THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2002
GREENTHUMB
Courtney File, Beloit senior, waters a Ficus elastica, or rubbertree plant, as part of her duties at the four greenhouses on the third floor of Haworth Hall. "I've learned a lot about plants working here," she said.
AARON SHOWALTER/KANSAN
City faces different inspection laws
Other counties have contracts with state department
By Meredith Carr Kansan staff writer
the heavy door slowly opens.
A wave of cool air brushes past leaving goose bumps, and there it is.
A container of raw beef sets on a shelf over fully cooked ham and turkey in the walk-in cooler — dripping. There are live flies in the kitchen, and some dead are mixed in with already prepared food. Further inspection finds the blade guard on a meat slicer contains dry food around the edges. A waitress is noticed handling dirty dishes and then the clean dishes without washing her hands.
Although a hypothetical situation, it's a health inspector's worst nightmare.
In Kansas, most counties are contracted with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for inspectors, but Douglas County is not a contracted county. Other state inspectors do the restaurant checks for the Lawrence area. But not all restaurants get inspected annually.
Most Lawrence restaurants haven't had severe violations. Mike Heideman, director of public information for KDHE, said the most common risk factor citations were employees not washing their hands and bare-hand contact with food.
Heidman said after a post audit by the state, counties that were contracted with KDHE were being inspected more often than the counties that were not
Read more about food inspections, including an article about food inspections and the greek system
contracted.
"That doesn't necessarily mean that is why a certain percentage of restaurants in Lawrence haven't been inspected on the annual basis." Heideman said.
The six risk factors include food source and condition, whether the food is being adequately cooked, proper climate of the food, whether there is cross contamination or if the equipment is contaminated, whether the establishment practices poor personal hygiene and whether
there are any environmental risk factors.
Rusty Schumm, owner of Buffalo Bob's Smokehouse, 719 Massachusetts St., said the restaurant was inspected annually. The restaurant had been cited earlier this year for "improper storage of meat, and the blade guard on the meat slicer contained food debris."
"They're just doing their job and the guidelines are fair," Schumm said.
Heideman said people shouldn't be afraid from restaurant inspection violations.
"People are under the impression that because establishments have had risk factor citations they shouldn't eat or buy food from
Contact Carr at mcarr@kansan.com. This story was edited by Jeremy Clarkson.
Investigation of student's murder moves slowly
Kansan staff writer
Bv Rachel Keeseee
The investigation into the death of Shannon Martin, a university of Kansas student who was murdered last year in Golfito, Costa Rica, is going slowly.
Jeanette Stauffer, Martin's mother, met with Costa Rican officials to mark the progress of the investigation while she was in Costa Rica from April 26 to May 3.
She said one of her main goals was to be certain a witness would speak up about Martin's death.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3A
Martin, Topeka senior, was stabbed to death in Golfito, in May 2001. She was walking from the Jurassic Bar to her host family's house when she was attacked. Martin was working to complete biology research that she had started there the year before while in a KU study abroad program.
The Organization of Judicial
Investigation (OJI), a Costa Rican organization similar to the FBI, arrested one suspect, Katia Cruz, who has refused to talk, in November 2001.
"They have circumstantial evidence, but not enough to prosecute," Stauffer said. "There are people that know."
But those people are afraid to come forward, she said, because they might be killed.
"Drugs are rampant over there," Stauffer said. "There are people that know, but they also do drugs."
She said she concluded from her visit that people using cocaine killed her daughter with no apparent motive.
Stauffer said she would not stop working toward getting someone to step up to testify. One step she, her husband, Brad Stauffer, and her lawyer, Pedro Irigonegaray, took was handing out 750 fliers about the $50,000 reward posted for information
about Martin's death.
"We're going to hand out more in a lot of other areas in Costa Rica." Stauffer said.
She said she was unsure of when she would return.
Stauffer said she hoped the reward would be a powerful incentive to get someone to speak.
"It's not over," she said.
Stauffer's daughter Sheri Martin, Topeka graduate student, said the legal system was different in Costa Rica.
"People don't understand that drugs are much more powerful than the police there," Martin said.
Martin said she said she thought many things with the investigation went wrong.
"I'm really glad my mom's doing this," Martin said. "I don't think many people would have done what she's done. This is the only way she can take care of my sister. It's the best thing to do, I
Martin said she was concerned about other KU students who studied in Golfito.
"I just don't understand the mind frame of parents who let their children, the students, go there," she said. "It's not worth it to take the risk."
think."
Diana Carlin, dean of graduate school and international programs, said the Office of Study Abroad had added more safety procedures to the Costa Rica student orientation program.
"We had good safety procedures in place," Carlin said. "One thing we're saying now is that this did happen. It adds strength to us warning them to take precautions, because this can happen anywhere in the world."
Contact Keesee at kreesee@ kansan.com. This story was edited by Sarah Warren.
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