THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2011
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOLUME 123 ISSUE 77
WINTER WONDERLAND
To sled or to shovel? Snow blankets Lawrence
BY ANGELIQUE MCNAUGHTON amcnaughton@kansan.com
Bittertemperaturesand a snow-covered city greeted students returning to campus after a winter storm on Wednesday dropped 6.7 inches of snow on Lawrence.
By mid-afternoon Thursday, clear skies and sunshine helped speed up the melting process.
The National Weather Service of Topeka predicted snow to accumulate at a rate of one inch per hour and issued a winter storm warning for Douglas and surrounding counties Wednesday morning.
Mike Lang, the campus landscape manager, said the university grounds crews worked late and arrived early in preparation for the storm.
"All of our equipment was ready to go before hand and we stayed until about 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday and were back again at 4 a.m. on Wednesday," Lang said.
"It's looking pretty good out there now, although some parking lots still need to be addressed."
The torrential snow began Wednesday a f t e r n o o n prompting t h e
WINTER TIPS WHEN DRIVING
- Allow extra time for delays and slower traffic speeds
- Accelerate and brake gently to avoid skidding and sliding on ice
- Increase distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you
- Keep your gas tank more than half-full and make sure you have washer fluid to keep your windshield clear all frost and snow
- Clear all frost and snow off windshields, windows, mirrors and lights
- Drive in lower gears to get the maximum amount of traction
- Do not use cruise control on icy roads or roads with limited visibility
- If rear wheels skid take foot off accelator and steer front wheels in the direction you want to go
From the Kansas Highway Patrol and Weather.com
- If front wheels skid put car in neutral, but do not steer immediately
Chance Denman, a senior from Wichita, carries his inflatable canoe up the hill by Joseph R. Pearson Hall. Denman said he had been leaving the canoe in his basement for the right occasion.
Travis Young/KANSAN
INDEX
Classifieds...7B
Crossword...4A
Cryptoquips...4A
Opinion...5A
Sports...1B
Sudoku...4A
WEATHER
TODAY
31 19
Snow Showers
Partly Cloudy
29 21
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
26 5
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
Light Snow
MEN'S BASKETBALL | 1B
Hawks enjoy a bird's eye view at the top of Big 12
Their position as reigning champs will be tested Saturday against the undefeated Texas Longhorns.
ATHLETICS
Many to plead guilty in KU Athletics scandal
Former employee, Liebsch, could face 20 years in jail
BY ALEX GARRISON agarrison@kansan.com
Several former employees of the Athletics Department plead guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud to steal millions of dollars' worth of tickets and passes.
The series of plea agreements represent further news in the ongoing scandal that has rocked the department in the past year. The department named a new director of ticket operations, Doug Hopkins, formerly in the same position with the Kansas City Chiefs, Jan. 7.
Blubaugh
As of Thursday, Charlette Blubaugh, former associate athletics director for ticket operations, and her husband, Thomas, a former consultant for the ticket office are expected to also enter guilty pleas in the Wichita federal court handling the prosecutions sometime next week.
Jones
Rodney Jones, former assistant athletics director in charge of the
WilliamsFund, the fundraising arm of Athletics, entered into his plea agreement lan.14.
In the agreement, Jones admitted to entering into a conspiracy to take tickets in exchange for personal financial gain.
Kassie
Liebsch, a
Sentencing in Liebsch's case is scheduled for March 30. She faces up to 20 years in prison.
28-year-oldformer systems analyst, entered a guilty plea the previous day.
Liebsch admitted to taking part in wire fraud by failing to report the activity and gaining $100,000 over a period of about four years for herself in the transactions.
Liebsch
Kirtland
Liebsch began working at the department when she was a freshman in 2001, later moving to the ticket office in August 2002, according to the plea agreement. From then until 2009, she worked under co-defendants Jones and.
eventually, CharletteBlubaugh.
Another former Williams Fund employee, Ben Kirtland, is also awaiting trial. Further, co-defendants Brandon Simmons and Jason Jeffries are awaiting sentencing, set for March 7, after pleading guilty to a charge of concealing a felony.
Edited by Samantha Collins