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6A=THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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STATENEWS
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Tuesday FEBRUARY 12
'NECKING WITH KJ
$ALT THE EARTH
GETAWAY DRIVER
CAMARO$MITH$
Wednesday FEBRUARY 13
SIX PERCENT
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explosion 9
Thursday FEBRUARY 14 SEAN-NA-NA MATES OF STATE APPLESEED CAST
New stalking bill proposed
The Associated Press
TOPEKA — Diane wakes up each morning nagged by fear that she may encounter the man who has been an unwanted part of her life for nearly 15 years.
"I don't see it ending now, but I can't let it drive me crazy. I've got to hold on to my sanity," says Diane, a Kansan who shared her story on condition that her last name not be used.
Diane is the target of a stalker a former boss who, starting in 1987, went from praising her work to sending letters and poems, calling her home and sitting in his car outside her house.
She changed jobs, had caller ID and call-blocking installed on her phone and took other steps, but the intermittent contacts continued, most recently around Christmas.
The law has offered limited
help.
Police have suggested that Diane seek a restraining order, the usual remedy for people stalked by strangers or casual acquaintances. Getting a restraining order normally requires a court hearing, however.
"Why should I have to hire an attorney, take my time and spend my money to make somebody leave me alone?" Diane says.
Kansas law has another shield against stalkers — a "protection from abuse" order, which a judge can issue quickly without a hearing. But again, there's a catch: The two parties must have lived together or had a child together.
MONDAY,FEB.11,2002
Now, a state Senate committee is weighing a bill that would let judges give immediate legal protection — prior to a hearing
- to people intentionally harassed by individuals with
The measure would create a new "protection from stalking" order, already on the books in 30 states.
whom they have not had intimate ties.
"It's designed to help those stalked by strangers. It would fill a huge gap in the law with this provision," said Sen. David Adkins, R-Leawood, one of the sponsors.
The bill requires only that a person show "good cause" that stalking occurred to get the temporary order, which could impose various restrictions. A hearing would have to be held within 20 days.
Not everybody thinks the bill is a good idea.
"How far do you extend these things? This is part of a politically correct agenda. If you want to punish somebody for stalking, then do it," said Sen. Ed Pugh, R-
Wamego, a Judiciary Committee member.
The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony about the bill Friday and did not take immediate action.
The KBI says there were 150 stalking cases reported to police statewide last year, although the agency still is receiving data. In 2000, there were 230 cases and 172 in 1999.
Stalking is defined in state law as an intentional, malicious and repeated following or harassment of another and making a credible threat with the intent of placing a person in reasonable fear of his or her safety.
"It's not as simple as A shot B with a gun. When you get into legalistic definitions, it gets more complicated for the officer on the street," said Kansas Bureau of Investigation agent Kyle Smith.
Budget woes may hit State courts
The Associated Press
TOPEKA — State courts will have to close for three days between now and July unless the state provides more money quickly, the judiciary's top official warned legislators.
"We can't meet the payroll," Supreme Court Chief Justice Kay McFarland said Thursday.
In testimony to the House and Senate budget committees, McFarland said the court system needs an extra $600,000 in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, and additional $3.6 million for the following year.
"I'm sitting here, preoccupied with trying to keep the doors open," McFarlane said.
Gov. Bill Graves has proposed both appropriations, but the $3.6 million for fiscal 2003 depends upon passage of his proposals for $228 million in tax increases.
Because salaries consume 97 percent of the court system's budget, McFarland said personnel costs are the only place to save money.
Already, she said, vacancies at the district and appellate courts are going unfilled for at least 90 days, making extra — and unpaid — days off for employees the only other way to cut expenses.
europeans.
"We can't change the rules and say, 'OK, no more divorces in Johnson County, we don't have time for them,'" McFarland said.
Legislators told McFarland she had made a case for the court system, but said they're not sure the Legislature will increase taxes.
"Why don't you just sue the heck out of us?" said Sen. Paul Fleciano, D-Wichita.
McFarland replied: "Suing won't get you anything soon."
The judiciary's current budget is almost $79 million, about $554,000 more than in the previous fiscal year. But that increase did not cover raises granted to employees by the Legislature, or other costs such as health insurance.
In addition, the number of cases filed in Kansas courts rose nearly 46 percent over the past 15 years, while the number of judges rose 8 percent and court workers, 10 percent.
McFarland compared the judiciary to nesting hens that have more eggs placed in front of them. She said the hens will try to sit on all the eggs, no matter how many.
"Because they're sitting on so many eggs, they can't hatch anything," she said. "I don't want the court system to be in that role."
In other action Thursday:
- The Senate Ways and Means Committee reluctantly approved a proposed budget for the Department on Aging that dramatically cuts a program providing home health aides for about 7,300 older Kansans.
On an 89-31 vote, House members approved and sent a bill to the Senate that would give state officials greater authority in bolstering security.
The state should allow more out-of-state bow hunters to hunt deer, former Gov. Mike Hayden told the Senate Natural Resources Committee. Hayden is serving as wildlife and parks secretary.
Two northwest Kansas senators presented a plan for redrawing the state's 40 Senate districts.
Federal aid to pay for ice damage
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Joe Al baugh, federal disaster chief spent several hours Friday tourin fire and tree-damaged spots i Missouri and Kansas, where hur dreds of thousands of resident lost power in the middle of winter
Thousands still without powe Friday after last week's ice storm should have electricity by Saturday, Kansas City Mayor Ka Barnes said.
president Bush issued disaste declarations Thursday for bot Missouri and Kansas, triggerin the release of millions of dollarsi federal funds to help the Kansa City region recover from the storm.
Local governments on bot sides of the state line have estimated public damage and recovery costs at nearly $50 million. Al baugh refused to say how muc the Federal Emergency Manage ment Agency would spend to hel the area with cleanup, saying would depend on how much wa needed.
But he urged residents including those who spent night in hotel rooms after being force from their suddenly chilly home
—to contact FEMA for assistance
Barnes, who met with Allbaug briefly Friday morning, sai Kansas City Power & Light crew were working feverishly to restor power to the roughly 12,00 KCPL customers who remain without electricity Friday.
"The goal is to get them a taken care of by midnight (Fri day)" Barnes said.
About 3,000 more customer served by other utility company in the region were also expected t get power before the end of the weekend, officials said. At the peak of the outage, more than 420,000 customers were without electricity.
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