WEDNESDAY,FEBRUARY 5,2003
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3A
Elevator in Tower traps resident
By Jessica Hood
jhood@kansan.com
kansan staff writer
A stuck elevator halted one student for more than an hour last weekend.
Deanna Watson, Grandview, Mo., sophomore, spent an hour and 15 minutes stuck in an elevator in Jayhawker Towers early Monday morning.
Watson was on her way back to her room at 12:50 a.m. at Tower B when the elevator stopped.
"I just kept pushing the button with the bell on it," Watson said. "I think part of what took so long was that it was the outside contractor who came instead of an emergency crew."
Vince Avila, associate director of housing maintenance, said elevators in the residence halls were
bound to break down because of frequent use.
When the department of student housing receives a call about a person being stuck in an elevator in a residence hall, it calls A.R.W., Ltd. Elevator Division in Kansas City, Mo., the company contracted for elevator maintenance for the University of Kansas.
Avila said the company usually
sent someone from Lawrence, especially after hours. "According to the contract we have with them, they have a certain amount of time to respond to the call," he said.
Watson has a new attitude about elevators after her experience this weekend—she takes the stairs everywhere now.
— Edited by Christy Dendurent
Keep money in check to avoid fraud
By Erin Ohm
eohm@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Roy Thomas Jr. became a forgery statistic over winter break
Thomas, Peoria, Ariz., sophomore, said he had noticed money was missing from his account and then checked his account online, where he found two checks written back to back that he did not remember writing.
When Thomas called the bank and received copies of the checks, he found out that they were made out to his roommate.
"He was the last person I ever expected to steal from me,"
"He was the last person I ever expected to steal from me."
Roy Thomas Jr.
Peoria, Ariz., sophomore about his roommate
Thomas said. "Now I keep all my checks in a hidden spot."
He said the forged checks and overdraft fees totaled about $690.
Tom Mink, senior security specialist for Commerce Bank, said the most important safety measure to do when missing a check or bank card was to notify the nearest bank branch.
Mink said if a customer reported the loss or theft of a card within 30 to 60 days of the time they first discovered it missing, purchases made after the card was stolen would be paid for by the bank.
Mink said most banks had a system to monitor a customer's purchasing habits for debit or credit cards and would call a customer if they suddenly noticed unusual purchases.
Mark Gonzales, community bank manager for Commerce Bank, said the key in preventing any unauthorized purchases was to review monthly bank statements thoroughly.
Gonzales said after customers contacted their banks, they had to fill out an affidavit for unauthorized purchases and file a police report.
Lt. Schuyler Bailey of the University of Kansas Public Safety Office said some students might put their identification in a backpack or a purse because it would be more convenient, but that was not the safest practice.
"If you can keep it on your person, that's the way to go," Bailey said. "And if you're leaving your purse in the car, it needs to go in the trunk."
— Edited by Christy Dendurent
Early plantings
Piler Pena/Kansan
Facilities Operations Landscape Maintenance employees prepare soil in order to plant monkey grass in front of Wescoe Hall.
Blimp hovers in missing category, stolen a second time
By Erin Ohm
eohm@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The white blimp that hovered over the Gateway Country Stores, 3131 Nieder Road, was discovered missing Sunday.
Someone cut the electrical cord that attached the blimp to
the roof of the store, said Lt. David Cobb of the Lawrence Police Department. Cobb said officers had also recovered a knife that had burn marks consistent with those that would occur while cutting a cord.
Scott Purcell, general manager of the store, noticed the blimp was gone at 11:45 a.m.
Sunday. It was last seen Saturday about 9 p.m.
Greg Hanson, retail sales leader, said this was the second time the blimp, which is valued at $5,000, had been stolen from the store.
The last time it was taken, Lawrence police officers found the blimp in a field at the corner
of 31st and Louisiana streets, Cobb said. Hanson said it had been damaged beyond repair and Gateway later put up another blimp.
He said Gateway paid an advertising company to use the blimp to advertise for the store, but the blimp was owned by Giant Advertising, a Phoenix,
Ariz. advertising company that specializes in balloons.
"We will put another one up probably at a later date, depending on what Giant and corporate Gateway want to do," Hanson said.
The blimp was filled with helium and attached to the roof with an electrical cord that
allowed it to be lit up at night. Hanson said the blimp was about 24 feet long and would take 15 to 20 minutes to deflate.
Cobb said police would continue to look for the blimp, but officers had no suspects at the time.
Edited by Christy Dendurent
Need money for spring break? We thought so. Will $2,500 do?
REGISTER TO WIN THE SPRING TAX BREAK GIVEAWAY AT
- Win $2,500 to pay for the spring break of a lifetime
- Learn how you could do your taxes online for FREE*
- Hurry, registration ends February 21, 2003
H&R BLOCK*
just plain smart"
For complete rules, visit www.taxbreaktrip.com. *Free federal tax prep offer limited to first 25,000 online product registrants. Includes one federal return.
4