HEDGEHOGGING THE LIMELIGHT
Colbert could cover local issue
11-year-old behind Lawrence hedgehog law attracts 'Colbert Report'
BY MIKE BONTRAGER mbontrager@kansan.com
A producer from "The Colbert Report" will be in town to talk with Mayor Mike Dever and Judson King, the 11-year-old pioneer for hedgehog ownership, which was legalized in December in Lawrence.
Dever said a producer would be talking to him March 11. He said he hoped the city would receive a "Colbert Bump," a term Colbert coined for the boost in popularity that subjects featured on his show often received, if the producer decided to report the story.
The angle of the story is unknown, but the topic will be King's successful campaign.
King spent three years researching hedgehogs and the law that made them illegal.
"It was one year of absolute,
"Why did they do that?" King said.
His first year of researching the law made him angry, but then he began to work with his mom, who is a lawyer, in constructing an argument in favor of hedgehog ownership.
Ryan McGeeney/KANSAN
King said he hated the law, but his hate was never directed at the city. He said it would be impossible to hate Lawrence; he just wanted to have his own hedgehog.
"I was just mad at the law" King said. "I had done so much research that proves that there is no reason he (a hedgehog) should be banned from our beautiful city."
King sent a letter to the city about changing the law in January 2008 and the law changed on Dec. 30.
He said the law was based on the misconception that domesticated hedgehogs, which are considered exotic animals, carried foot and mouth disease.
King said that a law concerning chickens and livestock was under review and slowed progress on his hedgehog project.
"It would have been a lot sooner."
Judson King, 11, appeared before the Lawrence City Council Dec. 2, 2008, and successfully persuaded the council to reverse a city ordinance banning the sale of hedgehogs. After King and his African Pigme hedgehog, Little Luke, attracted national media attention, King's family was contacted by representatives of Comedy Central's "Colbert Report." A producer of his show, is expected to travel to Lawrence to interview mayor Mike Dever and others on March 11.
SEE HEDGEHOG ON PAGE 4A
PHILANTHROPY
Parade Committee raises money for local charities
Rachael Gray/KANSAN
Taylor King was named the 2009 St. Patrick's Day Queen on Sunday night. The coronation was just one event that the Parade Committee held to raise money for four Lawrence charities.
Sunday night was the Lawrence St. Patrick's Day Queen Coronation where Taylor King, Osakaoosa junior, competed against six other women and was announced the 2009 queen.
msprehe@kansan.com
"This has been absolutely amazing." King said during her acceptance speech. "I'm so glad to be a part of it."
BY MICHELLE SPREHE
The coronation was just one of the fundraising events for the Parade Committee, which has earned about $50,000 so far to give to four local charities, Roger Browning, public relations chairman for the Parade Committee.
WHAT: Lawrence St.
Patrick's Day Parade
WHEN: Tuesday, March 17,
at 1 p.m.
WHERE: South Park
said. The committee started collecting donations mid-February.
When the committee first formed 22 years ago, $800 was donated to the March of Dimes. By the parade's third year, rather than donating leftover money to local charities, the committee decided to make donating to
SEE ST. PATTY'S ON PAGE 4A
CAMPUS
Ryan McGeeney/KANSAN
Sigma Alpha Epsilon member found dead
Lawrence Police were dispatched to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house Sunday afternoon after fraternity members found 19-year-old Jason Christopher Wren, Littleton, Colo. freshman, dead in the house. A police spokesperson said that there were no apparent signs of foul play at the scene.
BY ALEXANDRA GARRY
agarry@kansan.com
A 19-year-old KU student was found dead at Sigma Alpha Epsilon, 1301 West Campus, Sunday afternoon. Police identified the student as Jason Christopher Wren, Littleton, Colo., freshman and member of the fraternity.
Lawrence police officers were called to the house about 2:30 p.m. after members of the fraternity found him unresponsive, Captain Ray Urbanek said.
House residents noticed no one in the house had seen Wren since
he went to sleep Saturday night and went to check on him Sunday afternoon, Urbanek said. Members of the fraternity declined to comment.
Urbanek said there was no indication of foul play and that the investigation as to the cause of death would continue.
Jill Jess, associate director of University Relations, said the University had made counselors available to Sigma Alpha Epsilon members and others who knew Wren.
- Edited by Sonya English
STATE
athompson@kansan.com
BY AMANDA THOMPSON
Legislature approves coal power plants
The Kansas House and Senate each passed bills last week that gave a thumbs-up for Sunflower Electric Power Corp, to build two new coal-fired power plants near Holcomb in western Kansas. The Senate approved the bill 31-9, and the House approved the bill 79-44.
Thomas Overly, Louisburg graduate student and geography major, said although he expected the House and Senate to approve the bill, which would allow for construction of the coal plants, he was disappointed by the decision.
"There are other more sustainable forms of energy that we could be investigating and harnessing," Overly said. "But we're still catering to special interests."
The Senate passed its bill with a veto-proof majority, but the House didn't get the 84 votes it needed for a two-thirds majority that would have given it power to overturn a possible veto from Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.
"I would guess that the governor would probably have some pretty good leverage this spring to veto and then have the veto sustained," Brooks said.
It was not the first time the legislature battled over the proposed
★ Holcomb • Lawrence
coal plants. In October 2007, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment Rod Bremby refused to issue a permit to Sunflower Electric Power Corp, to build the coal plants because of possible violations to the Air Quality Act.
index
Brooks said even if Sebelius vetoed the bill this time, supporters of the coal plants would be persistent in trying to get the project approved in the future once she left Kansas for her new position as head of the Department of Health and Human Services.
"In the Spring 2008 legislative session the supporters really tried three separate times to go over the top of the governor. That shows a pretty high level of commitment," Brooks said. "But the governor was able to hold her supporters together against it, which is also a pretty high level of commitment."
Brooks said supporters of the coal plants usually cited the need
SEE COAL ON PAGE 4A
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