THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2006
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 3
3A
BOOKSTORES
Sale returns after first day limited by rain
BY JEFF DETERS
editor@kansan.com
KANSAN CORRESPONDENT
The KU Bookstores annual sidewalk sale began Wednesday at the front plaza of the Kansas Union, but had to end the first day early because of rain.
The sale gave shoppers the opportunity to purchase clothes, stickers and other University of Kansas merchandise at a discount rate.
Jessica Hopkins, Bonner Springs senior, visited the sale when she got out of class yesterday.
"Ilike to shop." Hopkins said, wearing a KU workout jacket. "Half my clothes are KU."
Hopkins purchased baby clothes for a friend and a KU shirt for her dad.
Steve Rhodes, assistant director of the KU Book Stores, said business had been good even though the weather wasn't.
Rain forced bookstore employees to end the sale about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, but Rhodes thought the sale would go until 4 p.m. today. He said hooded sweatshirts and $5 T-shirts were popular clothes, and most items were sold at a 50 percent discount or greater.
NATION
The annual sale is necessary, he said, because the bookstores need to move old items to make room for new merchandise in the fall. Unsold items from the sale will return to the bookstore.
All sale proceeds go to student programs.
NATION Victims of faked birth urged to come forward
Edited by Cynthia Hernandez
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Prosecutors pleaded Wednesday for victims of a scam in which a couple faked the birth of sextuplets to come forward so that charges could possibly be upgraded.
Sarah and Kris Everson, of Grain Valley, appeared in Jackson County Circuit Court for a preliminary hearing, which was continued until June 21. The Eversons are charged with theft for soliciting gifts from neighbors after concocting a complex tale of their multiple births.
more than $3,500. The amount was believed to be higher, he said, but authorities need those who gave to the couple to acknowledge they were scammed.
Mike Sanders, the Jackson County prosecutor, said an investigation into how much the couple actually collected was ongoing, but the total was
Charges could be upgraded if the tally were to reach $25,000.
Paul Sakuma/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Grain Valley community leaders have said Sarah, who is 45, and Kris, 34, came to them in March, saying they had delivered six critically ill babies and needed help.
Within days of the story appearing on the front of the local paper here,The Examiner,the couple was barraged by questions from the media and ultimately admitted to reporters and police that the entire thing was a lie. They said they needed the cash.
Four-year-old Taylor Yamahita brushes her teeth with Grest toothpaste at her home in Palo Atto, Calif., Wednesday. Procter & Gamble co. said Wednesday that its third-quarter profit jumped 37 percent, but the consumer products company's stock slid on weaker than expected sales figures.
The Associated Press
Brusha, brusha, brusha
Meters
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
Why don't KU students pay the meters? One theory is that it's easier just to pay the fine than to put change in the meter.
"There are lots of tickets because people are willing to pay the
Ingraham, Lenexa freshman, said she usually tried to pay, but came up short at times.
"Since it's like three minutes for a nickel, it doesn't do me much good," she said.
Meter costs range from $1 an hour on Daisy Hill to $1.50 an hour at the Burge Union.
price for the convenience of the spaces they want," the study said.
According to the study, entitled Ten-Year Parking Strategy Final Report, the fine is viewed by some not as a penalty for breaking the law, but as the going rate for parking in a given spot. At the time of the study, in 2004, the fine was $5 for parking at an expired meter. It was recommended by the study that the department raise the penalty, and it is currently $10.
It also offers a word of caution for students who think they can escape before finding a pink ticket on their car. More than one out of every three violators gets caught, making for what they study calls, a very efficient "capture rate."
"I do know that there are students who prefer to use metered parking rather than buy a permit." she said.
The University of Kansas also has an advantage over traditional meter sites, such as the city of Lawrence, because it is better at
Cars can get ticketed multiple times in a day. Donna Hultine, director of parking services, said a vehicle could be re-ticketed every time it exceeded the posted length on a meter. If a non payer parks at a 20-minute meter, he can be ticketed every 20 minutes; at an hour-long meter, he can be ticketed every hour. Hultine said it was not unheard of for students to use the meters as an alternative to other parking lots.
demanding payment for tickets. Students who don't pay a ticket are unable to enroll in classes.
That threat appears to be what motivates students to pay the ticket. Within the first month after writing a ticket, 55 percent of the fines have been paid. Vince Meserko, Overland Park sophomore, belongs to that group.
"I always try to pay right away and get it taken care of," he said.
Other students take their time, but within one year, 87 percent of all tickets get paid.
The study said those violations add up to $725,000 a year for the parking department. That is far more than the $90,000 in coins that people drop into the meter each year. Ingraham has contributed her fair share to both amounts. Since arriving at the University last semester, she said she had received at least four tickets.
"I think I've paid more in parking tickets than I have for food or books," she said.
— Edited by Meghan Miller
CAMPUS Womyn to take back the night tonight
After being rained out last week, the Womyn Take Back the Night event will take place Friday with a protest against violence towards women.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. at Buford M. Watson Jr. Park, on the 600 block between Tennessee and Kentucky streets. There will be booths and displays set up to give information about services throughout the community as well as T-shirt and button making and live music from local artists.
At 8 p.m. there will be a "speak out" session in which people are invited to share their feelings and experiences with violent acts against women. Then at 9 p.m. there will be a march down Massachusetts Street in demand of a safer, non-violent community.
Nicole Kelley
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS
May 8 at 7:30 pm at the Dole Institute.
Politics of Corporate Investigations
May 4,2006
PAID FOR BY KU
Are You Ready for a Challenge?
$10 entry fee goes towards helping KU Habitat for Humanity build a home!
Habitat for Humanity Disc Golf Tournament Sunday May 7th @ 9:30am Meet at the gazebo at Centennial Park 9th and Rockledge Two rounds of Disc Golf Great Prizes for all skill levels Free lunch between rounds
The Center for Community Outreach Challenging, Educating, Empowering.