FRIDAY, OCT.12, 2001
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 5A
Spiders are on the move
By Kyle Ramsey and Caitlin Sullivan
Special to the Kansan
With cooler weather approaching, students should be on the lookout as recluse spiders find their way indoors.
Chris Hobson, Overland Park junior, knows about the danger firsthand. A brown recluse spider bit Hobson last summer. The brown recluse, one of only six poisonous spiders in North America, is common to Kansas.
The skin surrounding Hobson's bite changed colors, so he went to the doctor. After several months, Hobson can still see scars.
"I went to bed like any other night," Hobson said. "When I woke up, my left arm was feeling sore."
Jim McDonald, an exterminator with Advanced Pest Management Inc., said the brown recluse population increased in Lawrence, but it didn't necessarily mean more bite cases.
DeAnn Schoenfeld, Douglas County Health Department nurse, said the bites should be
Fluke or not, a suspected brown recluse bite should be taken seriously.
Brown recluse spider
treated by a doctor.
"The bite destroys cells and the tissue sloughs off, leaving a hole at the site of the bite." Schoenfeld said.
Schoenfeld said the severity of the bite depended on the amount of venom injected by the spider and the immunity of the person bitten. Symptoms of a brown recluse bite include restlessness, chills, nausea and fever-like symptoms. Symptoms can begin immediately or take as long as
Spider precautions:
- Check the area around beds before going to sleep. Also check the ceiling above the bed.
Check both sides of a travel before driving with it
putting them on Shake clothing.
- "Bang out" shoes before putting them on.
Shake clothing, especially garments that have been in storage for more than a day or two.
Source: Kansas State Research and Extension
eight hours to appear.
Brown recluse spiders live in the dark and dry areas of people's homes, such as the attic, according to Kansas State Research and Extension. Dirty clothing and towels left lying on the floor are common habitats for these pests.
The brown recluse spider has a dark, violin-shaped marking on the front part of its back, which identifies it from other types of spiders.
Contact Ramsey and Sullivan at 864-4810
Anthrax: Watkins ready for attack
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
been closed.
been closed. Bob Stevens, a 63-year-old photo editor for the Sun tabloid, died last Friday of inhaled anthrax, an especially rare and lethal form of the disease. The bacteria has since been detected in two other employees.
Strother said Watkins had been in contact with state and local health authorities and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As soon as any suspicious cases come to Watkins, members of those units would assist Watkins in testing potential carriers of the disease and dispensing medicine, she said.
she said.
Hickert said anthrax came from a bacterium that occurred naturally in dirt and was often carried by hoofed animals. Humans can contract the bacteria through skin contact or by eating the meat of infected animals. But these types of infection are easy to control with antibiotics, Hickert said. She
said the disease was fatal only if the bacteria had been inhaled.
"It's not a new threat," she said. "It's just been getting a lot of press now because of the case that showed up in Florida."
Hickert said students should report any unusual health problems to Watkins and educate themselves about biological warfare. She suggested visiting the CDC site at www.cdc.org and a military site on anthrax at www.anthrax.osd.mil.
Hickert said that if Americans educated themselves and did not panic about bio-terrorism, they would thwart one of the main goals of terrorists.
"Their goal is to incite fear and chaos." Hickert said. "The best way to do that is to make us afraid to live out lives the way we have been."
Contact Norton at 864-4810
— The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Cats guarded for Halloween
By Lauren Beatty and Janet Mason Special to the Kansan
With recent cases of animal abuse making the news, the Lawrence Humane Society has suspended adoption of all black cats during the last week of October.
"The 21st on Sunday, we'll stop adopting out black cats until the first of November," said Midge Grinstead, executive director of the Lawrence Humane Society.
Grinstead made the decision when she took charge at the shelter in 1997 because of the coincidence of Halloween activities and deaths of black cats.
Last year, a man came into the shelter around Halloween and asked to adopt a black cat numbered 666 on its cage, Grinstead said.
When the staff changed the number to 667b the man didn't want to adopt the cat any more, she said.
