THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013
NATIONAL GUARD
Colorado to pay soldiers rebuilding flooded road
PAGE 3
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER — Colorado will pick up the tab for National Guard engineers helping rebuild the main highway leading to Rocky Mountain National Park because of the federal government shutdown.
Gov. John Hickenlooper said Tuesday that Colorado will use its flood disaster fund to pay the 120 soldiers working on U.S. Highway 36 in hopes that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will later agree to reimburse 75 percent of the cost. He expects the state share to be between $10,000 and $20,000 a day.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
"We want to make sure we don't lose a single day in getting these roads open and communities back together again," Hickenlooper said.
In this photo from Sept. 20, a National Guard soldier mans a roadblock as a buildozer clears concrete flood debris from a damaged road after last week's flood, west of Longmont, Colo. A budget fight has led to a U.S. government shutdown Tuesday, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers without paychecks and shutting down federal services all over the country.
A bill passed by Congress protects payments for active-duty personnel, but Colorado officials don't believe that covers soldiers assigned to training missions building roads.
Still undecided is whether Colorado will also pay about 450 Guard members from Utah, Kansas and
Wyoming who are scheduled to be brought in waves during the next two months as the state tries to get at least one passable lane open on all state highways destroyed by the floods by Dec. 1. About half of state roads that were damaged have reopened.
Gen. H. Michael Edwards, who oversees the more than 5,000 Colorado Army and Air National Guard members, said it's possible more federal help could be available.
On the eve of the shutdown, Hickenlooper had vowed to continue the work if the "knuckleheads" in Washington couldn't work things out. On Tuesday, he jokingly deflected a question about who exactly he was talking about: "Are you questioning whether there are knuckleheads in Congress? Make your own list."
But, on a serious note, Hickenlooper said the problems facing the nation politically were greater than those the state faced in recovering from the floods.
CRIME
"This country has bigger issues that it needs to resolve," he said.
Man in custody after standoff in Winfield
WINFIELD — A man is in custody and will have a mental evaluation after a standoff that lasted nearly eight hours in south-central Kansas.
KAKE-TV reports the standoff at a home in Winfield began around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. The man was upset with his family and fired several shots into the air, but had already gone back inside the home by the time police arrived.
Officers from several police and sheriffs' departments responded, along with a Kansas Bureau of Investigation agent who lives in Winfield.
the man surrendered peacefully around 4 p.m. He's described as in his 30s and possibly suffering from mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder.
BOOK FROM PAGE 1
Associated Press
"The Worst Hard Time," in which author Timothy Egan writes about the history of the Dust Bowl and describes the stories of real people who lived during that time. Kerns said that since this time period in history might not directly relate to students, they were forced to think deeper about what connections could be made between the book and their lives
Crawford-Parker added that students may disagree about how the book is relevant today, but that is an important part of their discussions.
"Our goal is not to pick a book that everybody likes," she said.
Instead, the Common Book program aims to create a university-wide experience that adds to the new students' sense of community when they arrive on campus.
Kailee Karr, a junior from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, worked as an orientation assistant during the summer and introduced students to the Common Book, which they received at orientation.
She is also a resident assistant and facilitated a Common Book discussion among the students on her floor. She said that no matter how students choose to engage with or explore the meaning of the text, many of them were still able to take away a greater sense
of connection with the University following the discussions.
"While they might not have looked at the critical thinking aspects of the book or the underlying themes that connect them to the university, I think they were more looking at how it could connect them with their classmates or use it as a tool to get to know someone." Karr said.
She added that even the students who seemed to lack an interest in the Common Book were able to take something away from hearing the perspectives of other students, and how they interpreted the book.
an academic topic is great," Karr said. "Every student coming here is looking for ways to relate to other people."
The selection committee has no shortage of options for next year, as 125 books were nominated by more than 140 individuals from the University community. Among these titles are both familiar and lesser known works, but Crawford-Parker said the selectors want to choose a book that students most likely would not have read in high school.
"Anything that can get them interacting with each other on
Edited by Kayla Overbey
RECYCLE THIS PAPER
Student Health Services is holding flu clinics this month, available to all University students faculty, staff and retirees. Check studenthealth.ku.edu for dates and times.
POLICE REPORTS
Information based on the Douglas County Sheriff's Office booking recap.
- A 30-year-old female was arrested Monday on the 2500 block of Redbud Lane on suspicion of forgery. A $500 bond was paid.
- A 20-year-old male was arrested Monday on the 1200 block of E. 15th Street on suspicion of battery. A $200 bond was posted.
- A 28-year-old male was arrested Monday on the 1300 block of Tennessee Street on suspicion of burglary. A $2,500 bond was posted.
- A 33-year-old male was arrested yesterday on the 2500 block of Redbud Lane on suspicion of domestic battery. No bond was posted.
Kaitlyn Klein
Talk to a recruiter today to learn more. GoANG.com/KS ▷ 800-TO-GO-ANG
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