Conner Mitchell/Lawrence Times
Justice Sotomayor to Lawrence crowd: ‘To survive longer, we have to work at it’
While acknowledging that the United States is “in a patch of history that is very different than what many of us have experienced before,” Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s message to a Lied Center crowd Tuesday night was one of resounding hope.
Kansas governor vetoes tax credit programs for private schools
Gov. Laura Kelly told Legislators Monday to focus on fully funding special education and to prioritize public schools instead of giving tax credits for youths attending private schools.
Conner Mitchell/Lawrence Times
Justice Sotomayor to Lawrence crowd: ‘To survive longer, we have to work at it’
While acknowledging that the United States is “in a patch of history that is very different than what many of us have experienced before,” Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s message to a Lied Center crowd Tuesday night was one of resounding hope.
Kansas governor vetoes tax credit programs for private schools
Gov. Laura Kelly told Legislators Monday to focus on fully funding special education and to prioritize public schools instead of giving tax credits for youths attending private schools.
Laura Kingston / Contributed Photo
KU powwow and cultural festival coming up; screening, concert to kick off events
KU will soon host its 37th annual Powwow and ninth annual Indigenous Cultures Festival. Events will move indoors because of anticipated weather.
Lawrence community resource fair will aim to answer World Cup questions
eXplore Lawrence and several community organizations will host a community resource fair this week to answer folks’ questions about the World Cup and activities surrounding it.
City Commission approves annexing, rezoning land in northwestern Lawrence
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday approved annexing about 65 acres into northwestern Lawrence and rezoning them for construction of new single-family homes.
Laura Kingston / Contributed Photo
KU powwow and cultural festival coming up; screening, concert to kick off events
KU will soon host its 37th annual Powwow and ninth annual Indigenous Cultures Festival. Events will move indoors because of anticipated weather.
Lawrence community resource fair will aim to answer World Cup questions
eXplore Lawrence and several community organizations will host a community resource fair this week to answer folks’ questions about the World Cup and activities surrounding it.
City Commission approves annexing, rezoning land in northwestern Lawrence
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday approved annexing about 65 acres into northwestern Lawrence and rezoning them for construction of new single-family homes.
Laura Kingston / Contributed Photo
KU powwow and cultural festival coming up; screening, concert to kick off events
KU will soon host its 37th annual Powwow and ninth annual Indigenous Cultures Festival. Events will move indoors because of anticipated weather.
Lawrence community resource fair will aim to answer World Cup questions
eXplore Lawrence and several community organizations will host a community resource fair this week to answer folks’ questions about the World Cup and activities surrounding it.
City Commission approves annexing, rezoning land in northwestern Lawrence
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday approved annexing about 65 acres into northwestern Lawrence and rezoning them for construction of new single-family homes.
LAWRENCE NEWS
KU student’s First Amendment lawsuit against former supervisor clears legal hurdle
A federal judge tossed out most of the claims from a former KU student employee who was fired after he spoke out against changes to a gender-inclusive residence hall. But one claim survived.
Mark Benfer/Contributed photo
Lawrence Public Library puts out bat signal for fandom aficionados to attend a free Comic-Con
The Lawrence Public Library is inviting fandom aficionados of all ages and stripes to a free, Comic-Con-style weekend.
.Enterface LLC/Contributed photo
KU freshman to open Mexican food truck in Lawrence
A KU freshman is opening a Mexican food truck focused on birria dishes this week to help her pay for nursing school.
Kaw Valley Almanac for April 6-12, 2026
A sure sign of spring is when the delicately lobed dutchman’s breeches leaves are joined by those white, upside down row white pants/flowers, with yellow belts at the bottom signaling the queen bumblebee where to poke her long tongue for nectar.
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STATE NEWS
Governor blocks plan to end in-state tuition for immigrants who graduate from Kansas high schools
Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a bill that would’ve ended the state’s longstanding policy of offering in-state college tuition rates to Kansas high school graduates, regardless of their citizenship status.
Kansas governor signs laws targeting sexual extortion, increasing incentives for rural attorneys
A new Kansas law signed by Gov. Laura Kelly strengthens penalties and expands victim protection in cases of sexual extortion. She also signed a bill designed to encourage licensed attorneys or Kansas law students to practice in rural areas.
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COMMUNITY VOICES (OPINION)
Tom Harper: Ben Graham’s craftsmanship preserves Lawrence buildings, compels with its details (Column)
Lawrence has benefited from Ben Graham’s generous spirit and broad skillset, particularly as a plasterer, since 1985, Tom Harper writes in this column.
Shawn Alexander: When W. E. B. Du Bois came to Lawrence (Column)
W. E. B. Du Bois spoke in Lawrence 105 years ago today. “We should draw inspiration from those who have come before us and dare to envision a better world,” Shawn Alexander writes in this column.
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LAWRENCE LIFE
Lawrence Farmers Market opening day coming up; market celebrating 50 years
The Lawrence Farmers Market is about to enter its 50th year, and Opening Day is coming up soon.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Lawrence community invited to celebrate second annual Haskell Wetlands Day
The Lawrence community is invited to learn about protecting the Wakarusa River Valley through science, art, writing and more at the second annual Haskell Wetlands Day.
