May 2017 – Page 17 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

Chancellor named at KU

by Stephen Koranda, Kansas Public Radio, Kansas News Service

The Kansas Board of Regents on Thursday named Doug Girod to be the next chancellor of the University of Kansas.

Girod served as executive vice chancellor of the KU Medical Center for the last four years.

“Dr. Girod is the right person for this time of transition. His 23 years of service are a testament to Dr. Girod’s love and commitment to KU,” Regents Chair Zoe Newton said during a special meeting in Lawrence. “He will honor KU’s traditions and history while leading this great university into the future.”

Girod is a surgeon specializing in ear, nose and throat issues. He joined KU Medical Center in 1994.

He said one of his first priorities will be to appoint a task force to address student recruitment, retention and graduation rates.

“We will focus on the overall student experience on our campus and increase their opportunities for experiential learning in our communities, and we’ll strengthen our outreach across the entire state of Kansas and beyond,” Girod said.

On the budget front, Girod said he’ll work to better communicate KU’s value with Kansas lawmakers. Higher education in Kansas took funding cuts last year.

“We do great things with those resources, but we don’t always do a great job telling our story,” he said. “We need to continue working on the communication element so they can appreciate what return on investment they’re getting and what an economic engine we are in this state.”

University officials recognize the state faces a tight budget, he said.

Girod credited outgoing Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little with improving the infrastructure and boosting fundraising at KU.

“It is hard to look anywhere and not see the relevance of her tenure on this campus,” he said.

Gray-Little will step down from the job this summer.

Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio, a partner in the Kansas News Service.

See more at http://kcur.org/post/regents-select-ku-medical-center-leader-next-ku-chancellor.

Pledger found guilty of involuntary manslaughter

Tamika Pledger was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and three counts of aggravated battery in connection with an accident on Jan. 30, 2015.

A jury in Wyandotte County District Court today found Pledger guilty on all counts that she was charged with. Tierra Smith, a teenager, died when Pledger’s car hit a group of teens at 13th and Troup. A group of teens were fighting in the middle of the street. Pledger said her brakes did not work.

Pledger, a community activist, was a candidate for Unified Government commissioner, 1st District at large, at the time of the accident. A special prosecutor was appointed in the case.

8,000 flags honoring fallen warriors going up along State Avenue on Schlitterbahn grounds

Jackson Poznich helped place flags along State Avenue in front of the Schlitterbahn waterpark on Thursday morning. He was there with his father, who works at the Home Depot in Olathe. About 8,000 flags are being placed near 94th and State Avenue by the American Fallen Warrior Memorial Foundation. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)

About 8,000 flags are going up on the Schlitterbahn waterpark grounds in Kansas City, Kansas, from the American Fallen Warrior Memorial Foundation project.

The small flags, which will be visible from State Avenue around 94th Street, are in memory of the casualties in the Wars on Terror, to honor their service during American Heroes Week through June 4, according to Jack Barnes, president of the AFWMF.

“These 8,000 casualties are about everything,” Barnes said.

He said volunteers from AFWMF, Home Depot and service organizations are helping to place the flags. Home Depot donated the flags, and the Home Depot stores in Olathe and Lawrence were represented by volunteers.

On Thursday morning, some members of the Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department also stopped by to help place flags.

Visitors may come out and look at the flags and walk around, Barnes said. The monument project plans to have a table there to hand out information.

“We want to build community awareness; this year we chose Schlitterbahn because they said, ’Would you team up with us,’ ” Barnes said.

Barnes, who is a 24-year Navy veteran, said the project also had a similar flag display last year at City Park in Kansas City, Kansas. The American Fallen Warrior Monument Project wants to build a monument in Kansas City, Kansas.

Currently, the project will not be going to the former City Park site, but the foundation is now looking at sites in western Wyandotte County, including near the Kansas Speedway, near the American Royal area and possibly near the Woodlands area.

Visitors may view the flags from the parking lot area without paying an admission fee to the Schlitterbahn waterpark. Schlitterbahn will offer American Heroes Week from May 29 through June 4. The waterpark will open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, May 26, continuing those hours through May 29.

From Memorial Day, May 29, through June 4, members of the military, police, firefighters and EMTs will receive free admission at all Schlitterbahn waterparks. U.S. military veterans also will be admitted for free. Spouses and dependents will receive 50 percent off the regular price of a ticket.

Those who receive free admission and discounts will need to show their military identification or their proof of employment at the waterpark ticket booths. Members of the military who receive free admission will include active duty, retirees, veterans, reservists and Department of Defense. For more information, see www.schlitterbahn.com/kansas-city.