WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10.2002
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 5A
STATE NEWS
House votes to keep open prisons Graves wanted closed
The Associated Press
The House voted overwhelmingly yesterday to save five minimum-security prisons that Gov. Bill Graves targeted for closing to save the state money.
On a 100-20 vote, House members added an amendment to a bill outlining about $50 million in construction and repair projects for the state's next fiscal year, which begins July 1. The institutions Graves targeted are prison units in Osawatomie, Stockton, Toronto and separate conservation camps for male and female offenders in Oswego.
House members continued to debate the capital improvements bill, which funds most of the building projects separately from general government operations. The Senate planned to take up it own capital improvement bill yesterday.
The House's action on prisons would restore about $5.6 million to the Department of Corrections budget for the next fiscal year. Graves proposed closing the five prisons because he and legislators must eliminate a projected $700 million gap between expected revenues and required spending over the next 15 months.
Graves argued that even though the state's prison population continues to increase, the Department of Corrections actually has a surplus of minimum-security space. Closing the five institutions would cost the state 486 beds.
But Rep. Doug Gatewood, D-Columbus, who offered the amendment to keep the prisons open, and supporters of his plan argued that the state would need the space eventually.
Rep. Jene Vickrey, R-Louisburg, said: "If we close these facilities, we're going to be back here next year building facilities. It doesn't make long-term sense."
But Rep. Joann Pottorff, R-Wichita, asked Gatewood where the state would find the money to keep the prisons open.
"Gatewood replied: 'We'll figure that out later."
Quadruple birth yields two sets of twin babies
The Associated Press
WICHITA — Genetic testing confirmed yesterday that quadruplets born to a Kansas mother were indeed two sets of spontaneous identical twins — an event so rare that her doctor says the odds of it happening are one-in-25 million.
happening here. Christina Tetrick, 28, left Wesley Medical Center yesterday, and her baby boys are doing well and should be home by mid-May.
Their father, Pat Tetrick, 34, may not be able to greet them. As a member of the Army Reserve, he's awaiting deployment overseas to assist the war on terrorism.
As she prepared to leave the hospital, Christina Tetrick said her husband could have probably won a hardship release from his military obligations, but they decided together that he should serve.
"I just think of the women that have lost their husbands forever, and the families that have lost their dads forever," she said, "and sending mine away to help bring those people to justice is a very small price."
His unit was also activated in 1990 for the Gulf War, and again in 1997 for Operation Joint Guard in the Balkans.
All of Christina's family lives in St. Louis, and her mother cannot stay long to help because her husband is seriously ill. Patrick's family lives in Wichita.
"Right now, I just can't get over being completely ecstatic. All the boys are healthy," she said. "If postpartum depression is going to be a part of it, I'm sure it wouldn't happen until Pat has to go back. I'm usually a pretty upbeat person."
Yesterday, DNA testing of the quadruplets confirmed that Peyton Michael and Parker Adrian are identical twins, as are Camden Louis and Christian Steven.
In the last three generations on her side of the family, relatives have counted six sets of twins, five of them identical. Going back four generations on her side, they have found 11 sets of twins.
The Tetricks were not using fertility drugs.
Dr. Margaret H. O'Hara told reporters after the birth that the chances of two pairs of identical twins by a single pregnancy is 1-in-25 million.
a single pregnancy The quadruplets' birth Friday was overshadowed in part by the birth the following day of sextuplets at another Wichita hospital.
But the advertising agency the Tetricks hired to help them find corporate sponsors to help meet the family's new financial burden said there was interest in the quadruplets even before the sextuplets.
"We are just very happy all the babies are doing well," said Jerry Pierce of Lottridge Advertising.
Girl's body found in car trunk
The Associated Press
ROELAND PARK — A 19-year-old Roeland Park man is expected to be charged today in the death of a high school student whose body was found in the trunk of his car, police said.
The victim was Amanda Sharp, 17, of Shawnee, who was a student at Shawnee Mission North High School, said Johnson County Sheriff's Captain Vince Werkowitch.
Werkowitch said investigators
were still trying to determine the relationship between the two, and he declined to say how Sharp died. Investigators would not say how the informant knew about the crime, nor what a possible motive may have been.
Officers found Sharp's body in the trunk of the suspect's parents' car about three hours after he arrived at his family's home Friday night. Investigators went to the home after they got a tip that the man might have killed a girl.
Sharp had missed all her classes Monday. Detectives spent much of the day looking for the suspect because they were relatively certain the girl's body was in his car and they did not want to give anyone time to hide the body during the night. The search ended when the man pulled up to his family's house about 7 p.m.
"We're real lucky that we had a storyteller that came forward quickly and it fell together so well." Werkowitch said.
Sixteen birds poisoned, found dead
The Associated Press
PITTSBURG — More than a dozen birds, including some federally protected species, were killed at a public park after they ate strychnine-laced milo, authorities said.
Personnel from the Pittsburg State University Nature Research Center collected a dozen dead birds Sunday and four more on Monday from Lakeside Park, totaling 16 dead animals.
Joey Williams, director of the center, performed preliminary autopsies and discovered grain in
the birds' craws, A Pittsburg veterinarian confirmed the grain was laced with strychnine, which is available at feed and grain stores and is generally used to control moles and gophers.
Williams said six crackles, a mourning dove, a mallard duck and a Canada goose were killed. Those are all federally protected species, which means whoever laced the milo could be fined up to $10,000 and get up to a year in a federal prison for each bird.
The killings of the domestic ducks and geese maintained by the city could be prosecuted as
misdemeanors under the city's cruelty to animals ordinance. The penalty is a fine of up to $100 per animal. Williams said some of the deaths could also fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which will get a copy of the police report.
Williams said he suspected bored kids were responsible, but he doesn't expect to know unless someone offered a reward for information.
"I would love to see somebody at least get caught for it ... make them think twice," he said.
please drink responsibly, after 9pm sodas are free!
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Call or stop in TODAY for private showing
Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm Sat.10am-4pm Sun.1pm-4pm
April 11-12 Ocean's Eleven
April 11
Tunes @ Noon
All movies shown in Woodford Auditorium Level 5, Kansas Union. Tickets are $2.00 and can be purchased on the day of the show at the Hawk Shop, Level 4, Kansas Union
Kansas Union Plaza
April 1-12 KU Textiles and Metalsmithing Senior Show
Timetable Cover Design Contest
Kansas Union Gallery Level 4, Kansas Union
Applications available in the SUA Office, Level 4, Kansas Union
April 15-26
Elaine Gluck Echibit
Weekly Committee Meetings
Kansas Union Gallery Level 4, Kansas Union
it's still not too late to join a committee to help plan for next year Check with the SUA Office for times and locations of meetings
student union activist
Level 4, Karnas Union
785-864-SHOW
www.kuu.edu/~suw
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
For locations call the SUA Office at 864-SHOW
TICKETS OR SALE NOW
BENCH LINES Series: EW De Klerk
$2.00 with KUID
$5.00 Non-KUID
Other events at the Union
The KU School of Fine Arts and the Kansas Union Presents Wednesday, April 10 Paul Stevens
Brown Bag Classics
Alderson Auditorium, Level 4, Kansas Union 12:30 pm to 1 pm
Thursday Afternoon Tea 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Traditions Area, Level 4, Kansas Union. Free sweets and tea.
Friday Freebies
1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
FRIDAY FREEBIES kjhx
Atruim, Level 3, Kansas Union
THE BOUND ALTERNATIVE
Questions about these or other SUA events? Call the SUA Office at 864 SHOW