The Olathe Daily News from Olathe, Kansas • 1

TPS6M A vG a THE OLATHE tttt Ovsrccmfng adversity Courage and perseverance pays off lor Olathe North golfer Paga IB High 34 Lew 2U blume 37-Number 202 35 Cents i Gardner hopes for dieckered flag in race track bid Steve Porter Dsfly Naw Rortv GARDNER A decision on a $152 million NASCAR race track proposed by a Daytona Fla firm Jot a 1140-acre site southeast of Gardner is expected to be made within the next two months But if it is built near Gardner it may require more than $36 million in infrastructure improvements just to accommodate the track according to the city's estimates That will require help from state and federal coffers and some tax breaks to make die pieces came together city and development corporation officials acknowledge day and Friday talked to a few of die people on the Page said all think a real good thing They were happy with it because it brought in quite a bit of revenue" He said the track built in 1949 has been modified since then The Darlington banked turns have a 25-degree slope on a 1 38-mile oval A 15-mile trioval proposed at the Gardner site would have 32-degree banked turns he said sending sound up not out track also is on 350 acres See GARDNER Page 2A A new flyover-style interchange at 1-35 and Moonlight Road improvements to die 175th Street interchange and widening of 175th Street Clare Road ind Moonlight Road would require a great deal of state and federal aid possibly a tax increment financing district and coordination and commitments from a wide spectrum of government agencies Road and highway improvements alone would cost more than $27 million The remaining costs comprise water sewer and electrical improvements needed to accommodate the 15-mile track proposed southeast of 175th and 1-35 Gardner city officials toured a Darlington SC race track latt last week to get a better idea of how a major racing venue would fit into a small community They came away with a feel for how Darlington a town of 7000 population near Florence SC (a city of 50000) compares to die Gardner (6J100) and Olathe (80000) area and the effect on the community going to help us a lot in weighing die pros and cons of having a said Gardner City Administrator Tbm Kaleko He declined to be specific Gardner Mayor Carol Lehman and Council President Bob Page also took the two-day trip last Thurs Wrapping up Projects Local meeting takes aim at gang concerns l- 'f G5 tS Vl i jys Sally Pfeffer I he -1 if- fi P1 IL fel 5 ii presented an eye-opening discussion on and their influences on at Olathe North's Parent Tbacher Organization (PTO) meeting Monday night Nearly 40 parents showed up for one of the most heavily attended PTO meetings of die year Vfogels-berg told them there are different gangs that cany varying identification tags such as baggy pants wearing certain colors tattoos hairstyles and jewelry He said gangs in Olathe have trickled in from Los Angeles Kansas City Mo and Kansas City Kan There are groups from the See LOCAL Page 4A Drily Nmm RipoMf Whether a clique or a group of young teen friends gathering in a parking lot the end result could be the same What's becoming more and more prevalent is a group getting together with the idea of instigating criminal activity Call it what you want Olathe may not see die colors so much or a lot of graffiti like areas of Los Angeles but there is a gang presence in Olathe And it's growing DARE officer Dave Vfogcls-berg Student Resource Officers (SR0) Kyle Knadle and Pat Foster i ft- I rf v-s 6 1 rx 1 i Students want return to basics in education Dm KaupfTha Dafy Nmn The only space Heatherstone sixth-grader Jennifer Turner could find to work on her science project was under table being used by a teacher and dassmatea Kelly 'JJtde (below) works to scrape the last llttla bit of rubber cement from the ar Science fair projects of students go from drawing boards to backboards important to take biology chemistry or physics advanced math such as calculus American history and American geography Shakespeare was buried rather than praised at 23 percent The bell tolled for Hemingway and other modem American authors at 18 percent think kids are trying to get by with die bare minimum and just get through with what they have to get through and not push themselves to their full said Patrick Buriand 16 a junior from Boodiwyn Pa on a study tour of Washington a practical reason too Why risk getting a lower grade on a more difficult subject when you can keep a 4-point grade average taking something easier? can maybe take algebra See STUDENTS Page 2A AimKohn Hia WASHINGTON Half of the high school students in a new survey feel less than challenged at school But that doesn't mean they are eager to take calculus advanced science or Shakespeare Instead basic reading writing and math topped die list of what students found in a survey released Monday by Public Agenda a nonprofit research group Ninety-four percent of students found those studies crucial Computer skills also ranked high at 75 percent as did practical job skills at 59 percent Good marks make diem feel good said the cross-section of 1300 students interviewed in November But teachers make it easy just to get by they said Overall less than half die students surveyed thought it so wet area at the school by mid-moming Monday Glue was in abundance The end results will be graded by sixth-grade teacher Gwen Ater and will be displayed at the school Feb 20 Students who wish may enter their projects into the district-wide science fair Febi 21 and 22 at California Trail Junior High School The district science fair-in its 20th year (My Riporttf It was a day for winding up and winding down At Heatherstone Elementary School sixth-graders spent their Monday wrapping up work on backboards for their science projects-the very projects they have been toiling on for the last several months Multi-colored construction paper along with students were spread thnxighout a Senate panel takes up concealed weapons bill Olathe officials make offer to AlliedSignal MftfEvans was not representing the Olathe Police Department which officially opposes the measure LaRue wearing a sportcoat was asked whether he was carrying a concealed weapon inside die hearing room at die Capitol He acknowledged he It JLy last image is of him (her attacker) facing my family and me in court and saying he'd be back9 Sylvia Foulkes Olathe crime victim SM and ta laps TOPEKA Allowing citizens to cany concealed handguns deters violent crimes a law professor told legislators Monday The Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee is holding hearings on a bill sponsored by Sen Janice Hardenburger R-Haddam that would allow Kansans to cany concealed handguns A similar bill failed last year in die Senate John Lott Jr of die University of Chicago Law School told the committee his study of nationwide FBI crime data for die years from 1977 to 1992 also showed no significant increase hi accidental handgun deaths handgun laws also appear to be the great equalizer between die Lott said have a strong tendency to attack the weakest targets such as women and the DMyNwMRapartar The city of Olathe is holding out an olive branch to AlliedSignal a new building and accompanying hold and' an offer to purchase several of the old facilities but not known if Allied is interested recent announcement that it had scrapped dans to 'build in Lenexa has Olathe city officials and die local business community scrambling to convince die hometown avionics business to stay TWo letters were sent this week to David Dittemore die newly-appointed president of AlliedSignal: one was from Olathe Mayor Larry Campbell and die other by members of Olathe's Economic Development Council letter urged Dittemore and Allied to reconsider Olathe as a home See OLATHE Page 2A Marian Davis representing the Johnson County Mainstream Coalition spoke against the bill have never understood how a pistol in my purse would help me if I were die said Eldon Epp pastor of the Manhattan Mennonite Church also opposed the bill moves away from the rule of law back to a he said Sen Keith Schraad R-Overland Park said he was keeping an open mind on the issue See SENATE Page 2A Sylvia Foulkes Olathe said she was severely slashed by a knife-wielding attacker 1 1 years ago She spoke in favor of die Nil saying last image is of him facing my family and me in court and saying be Olathe Police detective Roger LaRue testified in favor of conceal-cany but he pointed out he NS1DE A jmy sards $25 nion it punfe damsgas spins! 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