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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2008 50 CENTS

ALEX’S FAMILY
COUPLE ROBBED, ATTACKED WITH BATS

N. High
students
MEETS BUSH charged
in beatings
BY TIM POTTER
The Wichita Eagle

Prosecutors on Wednesday charged two North

High School students with beating and robbing a
North Riverside couple — a crime that left a man
with “extremely critical” head injuries — and asked
that the two 17-year-olds be tried as adults.
The defendants, who played on the North foot-
ball team, have each been charged with two
counts of aggravated battery, two counts of aggra-
vated robbery and one count of aggravated bur-
glary.
According to the charges, each was “armed with
a dangerous weapon, to wit: a baseball bat.”
Police said the couple — a woman and her
boyfriend in their 50s — were beaten about 8:15
p.m. Friday with a wooden baseball bat during a
robbery at their home near 16th and Salina.
The man remains in “extremely critical” condi-
tion, Deputy District Attorney Ron Paschal said in
court. Police have said the man suffered several
skull fractures. His family could not be reached for
comment.

Please see BEATINGS, Page 3A

BILL’S FATE IN SENATE IN DOUBT

\Courtesy of the White House
President Bush visits with the Funcheon family on Air Force One. The family was able to arrange a private meeting with the
president when Bush was in Wichita in June 2007 to dedicate the new Boys & Girls Club.
U.S. House
President greets them aboard Air Force One passes auto
“When my son was BY ROY WENZL
PART FIVE OF SEVEN AT KANSAS.COM/FORALEX
bailout bill
The Wichita Eagle
killed, he came

S
gt. Charles Austin Hilt in a smart-looking beret and „ Watch a new video interview
back, and he was picked up the surviv- Class A dress uniform. with Alex Funcheon’s parents,
Bob and Karen Funcheon
ing Funcheons in a The president, staffers said,
honored at his blue government van would meet with them in a „ Read an account about the BY DAVID LIGHTMAN
at 1:30 p.m., while small office in a hangar at Funcheons touring Air Force McClatchy Newspapers
funeral. But I began the president lunched Boeing’s manufacturing plant One
and cracked jokes at a in southeast Wichita. „ Read earlier installments in WASHINGTON — In a 237 to 170 vote late
to resign myself fundraiser for Sen. Pat Roberts. Bob had been irritated at the series Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed a
„ Read and sign Alex
to the idea that his Bob
Funcheon had
President Bush for not calling
them weeks before. But he still Funcheon’s memorial guest
$14 billion emergency plan to aid Detroit’s ailing
auto industry — but Senate Republicans’ doubts
life had meant called Hilt the
night before
thought Bush’s war was the
right thing to do.
book
„ Read e-mails Alex Funcheon
about the package put its ulti-
mate fate in jeopardy.
something to us and and told him, Gloria, who disagreed, lis- exchanged with his parents dur- The bill’s funds could flow
“You’re going tened to her Dad think out ing his overseas tour quickly to General Motors and INSIDE
to his buddiesæ.æ.æ. with us.” The loud. Bob looked at her. “You „ View family photos and Chrysler, which otherwise
Local Saturn
sergeant do realize,” Bob told his daugh- images from Alex Funcheon’s would face bankruptcy. The
but I felt like objected; this ter, “they have the Secret platoon in Iraq measure also would create a dealer anxious
meeting Service right there.” „ Read journal entries written “car czar,” who’d be appointed after GM offi-
his death meant should be for He was teasing. Gloria by Gloria Funcheon, Alex’s sis- by the president to dole out cials raise the
ter prospect of
nothing in the war them only,
Hilt said. Bob
looked away.
When her parents had told „ Learn the story behind the
the money, and require the
companies to restructure them- eliminating the
series with Roy Wenzl brand, 3C
on terrorism.” had a high
regard for Hilt, who had
her that the president would
meet with them, she’d blurted „ Watch a YouTube clip of Alex
selves to achieve long-term via-
bility.
helped them arrange Alex’s out, “I’m not going.” She practicing his German language The bill, said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
Bob Funcheon, speaking funeral. He repeated: “You’re skills D-Calif., in her closing argument Wednesday, is
to President Bush going.” Hilt was dressed now Please see ALEX, Page 3A
Please see BAILOUT, Page 5A

RETAIL AND WHOLESALE STORM DROPPED LESS THAN 2 INCHES OF SNOW

Generic drugs Snow blamed for 650-plus accidents

BY STAN FINGER

getting cheaper The Wichita Eagle

The first winter storm to hit

Wichita this season delivered
less than 2 inches of snow to
KANSAS.COM:
„ View a gallery of
photos taken dur-
ing Tuesday’s
BY LINDA A. JOHNSON the area — but more than 650 snowfall.
Associated Press accidents. „ Watch a video
Authorities didn’t hide their of Wichitans
TRENTON, N.J. — Finally, a little good health frustration Wednesday. weathering the first
care news for consumers: U.S. prices for generic “It was a tougher storm than major snow of the
prescription drugs, which already we thought it was going to be,” season.
cost as little as one-third what
their brand-name cousins do,
INSIDE Kansas Department of
Transportation spokesman Tom
„ Read Stan
Finger’s blog,
have been getting cheaper and Some of the Hein admitted. “Twelve inches Bo Rader/The Wichita Eagle Finger on the
likely will keep doing so. drugs on track of snow is probably easier to A dump truck driver overturned on I-235 near Zoo Boulevard Weather, at
The causes? The ultra-low prices to become deal with than that was.” shortly after noon Tuesday. http://blogs.kansas
for generic prescriptions offered generic, 8A While Tuesday’s snowfall .com/weather/.
by giant retailers and drugstore total was meager, north winds Many motorists seemed to said. “I’ve never seen it that „ Sign up for
chains and intense competition among the many gusting above 40 miles an hour pay no attention to the weather way.” weather advisories
generic drugmakers fighting for sales, according to reduced visibility and kept at all, Kansas Highway Patrol While there’s a learning curve at www.kansas
reglazing streets and highways Lt. Roger Baughman said. .com/weather.
Please see DRUGS, Page 8A that had just been treated. “It was idiotic,” Baughman Please see SNOW, Page 3A

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