KEEPING THEIR FINGERS CROSSED
The Wildcats swept the Jayhawks this weekend, leaving the chance of a Big 12
MONDAY, MAY 7, 2007
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOL.117 ISSUE 149
Tournament appearance looking slim. Kansas won the tournament last year.
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THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NATURAL DISASTER
Orlin Wagner/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Widespread destruction is shown Saturday in Greensburg. Most of this southwest Kansas town was destroyed by a tornado, which was part of a violent storm system blamed for at least nine deaths, officials said Saturday amid warnings of more severe weather. The tornado that struck Greensburg late Friday damaged about 95 percent of the town about 110 miles west of Wichita and 50 miles north of the Oklahoma state line, City Administrator Steve Hawthorn said Saturday.
Tornado levels Kansas town
Three KU students lose homes say town is'unrecognizable'
BY BETHANY BUNCH
Every church was destroyed, the hospital roof collapsed and every business on the town's main thoroughfare was demolished in Friday night's tornado that nearly wiped the small town of Greensburg off the map.
Stephanie White, Greensburg senior, and her brother Zach, a freshman, were in Lawrence when they first heard that severe weather was headed for their hometown. Panic quickly followed after their mother, who was
in Salina, was unable to contact their father and younger brother. It was an hour and a half before the phone lines cooperated and their father could confirm that they were waiting nervously in the basement under the staircase.
"My brother said it sounded like a freight train was going over our house because it was so loud," Zach said. "They tried to go up the stairs a little but it was so cold and the winds were so strong inside the house they thought the
SEE REACTION ON PAGE 10A
Rescue workers search through mounds of debris in Greensburg
BY ROXANA HEGEMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
GREENSBURG — Rescue workers dug through piles of rubble Sunday searching for anyone who might have been trapped by a tornado that obliterated this south-central Kansas town, while officials began talking about rebuilding.
At least 10 people were known dead from weekend storms. Eight of them were in the Greensburg area and two others died elsewhere in Kansas — one during
the Friday night storms that hammered Greensburg and one in a second round of storms late Saturday, state officials said.
Rescue workers on Sunday used trained dogs to sniff for bodies and used their hands and heavy equipment to clear away the rubble. No one else had been found by early afternoon, and officials were hopeful the death toll wouldn't rise.
"I don't know when the search and rescue stops and cleanup
SEE GREENSBURG ON PAGE 10A
ACCIDENT
Amanda Sellers/KANSAN
Tire marks and a broken ledge are the scattered remains in front of the Chi Omega sorority house. A small pick-up crashed through the front window of the house Sunday morning while the car was being chased by police. The driver was flown to Kansas City for injuries.
Man crashes truck into sorority house
A truck crashed into the Chi Omega sorority house at 2:30 a.m. Sunday.
Chelsie Harper, Hugoton ju-
nor and sorority president,
said no sorority members were hurt in the accident.
ing threats with a knife. The driver, whose identity was not released, was flown to a Kansas City hospital by air ambulance.
The crash was the result of a high speed chase across campus according to the Lawrence Journal-World Web site, www.
The chase began after police were called to the 500 block of West 14th Street, where an unknown person had been accused of damaging a vehicle and making threats with a knife.
ljworld.com. The chase began after police were called to the 500 block of West 14th Street, where an unknown person had been accused of damaging a vehicle and mak-
Although Harper said there was no concern that the driver, who was male, would enter the sorority house, the building was evacuated and members slept at an undisclosed location for the remainder of the
night. Broken glass was still being cleaned from the floors of the house on Sunday afternoon.
PROFILE
Joe Hunt
Injured Washington works for comeback
BY RAHUL SHARMA
All it took was one play and his days of playing football came to an end. For Eric Washington, a former Kansas linebacker, one more hit meant stop.
"I knew in my heart that it was over," Washington said.
Washington suffered a career-ending spinal injury when attempting to tackle an opposing running back against Nebraska last September. Trainers carried the second-year linebacker off the field and rushed him to a Lincoln-area hospital.
Doctors conducted a CT scan and an MRI. They later told Washington
that he would be unable to return to help his team the rest of the season
Despite the doctors' warnings, Washington still wants to return to the team. His life-long drive to compete has pushed him through rehab and possibly to other competitive endeavors. But no matter how hard he works, his physical condition may keep him from playing.
Washington felt devastated that he could not participate in football in the near future.
Washington
"I didn't think it was real." Washington said.
Unable to freely move his arms and thumbs, Washington had surgery the next month and was physically inactive for two months.
The road to recovery remains difficult, Washington said. Doctors told him that he would not be able to play again. Despite learning the truth about his playing future, Washington still felt the urge to compete the same season.
"If I was able to move, I would have played." Washington said.
Washington said he spent extended periods of time in rehab.
"It's like a big waiting game," Washington said, "I was grateful that
Since his days of first taking the football field at the age of 6, Washington never let the thought of an injury keep him from playing sports. Washington said he acquired a relentless sense of pursuit and aggression from his father, who told him, "You better play football."
"You better play football"
I could walk again."
Washington's father, James, did not play football because of his lean frame. However, he insisted his sons, Eric and brother Demetrius, 20, to pursue the sport. From that moment
SEE WASHINGTON ON PAGE 5A
Senior linebacker Eric Washington, right, wants to return to the field for one more year, despite doctors advising him not to. Washington suffered a season-ending spinal injury last season. He has one year of reliability remaining.
index
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weather
cinco de mayo
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Crossword...8A
Horoscopes...8A
Opinion...9A
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© 2007 The University Daily Kansan
softball
Fashion and fundraising drew students to a Cinco de Mayo festival.
Kansas'second attempt to beat Iowa State in a doubleheader failed Saturday. The Jayhawks will see if the third time is the charm on Thursday. 1B
opinion
track and field
Check out The Kansan's latest opinion cartoon.
Several Jayhawks broke school records and attained regional marks at Arkansas Twilight Invitational. 1B
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