The shelter now has a policy of never using the number 666 — a sign of the devil in the Revelations chapter of the Bible — to
Grinstead said she thought two black cats brought in last year around Halloween had been sexually assaulted.
label animals.
"The cats had fractured hips, and it was obvious they had been sexually abused by people." Grinstead said.
She said two to five people ask to adopt black cats around Halloween every year. Grinstead said if people were insistent on adopting a cat during the holiday, she would call their veterinarian and check credentials. If they didn't have a veterinarian, they could not adopt, she said.
Grinstead said with all the history surrounding black cats, it was important for pet owners to keep their cats indoors and away from strangers on Halloween night.
Petshops in town continue to sell black cats during Halloween. Jackie Wigington, an employee of Pet World, 711 W. 23rd St., said black cats were in high demand during the entire year, not just around Halloween.
"Anyone we're not sure about, we won't sell to." Jackie Wigington Employee of Pet World
"Anyone we're not sure about, we won'tsell to," Wigington said.
June Mecham, graduate teaching assistant in women's studies, teaches a class titled "From Goddesses to Witches: Women in Premodern Europe" and said black cats had an association with witches.
"The association with black cats reflects a long tradition in Europe of associating black with evil, night and all the fears that surround that," she said. "The association with the cat seems to stem from the belief that the cat represented mystery and had a sixth sense."
Contact Beatty and Mason at 864-4910
Water: System boosts security
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were about two years ahead of state regulations.
"Every year there are about 80 new regulations from how often we're supposed to test the water, to the chemical levels allowed in the water," he said. "I just feel bad for smaller towns that don't have the money in the budget to stay within the bounds of technology."
Steve Randtike, professor of civil engineering and environmental health, said it would be difficult to poison a large supply of water with chemical or biological agents.
"It could be done with proper training and resources though," he said. "Our water is a vulnerability; however, we need to keep the perspective that this is not the only weakness we have. On a national level people have taken steps to ensure safety."
dents may be worried. John Olson, general manager of Hy-Vee, 3504 Clinton Parkway, said sales of bottled water were up since the terrorist attacks. The store is not allowed to give out specific information about how much sales have increased.
Randtke and Gray both said if Lawrence water were poisoned, the water plant had emergency procedures it would follow and warnings would be issued to residents.
An increase in water sales show that local resi
One of the first warnings would be to broadcast by television and radio a boil water order, requiring all Lawrence residents to boil water for any usage.
usage.
"The process of resident protection is to flip a switch, drain the basins and start all over." Gray said. "Lawrence is fortunate because it has two plants. One gets water from a lake while the other's source is the Kansas River."
Contact Carr and Winch at 864-4819
Proud to be a Jayhawk
Guidelines for Responsible Tailgating
Consistent with Board of Regents and university policies, alcohol may be consumed at universitysponsored fund-raising events. The "Proud to be a Jayhawk" fund initially was promoted to encourage donations benefitting the KU Marching Band.After Sept.11, it was determined that donations would go to the relief effort.
A perimeter around 10 parking lots adjacent to Memorial Stadium will be designated as the Proud to be a Jayhawk tailgating area.
Alcohol may be consumed only during a three-hour period before kickoff in the designated area.
Underage drinking, disorderly conduct or other unlawful conduct will not be tolerated.
No kegs or other containers with a capacity greater than one gallon may be brought into the area.
Fans are strongly encouraged not to use or bring glass containers.
No alcohol will be sold in the tailgating areas, in Memorial Stadium or elsewhere on the KU campus.
Individuals on foot will be allowed to bring their picnics into the designated tailgating areas.
Alcohol may not be brought into Memorial Stadium.
Consumption of alcohol will not be permitted outside of the designated tailgating areas.
In accordance with NCAA recommendations for responsible tailgating, a "no re-entry policy" will be in effect at Memorial Stadium. Exceptions will be granted for personal emergencies and for access to concession areas. Otherwise, fans are asked not to leave and re-enter the stadium after the game has started.