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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23. 2004
Healthy food options increase at airports nationwide
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ROMULUS, Mich. — For many who travel for the holidays, the eating begins at the airport.
It's always been easy to find high-calorie, fat-filled and fried food. But at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and a growing number of airports nationwide, more options for the health-conscious are on the menu.
It was a pilot's complaint that helped launch the improvement in Detroit.
Now "Heart Smart" options marked with a red logo are on many menus — and a recent survey shows the airport continues to make strides in healthy offerings.
"When I'm at an airport, the
last thing I want is a cheese-burger," said Anthony Struzziero, who grabbed a chicken breast sandwich during a recent layover. He decided to eat at Mediterranean Grill after spotting healthy options on its menu.
Struzzizero, 18, of Portland, Maine, was on his way to Phoenix to visit a friend and said healthy options like those at Mediterranean Grill are something he's seeing more often at other airports, too.
"A lot more have sandwich shops and healthy food places," he said. "I think a lot of places are trying to get away from fast food."
Last year a pilot looking for healthy food stopped in to see the Detroit airport's chief executive Lester Robinson, who has
made improving food options a top priority.
Soon after, the airport formed a partnership with a Detroit-based network of hospitals and clinics, the Henry Ford Health System. The network's experts evaluated the menus of 13 restaurants at its McNamara Terminal, one of Northwest Airlines' nationwide hubs.
Besides making "Heart Smart" designations, the health experts worked with restaurants on improving their food. Now more of the estimated 50 airport restaurants are getting items certified as heart-healthy.
Mediterranean Grill's list of healthy offerings include tabbouleh, vegetarian grape leaves and chicken stir fry.
Administrative manager Ric Frievalt said one of his changes was to bake falafel instead of deep-frying it so it would qualify as "Heart Smart."
"It's something that travelers at many airports haven't seen." Frievalt said of the program.
"We think about it only for travelers, but you also have people who work there," said Darlene Zimmerman, a registered dietitian at Henry Ford.
Recently, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which promotes vegetarian diets, cited Detroit's airport as No. 2 in offering healthy vegetarian fare among 12 of the busiest U.S. airports. The group said 83 percent of restaurants offer such food.
Claiming the top spot was Miami International Airport with 85 percent of restaurants offering food low in fat, cholesterol-free and high in fiber. Trulie Ankerberg-Nobis, clinical research coordinator for the Physicians Committee, said the rankings come as airline passengers look for more carry-on food options.
"More restaurants are step ping up to the plate ... because fewer people are getting that on board," Ankerberg-Nobis said. "They have to take it from home or they are going to buy it from the airport themselves."
The rankings are based on the percentage of restaurants offering at least one entree that fits the requirements. Although airport food is getting healthier, the
Physicians Committee said 36 percent of airport restaurants surveyed still don't offer one qualifying entree.
"There still is lots more improvement to do," Ankerberg-Nobis said.
In Detroit, airport employees have taken notice of the options.
"They've always had salads available," said Judith Wegner, 49, of Taylor, who works at the Northwest Airlines' WorldClub. "They've always had some of these, but the restaurants have gotten better."
Wegner was eating a late lunch at Online Cafe, where the menu includes a vegetarian sandwich and a smoked turkey spinach wrap.
"I do get tired of burgers and fries," said the six-year airport employee.
State protects Hills from turbines
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOPEKA — A state panel has recommended that about a third of the treasured Flint Hills should remain free of wind turbines, which can create energy from the steady breezes of the prairie, until further guidelines for their development emerge at the both the state and local level.
The proposed "Heart of the Flint Hills Area" covers about 2 million acres and portions of 11 counties, including the cities of El
Dorado, Emporia, Manhattan and Junction City. A "Cabinet Team," appointed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, asked property owners and wind developers to exercise "voluntary restraint" inside the area until additional guidelines for wind development are written.
Kansas' first commercial wind farm opened in 2001 near Montezuma. The Gray County Wind Energy farm generates 112 megawatts of power with 170 turbines, enough to power 40,000 households. Other projects being considered include sites in Anderson, Cloud, Cowley, Elk, Ford, Stevens and Wichita counties.
Jennifer States, of JW Prairie Windpower in Lawrence, said she hoped Sebelius would make "a sound decision" about wind power and allow projects to go forward. States said a 120-megawatt site that her company has been developing could generate $1 million for its county through leases and other payments to the county.
ROCK CHALK: Proceeds help United Way
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
Wells, Portland, Ore., senior, said about the show, which will never be performed.
Regardless of whether their shows were chosen, the Rock Chalk Revue directors had fun. They arrived in limousines wearing formalwear.
Samantha Horner, Leawood senior, said her group members wore their costumes for their oral interview on Saturday. Last night was dressy-casual. She said they went out for dinner and cocktails before the announcement.
All groups would be celebrating, whether it be to success or new-found freedom, she said.
