Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
‘You have to have guts’: Lawrence gay liberation leaders connect their history to transgender rights
Like any other history, Lawrence’s queer history repeats itself. Reflections from leaders in the gay and lesbian liberation movement of the 1970s and ’80s show how their fight for rights reverberates throughout Lawrence’s transgender community today.
Kansas gubernatorial candidates questioned on property tax, data centers, goals
Candidates for governor fielded business and economic questions Thursday, exchanging barbs about the “property tax crisis,” encouraging economic growth and steps to filling workforce needs.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
‘You have to have guts’: Lawrence gay liberation leaders connect their history to transgender rights
Like any other history, Lawrence’s queer history repeats itself. Reflections from leaders in the gay and lesbian liberation movement of the 1970s and ’80s show how their fight for rights reverberates throughout Lawrence’s transgender community today.
Kansas gubernatorial candidates questioned on property tax, data centers, goals
Candidates for governor fielded business and economic questions Thursday, exchanging barbs about the “property tax crisis,” encouraging economic growth and steps to filling workforce needs.
MLaPoint via Theatre Lawrence
‘Pirates! The Penzance Musical’ to open Theatre Lawrence season
Theatre Lawrence will open its 2026 season with “Pirates! The Penzance Musical,” a New Orleans-set adaptation of a Gilbert and Sullivan classic that completed a Broadway run in 2025.
Connor Sutton/Contributed photo
Paper Plains Zine Fest in Lawrence to usher in local creativity, Jammy shenanigans
Paper Plains Zine Fest is coming back to Lawrence for a fifth year of self-published creativity, community workshops and Jammy, the printer mascot.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
City of Lawrence rolls out online survey for community to help guide Vision 2030, its strategic plan
Lawrence community members can weigh in on priorities as part of the city’s Vision 2030 strategic planning process, now via an online survey.
MLaPoint via Theatre Lawrence
‘Pirates! The Penzance Musical’ to open Theatre Lawrence season
Theatre Lawrence will open its 2026 season with “Pirates! The Penzance Musical,” a New Orleans-set adaptation of a Gilbert and Sullivan classic that completed a Broadway run in 2025.
Connor Sutton/Contributed photo
Paper Plains Zine Fest in Lawrence to usher in local creativity, Jammy shenanigans
Paper Plains Zine Fest is coming back to Lawrence for a fifth year of self-published creativity, community workshops and Jammy, the printer mascot.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
City of Lawrence rolls out online survey for community to help guide Vision 2030, its strategic plan
Lawrence community members can weigh in on priorities as part of the city’s Vision 2030 strategic planning process, now via an online survey.
MLaPoint via Theatre Lawrence
‘Pirates! The Penzance Musical’ to open Theatre Lawrence season
Theatre Lawrence will open its 2026 season with “Pirates! The Penzance Musical,” a New Orleans-set adaptation of a Gilbert and Sullivan classic that completed a Broadway run in 2025.
Connor Sutton/Contributed photo
Paper Plains Zine Fest in Lawrence to usher in local creativity, Jammy shenanigans
Paper Plains Zine Fest is coming back to Lawrence for a fifth year of self-published creativity, community workshops and Jammy, the printer mascot.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
City of Lawrence rolls out online survey for community to help guide Vision 2030, its strategic plan
Lawrence community members can weigh in on priorities as part of the city’s Vision 2030 strategic planning process, now via an online survey.
LAWRENCE NEWS
Lawrence advisory board debates roles of AI, surveillance cameras in goals for city sustainability
Artificial intelligence became a hot topic for the Lawrence sustainability advisory board Thursday, as members explored environmental goals they’d like to pitch to the city commission and how the city could actually implement them.
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Lawrence community members celebrate opening of Promise Heights housing for families
A new six-unit housing development in central Lawrence will begin welcoming families in early to mid-September, offering lower-barrier housing and case management for people working to regain long-term stability.
Watkins Museum opens exhibition on scholarship hall at KU
Elizabeth Miller Watkins’ lifetime of philanthropy is on full display in a new Watkins Museum exhibition celebrating 100 years of the first KU scholarship hall she helped establish.
