Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
Customers bid farewell to plant store, candy shop in downtown Lawrence
Lines of customers stretched from Jungle House all the way to Massachusetts Street Tuesday morning as Lawrence community members said goodbye to the plant shop. Nearby Squishington’s Candy is also closing Tuesday.
Bill gives 10% of voters power to knock down property tax increases
The Senate and House narrowly passed a bill giving 10% of registered voters in a taxing area the ability to stop some property tax increases, a move one senator called “tyranny of the minority.”
Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
Customers bid farewell to plant store, candy shop in downtown Lawrence
Lines of customers stretched from Jungle House all the way to Massachusetts Street Tuesday morning as Lawrence community members said goodbye to the plant shop. Nearby Squishington’s Candy is also closing Tuesday.
Bill gives 10% of voters power to knock down property tax increases
The Senate and House narrowly passed a bill giving 10% of registered voters in a taxing area the ability to stop some property tax increases, a move one senator called “tyranny of the minority.”
KU nominates 4 student changemakers as Truman Scholars
KU has nominated four students, each with a record of campus and community service and “a high probability of becoming a ‘change agent,’” for Harry S Truman Scholarships.
Douglas County bail fund to host event on ‘the trouble with polygraphs’
The Douglas County Community Bail Fund will soon host a talk on the “history, application, and pitfalls of the use of polygraphs in our legal system,” according to organizers.
HIV, hepatitis testing to expand for underinsured Douglas County residents
New funding will allow two local health service providers to expand testing for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C through outreach for people who are uninsured and underinsured in Douglas County.
KU nominates 4 student changemakers as Truman Scholars
KU has nominated four students, each with a record of campus and community service and “a high probability of becoming a ‘change agent,’” for Harry S Truman Scholarships.
Douglas County bail fund to host event on ‘the trouble with polygraphs’
The Douglas County Community Bail Fund will soon host a talk on the “history, application, and pitfalls of the use of polygraphs in our legal system,” according to organizers.
HIV, hepatitis testing to expand for underinsured Douglas County residents
New funding will allow two local health service providers to expand testing for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C through outreach for people who are uninsured and underinsured in Douglas County.
KU nominates 4 student changemakers as Truman Scholars
KU has nominated four students, each with a record of campus and community service and “a high probability of becoming a ‘change agent,’” for Harry S Truman Scholarships.
Douglas County bail fund to host event on ‘the trouble with polygraphs’
The Douglas County Community Bail Fund will soon host a talk on the “history, application, and pitfalls of the use of polygraphs in our legal system,” according to organizers.
HIV, hepatitis testing to expand for underinsured Douglas County residents
New funding will allow two local health service providers to expand testing for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C through outreach for people who are uninsured and underinsured in Douglas County.
LAWRENCE NEWS
Kaw Valley Almanac for March 30-April 5, 2026
Five-petaled false rue anemone is one of the first spring flowers to start blooming in native oak hickory woods. See if you’ve had enough rain for these to bloom!
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Part of 19th Street to close, Wakarusa lanes reduced and more Lawrence roadwork coming up
Roadwork is popping up all over Lawrence, including a closure at 19th and Mass, reduced lanes for about a mile of Wakarusa, and more.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Third ‘No Kings’ rally brings generations together to protest Trump administration
Huge crowds of Lawrence community members of all ages showed up Saturday to protest the Trump administration as part of a string of No Kings Protests across the nation.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Free State High School launching hall of fame to commemorate 30 years; nominations open
Free State High School has launched a nomination form for its first round of hall of fame inductees, which the school will celebrate as part of its 30-year anniversary.
MORE …
STATE NEWS
Kansas district attorney, sheriff raise alarm about implications of Legislature’s bail mandate
The Kansas House acted with urgency to pass a bill endorsed by a jail bond lobbyist that mandates arrest warrants for people charged with felonies and restricts judges’ discretion to set bond conditions for defendants.
Some Kansas lawmakers use AI chatbots in the Statehouse — with no guidelines on responsible use
More and more Kansas legislators are using chatbots to summarize bills, write their remarks and more. There are no guidelines for how lawmakers use ChatGPT, Claude and other services.
MORE …
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.
MORE …
LAWRENCE LIFE
Contributed photo
Lawrence Humane to celebrate 75th anniversary with fee-waived adoptions and more
The Lawrence Humane Society is celebrating 75 years with a weekend of fee-waived adoptions, community stories about shelter pets and more.
Hannah Loub/Lawrence Times
Lawrence ecologists provide tips on native plant restoration, how to get involved
If you missed the fall window to plant native plants, spring is still a great time to participate in native restoration, at home or within the community. Local ecologists share tips and how to get involved.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Ben Ahlvers wants the Lawrence Arts Center to be flexible, not fragile
Ben Ahlvers is taking over the Lawrence Arts Center helm as executive director during a time of “seismic evolution.” He wants to build an organization that is flexible but not fragile.
Contributed photo
Lawrence Humane to celebrate 75th anniversary with fee-waived adoptions and more
The Lawrence Humane Society is celebrating 75 years with a weekend of fee-waived adoptions, community stories about shelter pets and more.
Hannah Loub/Lawrence Times
Lawrence ecologists provide tips on native plant restoration, how to get involved
If you missed the fall window to plant native plants, spring is still a great time to participate in native restoration, at home or within the community. Local ecologists share tips and how to get involved.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Ben Ahlvers wants the Lawrence Arts Center to be flexible, not fragile
Ben Ahlvers is taking over the Lawrence Arts Center helm as executive director during a time of “seismic evolution.” He wants to build an organization that is flexible but not fragile.
MORE …
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT …
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.
Lawrence woman still missing after nearly a year; search coming up
Saturday will mark one year since Wanda Dyer left her Lawrence home and never returned. Volunteers are planning to search for her again this weekend.
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.
Lawrence woman still missing after nearly a year; search coming up
Saturday will mark one year since Wanda Dyer left her Lawrence home and never returned. Volunteers are planning to search for her again this weekend.
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 …
