PAGE 8A
MONDAY, APRIL 2, 2012
COMMUNITY SERVICE
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Students volunteer at more than 20 sites in town
KELSEY CIPOLLA
kcipolla@kansan.com
The men's basketball game wasn't the only big event on Saturday. Earlier in the day, almost 2,000 students volunteered across Lawrence as part of the University's Big Event, a day of giving back to the community.
Groups of students were assigned to one of more than 20 different job sites at Lawrence schools, businesses, churches and residences. Jobs lasted from 9 a.m. to noon or from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Members of Delta Gamma worked to prepare a garden area at Stepping Stones Childcare Center, where kids can plant vegetables. Members also cleared brush and weeds and painted footprints near the playground to show the children where to line up to go inside.
Abbey Buchanan, a freshman in Delta Gamma from Chaska, Minn., said she was excited to find out their work would benefit kids.
"They're going to be so excited when they come back to school on
Monday," Buchanan said
From the crimson and blue decorations in the classrooms and the school bus windows marked with "Go KUI." Buchanan could tell the kids were big fans of the University and said it felt good to show the kids the University supports them.
Lori MacDonald, a preschool teacher at Stepping Stones, said that parents usually help prepare the garden in the spring, but this year it has been harder to get parents to volunteer.
"Having the KU students here is great," MacDonald said. "They're fun, and they're really hard workers."
At Free State High School, students from the Mount Oread Scholars program planted trees, prepared a community garden, and built a pathway to make the garden more accessible.
Graham Naasz, a freshman from Overland Park, said when he heard about an opportunity to serve his new community earlier this year, he wanted to give back.
here is helping out in a big way' Naasz said.
"I really think what we're doing
The Big Event also benefited the volunteers, Taylor Kady, a freshman from Dirby, said volunteering at the Big Event helped her get to know other students and curb the stereotype that college students are selfish.
"College kids are always stereotyped as only wanting to do something for them," said Kady. "I think it's really cool to come out here and get up early on a Saturday morning and sacrifice your time to help others."
Dan Bjornson, a junior from Overland Park and the executive director of the Big Event, said that several volunteer groups dropped out last week because of the conflict with the basketball game, but he still considers the event a success.
"There's a great feeling that you get from pulling off something like that and making a difference in someone's day," Biornson said.
Edited by Caroline Kraft
students volunteer behind the Lawrence Arts Center as a part of the Big Event that took place Saturday. The event lasted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. while students visited multiple sites to volunteer, from Free State High School and elementary schools to residents' homes needing assistance.
JESSICA JANASZ/KANSAN
SCHEMES
Campaign treasurer to face 14 years in prison for fraud
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California campaign treasurer pleaded guilty Friday to defrauding at least $7 million from a high-profile roster of politicians in the largest embezzlement case of its kind.
But the resolution of the criminal case is expected to do little to help victims recover money they lost in the scheme that the U.S. attorney said highlights the shortage of regulations governing campaign finance managers.
Kinde Durkee entered the pleas to five counts of mail fraud in U.S. District Court in Sacramento. The crimes could have carried a
maximum penalty of 100 years, but her plea deals calls for a possible sentence of 11 to 14 years. Durke's attorney said he will argue for a shorter term.
who pleaded guilty to operating the largest Ponizi scheme in history.
Prosecutors say Durkee, 59, ran a complex shell game from her Burbank office in which she shifted millions of dollars between bank accounts for politicians, community groups, personal accounts and those of her business, Durkee & Associates.
Durkee's scheme relied on the trust of her victims, who included U.S. Dianne Feinstein, who has said she lost $4.5 million, along with members of Congress and state lawmakers.
U. S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner believes the actual fraud was closer to $10 million, and called Durkee "the Bernie Madoff of campaign treasurers," referring to the infamous New York financial manager
"People would provide and trust her with money based on that trust, and that's certainly something that she took advantage of," Wagner said.
The deception has left numerous candidates with little or no money in their campaign accounts, which have been frozen since Durkee's arrest.
DESIGNER SKIN
CALIFORNATAN
CARS FROM PAGE 1
said Newberry.
Newberry planned on taking pictures and video of the crowd for Kiss FM, a Lawrence radio station. Since fans were rocking his car, He refused to travel far from it and didn't have the chance to celebrate in the bars.
"I planned on getting insanely drunk and have failed miserably," Newberry said. "My car wasn't flipped over or set on fire so I can't complain much."
The Lawrence police department closed Massachusetts Street when the game ended and re-opened it before 6 a.m. on
Sundav.
Jay Solbach, a Lawrence resident, wasn't concerned when he learned that the street had been shut down. He said he had a good time celebrating and reviving up his 1986 Chevy pick-up truck.
"It's loud, makes people get in the mood and it pumps them up," Solbach said.
Overall, the owners were good sports about their vehicles being stuck within the chaos on Massachusetts Street.
"It doesn't bother me at all," said. Dean. "I'll be here drinking right with it."
- Edited by Caroline Kraft
FANS FROM PAGE 1
not just confined to the city's downtown. Dan Kieser, a bartender at Johnny's Tavern, 401 N. 2nd St., said all three bar areas and the patio at Johnny's were full Saturday night.
Across town at Saints Pub and Patio, 2329 Iowa St., General Manager Travis Leroux said that Saints was at capacity for the whole game, but as soon it was over, most people left for downtown.
Stephanie Kusek, a junior from Chesterfield, Mo., said she watched the game a few blocks from Massachusetts Street at a house on Kentucky Street.
"As soon as we won, everyone jumped up and started running downtown," Kusek said.
Unlike excited University of Kentucky fans, who, according to the Associated Press, burned couches and turned over cars in Lexington Ky., Lawrence fans celebrated with limited incidents.
Lawrence Police Sgt. Ted Bordman said the Saturday night shift commander told him crowd control after the game went smoothly. Bordman said Lawrence police made three arrests for battery and disorderly conduct. He said he was not on duty that night, but had not heard of any significant reports of property damage when interviewed.
Edited by Christine Curtin
HEALTH
Abortion rates in Kansas down in last five years
TOPEKA, Kan. — Fewer abortions were performed in Kansas in 2011, marking the fifth consecutive year the numbers have dropped.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reports that about
7,800 abortions in Kansas were reported by doctors, or 6.2 percent less than the nearly 8,400 abortions performed in 2010.
The figure for last year also is 30 percent lower than the nearly 11,300 abortions performed in 2006.
Abortion opponents attribute the decline to anti-abortion laws enacted
last year and suggest women are responding to information about pregnancy.
A prominent abortion rights advocate told The Kansas City Star that the laws are forcing women to obtain abortions outside Kansas.
STATE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
STATE Rally planned to repeal law after Martin's death
TOPEKA, Kan. — A Topeka rally is planned to push for the repeal of a Kansas stand-your-ground law modeled after one in Florida. Stand-your-ground laws have been in the news since the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager by a neighborhood watch captain in Florida.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that community activist Sonny Scroggins is organizing the Topeka rally. He is urging demonstrators to gather at 4:45 p.m. Monday on the south side of the State Capitol building.
17-year-old Trayon Martin who was killed Feb. 26 in the Florida town of Sanford. George Zimmerman, a neighborhood crime-watch captain, has claimed self-defense and has not been charged in the shooting.
Demonstrators also will remember
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHECK OUT OUR KANSAN COUPON!