THURSDAY,FEB.14,2002
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 5A
A touch of Irish in downtown Lawrence
Club attracts lively crowd
By Lauren Beatty
Kansan staff writer
Aqui said DJ Tom Meagher played a mix of Jamaican boogie, ska, reggae and Motown.
AARON LERNER/KANSAN
Coco by day, loco by night.
a restaurant during the day that doubles as a club at night, Coco Loco, 943 Massachusetts St., is a burgeoning hot spot downtown. A wide variety of music and a party atmosphere are among the main draws to the Mexican cafe.
"It's fresh to the young people who have never heard the original versions of 'The Tide is High,' or 'Red, Red Wine,' things that have
Kelfel Aqui said that's how some people described his downtown Mexican cafe, Coco Loco, 943 Massachusetts St.
Aqui, a 1994 KU graduate, said his restaurant was becoming the latest hot spot in Lawrence for all types of music, including hip-hop, top 40, jazz and rock. Aqui said more than 100 people showed up when deejays or bands played at Coco Loco. Recently, Monday nights have become reggae night.
"I'm willing to bet that in all the Midwest and perhaps beyond, there's nothing going on like Monday nights over here." Aqui said.
Not everyone goes to Coco Loco for the
But Holly Worthen, McPherson senior, said she went to Coco Loco on Fridays and Saturdays because she enjoyed Latin music. She said she would probably check out reggae night at least once,
Aqui opened Coco Loco seven years ago. From the start, Aqui wanted to make Coco Loco not just a restaurant, but an entertainment experience. He said it started with dance club music on Saturday nights and then bands started coming in. Within the last year, more than 100 bands have played from all over the county, Aqui said.
been covered over and over. Tom plays the original." Aquisaid.
Aqui said the response to reggae night had been good, and a lot of musicians and artists attend.
"It was a good idea from the get go," Aqui said. "It's not on the radio. It's not on TV."
although she didn't go out much on Monday nights.
"The music isn't a big draw for me. It's more the atmosphere and the people," Terrazas said.
music. Cindy Terrazas, Leoti junior, said she liked Friday nights because it was ladies night.
Aqui said Coco Loco would start playing host to poetry readings and theater and bands would also start playing regular dates each month.
Contact Beauty at
lbeaty@kansan.com.
This story was edited by
Anne Morgenmeier.
Suspected terrorist blows up self
The Associated Press
Sameer Mohammed Ahmed al-Hada, 25, was trying to flee from Yemen authorities who had staked out his house in San'a, police officials said.
SAN'A, Yemen — A suspected al-Qaida member, believed to have links to one of the Sept. 11 hijackers, blew himself up yesterday evening after being cornered by security forces in a San'a suburb.
Authorities believed al-Hada was a brother-in-law of Khalid al-Midhar, one of the 19 hijackers from the Sept. 11 attacks, and also a brother-in-law of one of the 17 men named by the FBI in an alert issued Monday warning of a possible terrorist attack, according to a U.S. government source, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Officers approached al-Hada as he left his house, but the suspect ran and tried to throw a grenade that detonated in his hand and killed him instantly, police said. No police were injured.
Red Lyon Tavern A touch of Irish in 944 Mass. 832-8228 downtown Lawrence
Al-Hada was the son of Ahmad Mohammad Ali al-Hada, a known al-Qaida operative, according to a U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. However, the suspect's name does not appear on a U.S.-produced list of Yemenis believed to be suspected al-Qaida members.
Police arrested a man who was sitting in a car outside al-Hada's house at the time, the officials said on condition of anonymity. No further details on the arrest were available.
The explosion, which happened near San'a University, came two days after the FBI issued a warning of more terrorist attacks — either in the United States or against U.S. interests in Yemen. It identified 17 men believed to be involved in the plans.
The warning identified the possible ringleader as Fawaz Yahya al-Rabeei, a Yemeni citizen born in 1979 in Saudi Arabia. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said al-Rabei is believed to have links to al-Qaida but is not believed to have
been involved in the attack against the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden in October 2000 that killed 17 U.S. sailors.
According to the police, the rental contract had ended and his landlord asked al-Hada for documents to renew the contract. Al-Hada did not provide the documents and the landlord informed the police.
At least two terror suspects believed to be in Yemen, Qaed Salim Sunian al-Harethi, allegedly a top al-Qaida official, and Mohammed Hamdi al-Ahdal, are wanted by the United States for the Cole attack.
Police said that they had learned about al-Hada from his landlord.
Yemen's government admitted there may be alQaida suspects in the country,but said the network had no military training camps or any other organized presence.
The police began inquiries and suspected he was an active al-Qaida member in Yemen and that he had also been to Afghanistan. They did not specify when he was there.
Neighbors said that al-Hada spent most of his time inside his house, rarely had visitors and had claimed to be a San'a University student.
Following yesterday's explosion, security officers searched al-Hada's house and seized two pistols, documents, books, a mobile telephone and a piece of paper that contained telephone numbers, police said.
Yemeni Interior Ministry officials said they informed U.S. Embassy staff in San'a of yesterday's incident. Other police sources said both FBI investigators and Yemeni security officers were studying the documents taken from al-Hada's house.
Yemen, the poorest country of the Arabian Peninsula, has committed itself to joining the U.S. war on terrorism. But Yemeni officials have said this cannot be done without U.S. training, military assistance and aid.
Candies . Cookies . Ice Cream
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23rd & Naismith Lawrence, Kansas (785) 830-8603 Hours: Mon-Sat 9:00-8:00pm / Sun. 12:00-6:00pm
Training Leaders for the Community
Cinema Showcase
TLC continues to "Raise the Bar" with a FREE Screening of
"A Walk To Remember"
Rated: PG Featuring Mandy Moore
Thursday, February 14,2002 FREE 7:00 pm Showing South Wind 12 Theaters.3433 Iowa St., Lawrence
Free Prizes Both Nights: DVD, VCR, Discman Contact TLC at (785) 843-0357 for details!
Socrates Probably Never Dreamed of an Endowed Professorship.
And he never wore a plastic headband. But being named to a KU endowed or distinguished professorship would have made even Socrates want to dance a jig in his chiton.
Beyond the honor of the title comes some serious cash from KU Endowment.
When donors set up professorships, they work with KU to assure that the recipient will bring world-class credentials to the University. In that respect, the professors help attract other outstanding scholars and students, continually building KU's quality across the curriculum.
The $14 million a year for endowed chairs and professorships comes with another $6 million for faculty travel, conferences, awards and lectureships. That's an extra $20 million just this year for KU faculty.
INVEST IN EXCELLENCE
KU's campaign, KU First, intends to raise $500 million by 2004.
Because a Top 25 university can never have too many accomplished scholars.
Providing visual excitement for over 110 years