8A the university daily kansan
tuesday,august 26,2003
news
Naismith stop signs now permanent
Amanda Kim Stairrett
astairrett@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Turning onto Naismith Drive used to take a sense of timing and some good luck — until temporary stop signs were installed this summer to try to ease traffic problems.
terms.
Tonight, those signs should become permanent as the Lawrence City Commission adopts an ordinance that establishes a permanent all-way stop at Naismith Drive and Allen Fieldhouse Drive/Schwegler Drive.
The KU Public Safety Office went to the city commission this summer after they learned a traffic diverter would be installed on 18th Street.
A traffic study conducted by the city said 1,000 additional cars would be making turns onto Naismith from 19th Street.
Facilities Operations installed the temporary signs in mid-June, before the 18th Street diverter was put in place, so drivers could get used to the additions.
However, Tim Akright, transportation coordinator for KU on Wheels, said his department was not a fan of the new addition.
"It is a nice little snafu," he said.
Akright said KU on Wheels officials disliked the stop signs because they caused problems for bus drivers.
"They used to have all the way from Naismith Hall to Sunnyside Avenue to change lanes," he said.
The four-way stop sign at Naismith Drive and Allen Fieldhouse Drive/Schwegler Drive is set to become permanent as the Lawrence City Commission adopts an ordinance. The signs were implemented to ease traffic problems and anticipate upcoming ones.
Avenue to Charge John Mullens, assistant director for the Office of Public Safety, said signs could be installed for 90 days without permanent approval.
without permission. Mullens said his department received many questions about the stop signs.
the stop signs.
"We were mostly facing questions about why signs were being put in after all these years," he said. 80th
put all after all these. Mullens said once the 18th Street diverters went in, the calls ceased.
ceased.
Jim Long, vice provost, said he has heard no complaints from drivers.
drivers. "People have appreciated the stops that have been added," he
said.
said. Long said safety was the main issue.
"With the diverter on 18th, our intent was to provide a safe means of egress from the area," he said.
Karen Loudon, a physical therapist at Watkins Health Center.
said she liked the installation of the stop signs.
he stop sign. "If there were no stop signs, it would be impossible to turn left from Schwegler onto Naismith," she said.
Edited by Joey Berlin
2002 U.S. crime rate lowest in last 30 years
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Violent and property crimes dipped in 2002 to their lowest levels since records started being compiled 30 years ago, and have dropped more than 50 percent in the last decade, the Justice Department reported Sunday.
The annual survey by the Bureau of Justice Statistics identified about 23 million crime victims last year, down slightly from the year before and far below the 44 million recorded when studies began in 1973.
1973.
The rate of violent crimes — rapes, robberies and assaults — was about 23 victims for every 1,000 U.S. residents 12 or older last year. That compares with 25 victims per 1,000 in 2001 and 50 in 1993.
For property crimes such as burglary and car theft, the rate is 159 crimes per 1,000 last year, down from 167 the previous year and 319 in 1993.
In 1993. The study examined property and violent crimes except murder, which is measured separately by the FBI. Preliminary FBI statistics for 2002 released in June — based on reports from police across the country — reported a 0.8 percentage point rise in the murder rate compared with 2001.
The Justice Department survey, however, found continuing decreases in every major property and violent crime, crossing all household income, racial and ethnic lines. Crime is down in cities, suburbs and rural areas.
suburbs and rural areas
Attorney General John Ashcroft
credited citizens for being more
willing to report crimes and said the numbers are a tribute to the work of police, prosecutors and judges across the country.
across the country "But lower crime rates must not lead to complacency," Ahrsoft said. "We must continue our vigilance and renew our firm commitment to protect all Americans, bringing swift and certain justice to all those who would inflict pain and harm."
Experts say a number of factors have driven the crime rate down, including a more mature, less violent illegal drug trade, a drop in gang membership and even improved home locks and alarms that deter would-be burglars.
Even so, the continuing drop in crime surprises some.
crime surprised some
"Everyone thought the numbers would bottom out and then go back
up, but it hasn't happened," said James Lynch, law professor at the American University Center for Justice, Law and Society.
Justice, Law and Some criminologists think tougher prison sentences and more prisons are key factors, because they take more criminals off the streets longer. The Justice Department reported last week that at the end of 2001, more than 5.6 million adults—one in every 37 U.S. adults—were either in state or federal prison or had done prison time during their lives.
tion lives. Others say that theory is refuted by the government's own data. The Justice Policy Institute, a research group that favors alternatives to prison, pointed out that regions with higher prison expansion rates, such as the South and West, experienced more murders in 2002.
"Healthy U The Wellness Curriculum
Wellness Fair 2003 Wednesday, August 27 Stauffer-Flint Lawn 10:00am - 2:00pm
Learn how to earn an "A" in your health!
Free Snacks!
Door Prizes given away every 15 minutes!
Participate in Health Checks & Earn $20!
Student Health Services at Watkins Memorial Health Center
The University Daily Kansan presents:
PICK THE TEAMS TO WIN. If you beat The Kansan sportswriters, you get GREAT PRIZES such as T-shirts and bio gift certificates!
GRAND PRIZE WINNERS WILL RECEIVE $250 OF FREE TEXTBOOKS FOR SPRING SEMESTER FROM JAYHAWK BOOKSTORE!
Cut this portion and return to 119 Stauffer-Flint, Mojo's or Jayhawk Bookstore by 4 p.m. Thursday
Name:
E-mail:
WEEK #1
Kansas vs. Northwestern Illinois vs. Missouri
Oklahoma State vs. Nebraska Washington vs. Ohio State Colorado vs.Colorado State Georgia vs.Clemson
North Texas vs. Oklahoma
SMU vs. Texas Tech
Florida State vs. North Carolina UABvs.Baylor
Miami vs. Louisiana Tech
Fresno State vs. Tennessee
SPONSORED BY:
Jayhawk
Iookstore
at the Nsiumith Hill
com. jayhawkbookstore.
jayhawkbookstore.
845-3826 - 1429 Crescent Rd.
Ain't no thing like a Mojo wing!
714 Vermont 841-1313
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN
The student voice. Every day.
Contest Rules:
**Contest Rules:**
- Pick the teams you are going to win.
- Turn in your filled out kick of Kansas sheet to Stauffer Flint Hall 119, Mojo's, or Jayhawk Bookstore.
- Entries must be received by 4 p.m. the Thursday before the games in question. No late entries will be accepted.
- The five winners will be notified by email/ phone the following Monday before midnight, week.
- At the end of the season, a grand prize winner will be selected from all the entries received that "Kicked the Kansas."
* Check out full details at Kansan.com or at Stauffer Flint 119
}
1
1
1