4 Lawrence High School students win gold medals at national Scholastic Art Awards
Four students from Lawrence High School have earned gold medals from the Scholastic Art Awards, a longstanding national competition for teen artists.
Lawrence Farmers Market opening day coming up; market celebrating 50 years
The Lawrence Farmers Market is about to enter its 50th year, and Opening Day is coming up soon.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Lawrence community invited to celebrate second annual Haskell Wetlands Day
The Lawrence community is invited to learn about protecting the Wakarusa River Valley through science, art, writing and more at the second annual Haskell Wetlands Day.
4 Lawrence High School students win gold medals at national Scholastic Art Awards
Four students from Lawrence High School have earned gold medals from the Scholastic Art Awards, a longstanding national competition for teen artists.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT …
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
‘We are not the national narrative’: Lawrence-area law enforcement heads address distrust
Local law enforcement agency heads spoke about ICE activity, data collection, biased policing and more at a panel Saturday, saying they stand with the community and that Lawrence’s law enforcement is “not the national narrative.”
KU chancellor defends finances, calls for unity after ‘no confidence’ vote
KU Chancellor Doug Girod defended recent budget decisions and urged unity in the KU community following an unofficial vote in which nearly 80% of respondents said they had lost confidence in the university’s leadership.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Lawrence NAACP to preserve stories of Black people buried in unmarked graves with headstones, biographies
Lawrence’s NAACP chapter will reclaim the stories of 30 Black people who were buried in unmarked graves in Oak Hill Cemetery, including three men lynched by a mob in 1882, with new granite headstones and a digital biography archive.
Cuyler Dunn/Lawrence Times
Thousands in KU community vote ‘no confidence’ in chancellor, CFO
A majority of KU faculty and students who participated in an unofficial vote this month said they do not have confidence in the leadership of Chancellor Doug Girod.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
‘We are not the national narrative’: Lawrence-area law enforcement heads address distrust
Local law enforcement agency heads spoke about ICE activity, data collection, biased policing and more at a panel Saturday, saying they stand with the community and that Lawrence’s law enforcement is “not the national narrative.”
KU chancellor defends finances, calls for unity after ‘no confidence’ vote
KU Chancellor Doug Girod defended recent budget decisions and urged unity in the KU community following an unofficial vote in which nearly 80% of respondents said they had lost confidence in the university’s leadership.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Lawrence NAACP to preserve stories of Black people buried in unmarked graves with headstones, biographies
Lawrence’s NAACP chapter will reclaim the stories of 30 Black people who were buried in unmarked graves in Oak Hill Cemetery, including three men lynched by a mob in 1882, with new granite headstones and a digital biography archive.
Cuyler Dunn/Lawrence Times
Thousands in KU community vote ‘no confidence’ in chancellor, CFO
A majority of KU faculty and students who participated in an unofficial vote this month said they do not have confidence in the leadership of Chancellor Doug Girod.
MORE …
MORE COMMUNITY VOICES
The opinion pieces in this section are generally written by members of the Lawrence community and those who have close ties. In addition, we’re offering some space for area organizations and organizers to provide updates and attempt to reach other folks who might share their mission.
Want to submit a letter to the Times? Great!
Click here to find out how.
Holly Krebs: Looking at the bigger picture as Lawrence City Commission considers $184M in debt (Column)
“Can our community afford an extra $21 million per year in debt payments when the city had to cut $6.6 million to balance the 2026 operating budget?” Holly Krebs writes in this column.
Amy Helmer/Contributed photo
Amy Helmer: Life, liberty, and the right to pee (Column)
“Fearmongering over the alleged safety risks of peeing is so deeply American, it is hardly surprising that the modern-day politician increasingly attempts to frame transgender people as political scapegoats,” Amy Helmer writes in this column.
Letter to the Times: City of Lawrence should revise, not rescind, sustainability ordinance
“While the federal government is undoing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Lawrence can and should lead the way,” members of the League of Women Voters of Lawrence-Douglas County write in this letter to the Times.
The opinion pieces in this section are generally written by members of the Lawrence community and those who have close ties. In addition, we’re offering some space for area organizations and organizers to provide updates and attempt to reach other folks who might share their mission.
Want to submit a letter to the Times? Great!
Click here to find out how.
Holly Krebs: Looking at the bigger picture as Lawrence City Commission considers $184M in debt (Column)
“Can our community afford an extra $21 million per year in debt payments when the city had to cut $6.6 million to balance the 2026 operating budget?” Holly Krebs writes in this column.
Amy Helmer/Contributed photo
Amy Helmer: Life, liberty, and the right to pee (Column)
“Fearmongering over the alleged safety risks of peeing is so deeply American, it is hardly surprising that the modern-day politician increasingly attempts to frame transgender people as political scapegoats,” Amy Helmer writes in this column.
Letter to the Times: City of Lawrence should revise, not rescind, sustainability ordinance
“While the federal government is undoing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Lawrence can and should lead the way,” members of the League of Women Voters of Lawrence-Douglas County write in this letter to the Times.
MORE …