"We've been working since September, I'd say at least 20 hours a week," Horner said.
Her sorority, Gamma Phi Beta, teamed with Phil Delta Theta to produce "On Air," one of the five chosen shows.
Horner said her show was about a television news station with call letters HAWK in the fictional town of Greenwood Falls.
The station receives the highest ratings until MIZU comes to town. MIZU steals ratings by fabricating sensational news.
She said her group did not give away the ending during its oral interview so it could leave the judges hanging.
The judges consist of English teachers in the Kansas City area and professionals from Theatre in the Park, said Erin Nied, executive director. Each judge brings something different to the table, she said.
"We were trying to get an overall show that would benefit the United Way as much as possible," Nied, St. Louis senior, said.
All proceeds from the show go to the Lawrence chapter of the United Way.
Wade Carr, Wellington senior, said it was tough to see only five groups chosen. The executive producer hoped the others would get involved with the technical aspects of the show.
Phi Delta Theta member Ramsey Mohsen said he was
ROCK CHALK
ANNOUNCEMENT
Last night five of the 12 groups who auditioned were announced as part of Rock Chalk Revue.
"On Air" featuring
On Air featuring
Gamma Phi Beta and Phi
Delta Theta
- "Keepin' Time" featuring Kappa Kappa Gamma and Sigma Chi
- "Die à la Mode" featuring Alpha Gamma Delta
"Greece" featuring Chi Omega and Beta Theta Pi
"Double Booked" featuring Delta Gamma and Pi Kappa Phi
Source: Erin Nied, executive director
"We were kind of on the edge of our seats," Mohsen, Springfield, Mo., senior said. "We didn't know what to expect."
Edited by Jon Ralston
glad the wait was over.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Legislature debates gambling
TOPEKA — Gov. Kathleen Sebelius tried to use a casino compact with two Indian tribes to resolve thorny gambling issues this fall, but the agreement's wide scope created too big an obstacle.
The agreement also would protect the new casino from competition by threatening the state with the loss of its revenue if it did not restrict gambling elsewhere.
The compact would allow the Kickapoo and Sac and Fox tribes to open a casino in Wyandotte County and guarantee the state $50 million or more annually.
If legislative leaders had exercised their legal power to approve such a compact, they would have set policy on expanding gambling.
That fact made it easier for House Speaker Doug Mays to block action on the compact last week.
Instead of discussing the compact's merits or gambling policy, Mays argued that such a big decision shouldn't be left to only a few leaders.
"We'll have a debate, and it will be before the full Legislature," said Mays (R-Topeka).
Mays could block action on the compact because he's chairman of the Legislative Coordinating Council and sets its agenda.
State law says the council can approve a compact when lawmakers are out of session, but Mays kept the Kickapoo and Sac and Fox agreement off the
agenda for the council's meeting tomorrow.
The lack of action didn't kill the compact, of course. Sebelius and the tribes can still present the agreement to lawmakers after their 2005 session convenes.
But Sebelius may be less aggressive about a compact because she'll have other issues to pursue.
In statements last week, Sebelius noted that her agenda for the session included health care initiatives and improving public schools, suggesting gambling would be less important.
All said the compact represented an attempt to move forward on gambling.
In January, Sebelius proposed a bill to allow up to five state-owned casinos, up to 2,500 slot machines spread among the state's dog- and horse-racing tracks, and video lottery machines at 240 fraternal clubs. Legislators — as they have repeatedly over the past decade — rejected the gambling legislation.
Still, negotiations with the tribes remained an option. They and Sebelius struck a deal in October.
Their compact would be the first in Kansas to offer the state a share of revenue from Indian gambling, though seven states have similar agreements with tribes.
The Kickapoo and Sac and Fox already operate separate casinos in northeast Kansas, as do the Iowa and Prairie Band Potawatomi, under compacts approved in the 1990s.
The latest compact would permit the Kickapoo and Sac and Fox to build a $210 million casino-and-hotel complex near Kansas Speedway.
To receive any revenue, the state would have to limit the number of slot machines elsewhere in Kansas to 600 or fewer each at Wichita Greyhound Park, a now-closed dog track outside Pittsburg and The Woodlands dog and horse racing park in Kansas City, Kan.
During a legislative session, a bill to allow one big casino and to limit slot machines elsewhere to dog and horse tracks would face opposition from gambling opponents.
Developers, communities and groups interested in getting a piece of the pie would likely attack such a plan as too narrow.
"We didn't have much time to analyze a complex set of issues," said Senate President Dave Kerr, (R-Hutchinson). "It's not easy to tell what the implications are."
Sebelius said history supported having the Legislative Coordinating Council approve the latest compact. In 1995, the council approved the compacts allowing the Kickapoo and Sac and Fox to operate their existing casinos.
But that year, as Mays noted, the council acted after the full Legislature already had approved similar compacts with the Potawatomi and Iowa.
And none of the four compacts attempted to set gambling policy across the state.
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