Sweat
Tomorrow's weather
Kansan
Partly cloudy tomorrow, with highs in the mid-90s and lows in the 70s
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Tuesday, January 10, 2000 Aug 29.2000
Sports: Heat continues to plague the football team, especially at the quarterback position.
SEE PAGE 1B
Inside: Two people were shot to death yesterday at the University of Arkansas. SEE PAGE 6B
(USPS 650-640) • VOL. 111 NO. 04 For comments, contact Nathan Willis or Chris Borniger at 864-4810 or e-mail editor@kansan.com
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Valerie Santiago Mexico City sophomore exhales as she nears the finish of her one-mile run at the Lawrence High School track yesterday evening. Extreme temperatures and high humidity have posed the threat of heat exhaustion or heat stroke to joggers. Photo by Matt J. Daugherty/KANSAN
Record heat can exhaust students
By Melissa Davis
writer@kanson.com
Kansan staff write
Record high heat in Lawrence the past two days has left some students wilting in the summer sun.
The National Weather Service said temperatures soared to 109 degrees yesterday, tying Sunday's mark, which set the national high for that day.
With the sweltering heat comes the risk of heat-related illnesses. Though physicians at Watkins Memorial Health Center have not
yet treated anyone for serious heat-related afflictions, they have seen students with mild symptoms, Myra Strother, a Watkins physician, said.
She said there were three types of heat-related illnesses; heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. These illnesses most often are caused by dehydration, loss of electrolytes — the chemicals needed for cells to function — or failure of the body's cooling mechanisms.
The most common of the three — heat cramps, or muscle cramps caused by hot temperatures — usually develop after exercising in the
heat or because of loss of fluid. If heat cramps continue, they may develop into heat exhaustion, she said. Heat exhaustion occurs when the body heats up because of exercise or environmental changes but the body is too exhausted by the heat to keep in with its own cooling process.
"The body overheats because of certain regulatory mechanisms," Strother said. "If it is really humid out and you are losing water rapidly, it throws off electrolytes, putting the body out of regulation."
See HEAT on page 6A
EXHAUSTION TIPS
What to do if you or someone you know might be suffering from a heat-related illness:
- Cool off in the shade
- Drink plenty of water or other noncaffeinated fluids
- If possible, move the person to an air-conditioned room with a fan
- If the person is unconscious or vomiting, seek medical attention immediately
Drivers charged in accident that killed KU student
By Derek Prater
writer@kansan.com
Kansas senior staff writer
A University of Kansas student and a Kansas City, Mo., man were arrested during the weekend and charged with vehicular homicide in the death of KU student Laura Leftwich.
Master Trooper Terry Berner of the Kansas Highway Patrol said both Alex Wolfson, 19, Omaha, Neb., sophomore, and Billy Breedlove, 43, voluntarily turned themselves into the Leavenworth County Sheriff's Department.
Wolfson was released on a $5,000 bond, and Breedlove still
was being held as of yesterday morning.
yesterday morning.
Frank    Kohl,
Leavenworth County
prosecutor, said vehicular homicide was a misdemeanor that carried a sentence of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
Leftwich, a Skokie,
Ill. sophomore, died
Aug. 13 from injuries
sustained in an accident
the previous day on
Interstate 70 about
seven miles east of Lawrence.
According to Berner:
Wolfson was driving a 1988 four-door Honda Accord west on I-70 with Leftwich in the passenger seat, when he changed lanes from the left passing lane to the right lane, allowing a blue Geo hatchback driven by Breedlove to pass.
When Breedlove passed, an altercation took place between the drivers. Wolfson then pulled back into the passing lane behind Breedlove, and Breedlove braked suddenly.
Wolfson swerved his car to miss the Geo and lost control of
Lefwifin: died from injuries sustained in an Aug. 13 car accident on l-70
it. Wolfson's vehicle spun and came to rest in the right lane facing oncoming traffic. A truck then hit the car head-on.
Wolfson was transported to Providence Memorial Hospital in Kansas City, Kan., where he was treated and released. Leftwich was flown by helicopter to the University of Kansas Medical Center, where she died the next morning.
Breedlove's car was not hit in the accident, and he left the scene. He then stopped at the East Lawrence turnpike exit and told a toll collector that he had been involved in a wreck. The toll collector told Breedlove
to wait for a trooper,
but Breedlove drove off. He contacted investigators Aug. 13 about his role in the accident.
In addition to vehicular homicide, Breedlove was charged with leaving the scene of an injury accident, a misdemeanor that carries the same sentence as vehicular homicide, and two traffic infractions: following too
Wolson also was charged with following too closely.
closely and failure to give proper notice when reducing speed.
