Wednesday, April 7,1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 5
Commission to lift Lawrence tenants with city housing
By Jamie Knodel
jknodel@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Some Lawrence officials are hoping that new city-owned housing will give residents the boost they need to establish themselves as good tenants.
At last night's Lawrence City Commission meeting, commissioners unanimously approved $128,000 to purchase buildings that can be used as transitional housing. The money will come from a Community Development Block Grant.
"We are hoping to give people in distress a chance to get on their feet," said Lynn Goodell, director of housing and neighborhood development.
In 1998, the commission accepted a plan for the grant and said the money must be used for either transitional housing or to purchase a building that would contain two of Lawrence's existing housing centers.
Goodell said the two agencies that were attempting to receive the grant money were Project Acceptance, a user-run house that is rented to mentally ill adults, and the Community Drop In Center, an agency that provides food, peer counseling and other services to the homeless.
"We set out criteria for the agencies to be partners, but we have reached a point where neither agency can meet the requirements." Goodell said.
The city commission outlined criteria last year and said the agencies must be able to support
a full-time professional administrator.
At last night's meeting, Mike Wilden, city manager, said the Housing and Neighborhood Development committee already had approved the grant money to he sent on transitional housing.
Helping individuals find transitional housing was the second phase in the committee's steps to better housing.
"After an individual completes an emergency housing program, they need some place to stay," Wildgen said. "That's where transitional housing comes in." Goodell said the group would look for a duplex to purchase as transitional housing.
After much discussion about the definition of a plat — which is how the county divides land to record ownership — commissioners agreed the way plates were written should be revised. They agreed that a proposed Dillons project on Wakarusa and West Sixth streets should not be penalized for the lack of clarity.
"We should look into solving the language problems before we run into this again." Commissioner Erv Hodges said. "But we should get this project on the road."
Commissioners approved the agreement that Westgate L.C., owners of the land, submitted.
Commissioners also approved an ordinance for the drinking establishment of Los Amigos, 508 Locust St. The bar has a 1:00 a.m. cut-off time for serving alcohol and a 1:30 a.m. closing time.
— Edited by Sarah Hale
Bridge lovers play champion hand
Professors post win at Canada card tourney
By Chris Hopkins
chopkins@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Two lifelong bridge players did their parents proud during spring break.
James Gunn, professor Emeritus of English, and Harry Shaffer, professor Emeritus of economics and of Russian and East European studies, won the North American Bridge Championship March 18-29 in Vancouver.
Bridge championship. Despite a background in bridge that began in their childhood years, neither professor has played in a bridge tournament in the past two decades.
"I started playing the game when I was 10 years old," Shaffer said. "My mother owned bridge clubs in Vienna and New York."
Gunn said his parents put cards in his hand as soon as he could sit at a table. He played bridge with his father and won several tournaments but hadn't played in a tournament since the 1950s.
Instead, he played every day during his lunch hour. Shaffer also hadn't played in a tournament in at least 25 years, which he said was because of his other important obligations—his wife and daughter.
Bridge is a card game in which the deck is dealt out to four players divided into two teams. The players bid on how many cards they think they can win and play out the hand to see if they can make their bid. Players win cards, or tricks, by having the highest card in the suit that the first player has laid down.
Shaffer said that bridge was comparable to
More information For the comprehensive rules of bridge, go to: www.bridgeworld.com/begin.html
chess and enjoyable because of the complexity and strategy needed to win.
"It's a real mental challenge to get the best out of your hand," he said.
Shaffer said that Gunn was better than he and that Gunn had been the best bridge player in the area for the past 25 years.
"Harry is subject to exaggeration sometimes," Gunn said, laughing.
Duplicate bridge, which is what they played at the tournament, eliminated luck from the game. Each table of two teams receives the same hands of cards. Pairs are graded on how well they do compared to other teams. In regular bridge, players are dealt random cards and win the game by collecting as many tricks as possible.
Shaffer and Gunn earned an expenses-paid trip to the national tournament in Vancouver after they finished second in a Kansas City tournament.
James Gunn, professor Emeritus of English, and Harry Shaffer, professor Emeritus of economics and of Russian and East European studies,队 up for a game of bridge at the Lawrence Senior Center, 745 Mont St. Photo by Graham K. Johnson/KANSAN
The pair played in Flight C, the lowest-level tournament because they hadn't earned enough master points, which are gained by winning tournaments and which advance players to a higher level.
They played well in their first round at Vancouver, becoming one of 28 pairs to advance from the original 72 entered. They continued in the tournament and won with 432.41 points.
Shaffer estimated that he and Gunn had played more than 300 games throughout the tournament.
Although Shaffer and Gunn beat their closest opponents by 19 points — which they were told was pretty good — Shaffer thought that they could have done better.
Shaffer said the pair would try to defend the title but only if the regional qualifying tournament was close to home.
"The only places we ever go to play are
Lawrence. Toecka and Kansas City." Shaffer said.
While Gunn, Shaffer and members of the Lawrence Duplicate Bridge Club were happy with the victory, Gunn said one person was discontent with their prizes.
"All I got was some master points, and my wife said 'They didn't give you a trophy or a certificate or anything?'" Gunn said.
— Edited by Steph Brewer
Keep It Clean
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