THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013
PAGE 7A
NATIONAL
World Trade Center artifacts travel to Lawrence
CALEB SISK
csisk@kansan.com
and the at 110 the ding se- stand
It was 12 years ago yesterday that the World Trade Center towers were attacked. We realized that day, as a nation we are vulnerable, but as a people we are strong.
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It is in the spirit of that strength and resilience that Tonya Evans founded the Goldstar11 tour. Evans was in New York City when she decided to remind the people of the U.S. of their "responsibility as a nation to not forget those men and women that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms."
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The tour, which is free to the public, kicked off on Aug. 31 in Fort Myers, Fla., and visits 16 cities and 11 states before arriving at its final location, Salt Lake City, on Oct. 7. The American Fallen Warrior Memorial Foundation is sponsoring Goldstar11 and all donations will go toward raising awareness and funding a new memorial in Kansas City, Kan.
"We just wanted to bring hope and healing to those people that are unable to make it to Ground Zero in New York City and pay their respects," Evans said.
Evans hopes to accomplish this
by giving people a chance to be in the presence of two historic 9/11
The chance to be in the presence of these artifacts is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that should not be passed up."
TONYA EVANS Goldstar11 founder
artifacts that were pulled from the wreckage of the Trade Centers after
the attack.
Both artifacts will find permanent homes following the completion of the project. Minus some slight cleaning, the sections of concrete, named "Star11" and "UT6," are in the same condition they were as they were pulled from Ground Zero. "Star11" will reside in the new memorial in Kansas City. "UT6" will find its permanent home in Salt Lake City at the Fort Douglas Military Museum.
Marketing the tour was easy.
Hawkins "The story tells itself, these artificets are a part of history," said Jim Potoski, Goldstar11 public relations director. "We didn't have to do a whole lot of traditional advertising because people were already excited to come out and show their support."
Lawrence residents will have a chance to support the cause when the convoy comes through Lawrence and makes its final Kansas stop at the Dole Institute of Politics at 3 p.m. this Friday. Being a Lawrance native and having founded the project here in town, Evans thought it appropriate to cap off the Kansas portion of the tour here.
The event is packed with musical entertainment, celebrity appearances and visits from veterans and families. Evans and Potoski hope that Lawrence citizens will come out and show their support by participating and donating to the cause. Anyone that is unable to participate on Friday can also show his or her support by going to afwmf.org/goldstar11 and clicking the red donate tab.
"The chance to be in the presence of these artifacts is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that should not be passed up," Evans said.
Edited by Jessica Mitchell
REGIONAL
Kansas to provide help to disabled residents quicker than planned
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOPEKA — Kansas will move more quickly than it had planned to provide hundreds of disabled residents with in-home services that help them live as independently as possible, Gov. Sam. ownback announced Wednesday.
Brownback said his administration is immediately releasing $37 million that was set aside by legislators to address the waiting lists for services such as help with chores and personal assistants. The money, to be spent over the next two years, will come from savings from an overhaul of the state's Medicaid program, which covers health care for the needy and disabled.
by 13 percent.
The state was paying for in-home services for about 8,400 developmentally disabled residents and 5,700 physically disabled residents as of mid-August. Nearly 3,000 developmentally disabled and about 2,000 physically disabled Kansas residents were on waiting lists. Officials now expect 250 developmentally disabled and 400 physically disabled people to be removed from the waiting lists, shrinking the lists
The governor's announcement highlighted a behind-the-scenes discussion among administration officials and advocates for the disabled about whether the state had to wait until January to release the funds under the budget approved by lawmakers. The legislation said the money couldn't be spent if services for the developmentally disabled weren't included in the Medicaid overhaul. That won't formally occur until January, though the policy already is set.
Brownback said Kansas officials are now confident enough that federal officials will sign off on the change to move forward with reducing the waiting lists. Federal officials must consent because Medicaid is jointly funded by states and the federal government.
would provide better-coordinated health care at lower costs.
"We're beginning this early," Brownback said. "It's my effort and desire that we get those waiting lists pulled down as rapidly as we can."
Kansas turned over the administration of most of its $3 billion-a-year Medicaid program over to three private health insurance companies in January, contending it
Gov. Sam Brownback, left, discusses plans to move more quickly than anticipated to eliminate waiting lists for disabled Kansans seeking in-home services during a news conference Wednesday at the Statehouse in Topeka. Watching to the right is Lt. Gov. Jeff Colver.
Advocates for the developmentally disabled resisted — skeptical of how theyd be treated by for-profit companies — and the state excluded them from the overhaul until next year. The overhauled Medicalaid program, renamed KanCare, covers about 342,000 Kansas residents.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brownback proposed in May that the state shift its expected "KanCare dividend" to the waiting lists for inhome services for the disabled, but legislators made it contingent on ending the "carve out" for the developmentally disabled.
Last month, officials with InterHab, which represents groups providing services to the developmentally disabled, sent Brownback a letter, pressing him to have the funds released immediately. The letter said "state agency officials" were saying the money wouldn't be released until early next year.
"We're just glad they took another look at it," said Tom Laing, Inter-Hab's executive director.
And Rocky Nichols, executive director of the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, said: "Sooner is
Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat,
obviously better than later, and so we're glad they're releasing the dollars sooner."
said the Republican governor's announcement Wednesday was "a political statement," adding, "They wanted to make themselves look good."
But Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer said the administration is simply trying to help some of the state's most vulnerable residents.
RELIGION
KU Hillel celebrates Yom Kippur
ELLY GRIMM egrimm@kansan.com
The Yom Kippur celebration services will take place at 7 p.m. on Sept. 13 at the KU Hillel building, located at 722 New Hampshire.
In honor of Yom Kippur, also known as the Jewish New Year, the KU Hillel group is holding its own celebration.
one celebration o. Yoy Kipur follows the lunar calendar. The day is filled with prayer and reflection in preparation for the new year and a fresh start.
"This is the first time in a long time that the Jewish New Year starts at the same
their academics," said Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel, director of the Rohr Chabad Center for Jewish Life. "It's unique that we come back to school and then already a week later it's the new year."
Tiechtel said that the main goal is to provide a home away from home for the students unable to spend Yom Kippur with their families. Another goal is to make the
"This holiday is more reflective. If someone wants to get an idea of the Jewish faith they are more than welcome to come."
time as the fall semester, when students are getting a fresh start with
services more engaging and interactive for the students. The family-like atmosphere is what appealed most to Rebekah Durham, a junior from M em p h i s, Tenn.
ZALMAN TIECHTEL Rabbi
she said. "It's tradition."
Instead of leading prayers to the service's attendees, Rabbi Tiechtel said the participants will pray on their own and focus on how they want to change and grow.
"There will be a lot of commentary and much more discussion and insights," he said.
KU Hillel is also reaching out through Facebook. During the days leading up to the event, questions were posted about how students want the new year to go. Some of the responses will be discussed during the service on Friday.
"This holiday is more reflective," Tiechel said. "If someone wants to get an idea of the Jewish faith they are more than welcome to come."
"When I'm home for Yom Kippur, it's a time for all the family to be together,"
Edited by Jessica Mitchell
The University of Kansas School of Business PRESENTS
WALTER S. SUTTON
LECTURE SERIES
6:30PM MONDAY
SEPT.16TH,2013
KU EDWARDS CAMPUS
FREE TO THE PUBLIC
KU
SCHOOL OF
BUSINESS
The University of Kansas