False alarms disrupt students’ sleep

A broken radiator water pipe caused many problems for residents of Commonwealth Hall over the weekend of Jan. 23.

Friday night, the water flow/sprinkler alarm went off after a radiator water pipe broke on the third floor of the males’ wing. Water damage to rooms E304 and E204 was so bad that the residents were housed in Woodcrest Apartments until the rooms were ready on Monday, which included removing standing water from the rooms.

The fire alarm went off Saturday afternoon, however DPS reported that there was no evidence of smoke or fire. Upon investigation, it was found that the alarm was set off by a faulty smoke detector, which was damaged by the water.

The fire alarm went off around 2 a.m. Sunday morning, waking many residents and forcing them to evacuate the building. This false alarm was also caused by the damaged smoke detector. After the alarm was reset, the building was cleared for re-occupancy, only to have the alarm go off two more times through 4 a.m.

New arena may be in NKU’s future

Gov. Ernie Fletcher proposed a budget to the legislature Tuesday night that included $42 million in bonds to build a new arena at Northern Kentucky University. The regional special events center would hold 6,500 to 7,500 seats and would replace Regents Hall. The arena would be used for events such as concerts and graduation ceremonies. Steve Stevens, spokesman for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, said while NKU would benefit from having the new arena, the funding may have been better suited for the base funding of NKU, in light of the recent $4 million budget cut ordered by Fletcher.

Tri-state receives federal funding for local roads

A new federal transportation bill will give the tri-state $3.5 million to help replace and build roads that are expected to boost the Northern Kentucky University and tri-state economies. The bill, approved Jan. 22, will give $2 million for the Brent Spence Bridge project and $1.5 million to build a connector road between Interstate 275 and the AA Highway in Kentucky. President Bush is expected to sign the bill soon, according to the Kentucky Post.

Funding will be used to fund an environmental study as part of research for the Brent Spence Bridge replacement project.

The state of Kentucky must match at least $150,000 of funding for the connector road, but the Post reported that NKU officials expect construction could begin as soon as later this year. The road will connect Three Mile Road, Johns Hill Road and Pooles Creek Road in Highland Heights and provide better access between NKU and the riverfront.