Kohl said that both Wolfson and Breedlove were scheduled for first appearances in Leavenworth County Court either yesterday or today, depending on how fast other cases were handled. Legal representation is determined at the first appearance, and the judge will set a trial date once each defendant has a lawyer present.
A Lawrence fireman cherishes a well-deserved bottle of water after helping put out a house fire on the 3400 block of West 24th Place. Jerry Little, Assistant Douglas County District Attorney, and his family were alseep when the fire started. Photo by Nick Kruz/KANSAN
— Edited by Gleisson Abreu
Late-night house fire rouses Lawrence family from sleep
By Lauren Brandenburg
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
A house caught on fire in the 3400 block of West 24th Place at about 10:45 last night.
Jerry Little, Douglas County assistant district attorney, and his family were in the house at the time, said Debi Moore, who lives across the street. She said all the family members were asleep but were able to get out safely.
Her 15-year-old daughter said she thought she saw flames coming from a tree in the Little's yard as she was getting ready for bed, Moore said. Moore said she then looked out the window and saw flames coming from the roof and called 911. She then tried to call the occupants to make sure everyone was safe, but she said the line already was dead.
"My husband went running across the street, but he couldn't get past the driveway because it was so hot," Moore said.
cul-de-sac to wake them up.
"It's an awful thing," said Mark Moore, neighbor. "You lose just about everything when something like this happens, and not just material things. It's the other things, and that's what scares me the most."
Her son Chris, Lawrence junior,
knocked on neighbors' doors around the
Neighbors watched the ordeal, their faces illuminated by the flashing red and blue lights of the emergency vehicles lining the street.
Firefighters and other emergency personnel were dispatched at 10:50 p.m., said Jervv Karr, battalion chief.
Karr said the damage was extensive, but there was no known cause or estimation of the damage yet. He said the fire seemed to be on the east end of the house with a lot of damage to the roof.
"We heard almost an implosion." Moore said. "It was like something collapsed in the house. It could have been the deck, the roof. There was a noise, and the flames billowed up."
Moore said it was hard to see the house because there was so much smoke.
Speaker urges men to be aware of gender-violence prevention
Jackson Katz refers to a list of suggestions of ways for women to protect themselves from assault that was given by members of the packed Lied Center audience during his speech last night. Katz's speech focused on breaking down stereotypes about "womens issues" and "gender-specific issues." Photo by Matt J. Daugherty/KANSAN
Jackson Katz said gender violence was not only a female issue but encompassed all of society.
By Rob Pazoll
writer@kanans.com
Kansas staff writer
In his presentation, "More Than a Few Good Men: A Lecture on American Manhood and Violence Against Woman," last night at the Lied Center, Katz said violent crimes against women also affected the men who cared about them.
"A vast majority of violence against women are perpetrated by men." Katz said, "Rape as a woman's issue shifts focus away from men. Oftentimes, we hear gender and think woman — as if men don't have a gender also."
Katz, founder and director of the Mentors in Violence Program, said he had problems with gender violence being tagged as just a women's issue.
Katz presented an exercise that asked the female audience members what they did to protect themselves against strangers. After this exercise, he warned females to be careful of who they dated, who they socialized with and who they married.
He said gender issues could be problematic for some males who dismissed it as a female problem if the word gender was involved.
"Every issue that affects women affects men, too." Katz said.
"It's usually not some nameless, faceless psycho," Katz said. "It's usually a husband, a boyfriend or somebody close."
Katz put an emphasis on the male role in gender-violence prevention, telling them not to be silent.
"Being silent is a way of being complacent with the situation." Katz said.
Student-atheletes were required to attend the lecture. Gary Kempf, director of Student Athlete Life and Coaches development, said
“It's usually not some nameless, faceless psycho.It's usually a husband,a boyfriend or somebody close." Jackson Katz
director of violence awareness program
the Athletics Department wanted athletes to develop total personal skills as well as athletic and academic skills.
"This is just like a team meeting," Kempf said. "We're trying to educate them and give
"If we can get guys with status, they can affect a larger sphere of influence," Katz said.
In his presentation, Katz used male student-athletes as an example of a group who could have an impact on reversing gender violence.
them an alternative way to handle difficult situations."
Ann Waddell, Minnetonka, Minn., junior, and volunteer for the event, said she was impressed with the turnout.
"I know a lot of people were required to be here," Waddell said. "But even if they were or weren't required, I hope the message will sink in."
— Edited by Warisa Chulindra
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