WEDNESDAY, DEC. 5, 2001
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 5A
Area resident scrutinizes bank's handling of trust
By Paul Smith Kansan staff writer
A Leavenworth resident accused the Bank of America of mismanaging a small trust established by Elizabeth Miller-Watkins last night and encouraged the Lawrence City Commission to take charge of the fund.
At its meeting last night, Louis Klemp presented research to the City Commission that he said showed the bank mismanaged a $5,000 trust set up to maintain the grave site of Miller-Watkins, a benefactor of the University of Kansas and the Lawrence area.
Kemp, whose sister once roomed in Watkins Scholarship Hall, said he had studied the Watkins trusts for 10 years and
presented his most recent findings only as a concerned citizen.
He cited annual charges made to the account over the past few years.
Mike Wildgen, city manager, confirmed that the grave site was unkempt.
"There's an urn that needs repair." Wildgen told the Commission, "and the gravestone could use cleaning."
"The only thing being taken out those years were bank fees and attorney fees." Kemp said.
Klemp encouraged the Commission to revive a previous request to take charge of the $5,000 trust from the Bank of America, which he said was the only part of the Wattkins trusts that the city could appropriate.
"We could certainly do that," Wildgen said.
The Commission took no formal action on Klemp's request.
That trust has grown to about $3 million from the original $250,000 investment.
Kaili Kuiper, Salina senior and president of the Miller-Watkins Halls Preservation Committee, said she had no idea that the Miller-Watkins grave site was in disrepair.
Residents at the Miller and Watkins Scholarship Halls filled suit against the Bank of America more than two years ago, alleging that the bank has mismanaged another trust that partially supports the halls.
"It's too bad," Kuiper said.
Contact Smith at 864-4810
Student brings youth to council
The Associated Press
LAWRENCE — When University of Kansas junior Tanner Fortney isn't learning political science in the classroom, he's learning it on the job.
The 20-year-old political science major is the newest and youngest-ever member of the Spring Hill City Council.
"I thought it was a mixed blessing." Fortney said of his age. "People are interested in you and willing to listen to you, but they think, 'If you're so young, are you really doing this for your own self-interest?'" as opposed to the public good.
Fortney grew up in Spring Hill, a town of 3,000 on the Miami-Johnson county line.
Those who work with Fortney said he had rejuvenated Spring Hill's city government.
He ran for city council in April, advancing past the primary to the general election, where he lost by 75 votes.
The defeat didn't quell his interest in public office. After council member Jim Dalton resigned in September, Mayor Mark Squire appointed Fortney to the position on Oct. 25.
"I think above all Tanner's going to bring some fresh opinions and fresh outlooks on things," Squire said. "Just his age does that, but being new, he's going to have a new point of view. Tanner's real qualified individual. I think his motivations for wanting the position are really good."
Balancing public service with homework and a 45-minute daily commute to KU will be a challenge, Fortney said. But this flexible student life
Fortney first sparked an interest in politics during his freshman year in high school when researching policy issues for his debate team.
has allowed him to attend city meetings to help him understand government issues.
"You learn a lot with city council," he said. "You're not talking about someone else making a decision; you're actually making a decision."
A stint on the Student Senate at Johnson County Community College following high school and an internship with Congressman Dennis Moore's 2000 campaign got him thinking about a political career of his own.
"I was reaching the point I didn't want to work for someone else anymore," he said. "I wanted to start getting my ideas out there."
Fallen officer mourned in Junction City
The Associated Press
JUNCTION CITY — With a large turnout of police officers and other mourners expected, services for a police officer who was killed while responding to a domestic disturbance will be Friday at the city's municipal building.
The city asked the family of Wilson "Alex" Johnson, 56, to have services at the building to accommodate the large crowd, including officers from other cities and states. The service is to begin at 11 a.m.
Johnson, an Army veteran, will be buried at Fort Riley Cemetery.
A candlelight vigil is scheduled at 8 p.m. tomorrow at the flagpole outside the police department building.
The officer was killed early Monday after being sent to retrieve two children from the apartment of Carlos Antoni Cobbs, 23. KBI spokesman Kyle Smith said Cobbs took the children, ages 1 and 3, to his apartment after having a fight with a woman at a nightclub.
Johnson was wearing a bullet proof vest but he was shot in the head, Smith said.
After Johnson was shot, Cobbs ran outside and fired at least one shot at an officer who had just arrived. Cobbs then went back into his apartment, and police set up barriers and evacuated the surrounding buildings.
He and Johnson were both dead when a tactical team entered the apartment about three hours later to rescue the children.
Smith said investigators may never know exactly what happened.
"We have no idea," he said. "It was a one-on-one situation, and they're both dead. We may be able to piece some things together with the autopsy, but there's not a lot of witnesses at this point."
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