harmon said. "The only problem we have had with the site is the traffic. Sometimes we can't get all the trucks in the area. It all comes down to coordinating well."
Lawrence residents shun Super Bowl touchdowns for tunes and touch-ups
Bv John Audlehelm
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Yesterday afternoon the store, at 700 New Hampshire St., held an anti-Super Bowl Sunday to provide a relaxing alternative to a day traditionally filled with football, said Susan DePrenger, Borders community relations coordinator.
"This way people will be relaxed, and then they can go home and deal with the game," she said. "Not everybody is eager to hear football all day long."
Lawrence residents looking for an alternative to the Super Bowl pregame show yesterday found facials, massages and Celtic tunes at Borders Books Music & Cafe.
DePrenger said the store's corporate office wanted all the stores to do a Super Bowl event, either pro or con.
J. J. Melton, third-year law student, said she was at Borders for the anti-Super Bowl event and for the free facials provided by two Mary Kay consultants.
"All the Borders across the country are doing a Super Bowl event sometime this week," she said. "We chose the more radical."
Dickinson said she was going to a friend's house to avoid watching the game with her two sons and brother.
Lauren Mike, Mary Kay independent consultant and Borders employee, said she served about seven women for her session, which lasted about an hour.
"We're here for the makeovers," she said.
Jane Dickinson, Lawrence resident, had a manicure.
That was a good turnout, she said, because she could give all the women personal attention.
Teja Curry, owner of Rose Water Healing Arts in Baldwin, was offering massages and aroma therapy for $5 per person. She had a steady stream of customers.
Curry said she normally charged $25 to $30 for a massage, so Borders customers and people attending the event were getting a good deal.
Mininder Kaur, Lawrence resident, was was at Borders anyway and decided to get a massage. She said she felt wonderful and had not realized how much she had needed a massage.
"This woman has a good, healing touch," Kaur said.
Scotch Bonnets, a local Celtic band, played from 2 to 4 p.m. at the event for a full Borders cafe.
Carol Babinski, Lawrence resident, said she had come to see her friend Allen Macfarlane, who plays the hammer and dulcimer for the three-member band.
Macfarlane said Scotch Bonnets was playing at Borders because another band member was also a Borders employee. He said he did not know how many people were there to see the band play and how many were also shopping.
"They're definitely interested in what we're doing," he said.
Jessie Kuatamia, Mary Kay beauty consultant, gave local residents an alternative to watching the Super Bowl yesterday at Borders Books Music & Cafe, 700 New Hampshire St., with facial demonstrations. The anti-Super Bowl event also features songs and Celtic music. Photo by Jamie Roper/KANSAN