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Pet World to open second location in Lawrence
Pet World, Lawrence’s longstanding local pet store for cats, dogs and exotic animals, is preparing to open a second store that will focus on cold-blooded creatures.
MORE …
STATE NEWS
Kansas to receive $134 million in transformative Meta settlement
The parent company of Facebook and Instagram agreed to a huge consumer protection settlement and promised to implement sweeping safety features to protect kids. Kansas will get $134 million.
The Kansas dairy industry is growing, and it’s on the shoulders of immigrant workers
Kansas has a fast-growing dairy industry, but milking cows isn’t easy and it’s hard to find workers. Industry groups say immigrants are critical and those workers say they’re needed to feed Kansas families.
MORE …
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT …
Here’s how much Lawrence spent on the search for the new city manager
The City of Lawrence paid an executive search firm and brought four city manager candidates to town this spring. With the final expenses tallied, here’s what it all cost.
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Planning commissioners vote against annexation request for 177 more acres west of K-10 in Lawrence
Planning commissioners on Monday voted 4-3 to recommend denial of a request to annex an additional 177 acres of agricultural land west of K-10 into city limits, yet a majority voted in favor of rezoning requests for the same land.
MORE …
LAWRENCE LIFE
Lawrence Humane Pet of the Week: Adoption fees are waived for these dogs, cats looking for loving homes
It’s raining cats and dogs at the Lawrence Humane Society, but folks will need leashes and cat carriers instead of umbrellas, as the shelter is waiving adoption fees for many pets this month.
New Abstraction Series to bring experimental music to Lawrence
A new quarterly concert series focused on bringing experimental jazz, improvised music and other genre-defying acts to Lawrence will soon debut at the Lawrence Arts Center.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Dole Institute fall programming to feature former FDIC chair Sheila Bair, 9/11 commemoration
KU’s Dole Institute of Politics will bring former FDIC Chair Sheila Bair, bipartisan policy leaders and election analysts to Lawrence this fall, along with programming marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Lawrence Humane Pet of the Week: Adoption fees are waived for these dogs, cats looking for loving homes
It’s raining cats and dogs at the Lawrence Humane Society, but folks will need leashes and cat carriers instead of umbrellas, as the shelter is waiving adoption fees for many pets this month.
New Abstraction Series to bring experimental music to Lawrence
A new quarterly concert series focused on bringing experimental jazz, improvised music and other genre-defying acts to Lawrence will soon debut at the Lawrence Arts Center.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Dole Institute fall programming to feature former FDIC chair Sheila Bair, 9/11 commemoration
KU’s Dole Institute of Politics will bring former FDIC Chair Sheila Bair, bipartisan policy leaders and election analysts to Lawrence this fall, along with programming marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
MORE …
MORE ICYMI …
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Hilltop Child Development Center parents rally, push KU for changes and answers
Parents, student-parents and supporters rallied Wednesday, urging KU administrators to preserve Hilltop Child Development Center and respond to concerns about high staff turnover, classroom disruptions and a possible closure.
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
City Commission approves west Lawrence annexation for Beacon Landing development
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday approved annexation and rezoning requests for nearly 300 acres of land in western Lawrence for a new development, Beacon Landing.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Judge temporarily reinstates transgender Lawrence woman’s driver’s license
A Douglas County judge has temporarily reinstated a Lawrence transgender woman and Army veteran’s license that was invalidated by an anti-transgender state law.
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
August 2026 election canvass: Douglas County sees its second-largest primary turnout
This month’s primary election in Douglas County offered poll workers a “surprise whammy at the end” as voter numbers suddenly increased, leading to the county’s second-highest primary turnout to date.
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Hilltop Child Development Center parents rally, push KU for changes and answers
Parents, student-parents and supporters rallied Wednesday, urging KU administrators to preserve Hilltop Child Development Center and respond to concerns about high staff turnover, classroom disruptions and a possible closure.
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
City Commission approves west Lawrence annexation for Beacon Landing development
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday approved annexation and rezoning requests for nearly 300 acres of land in western Lawrence for a new development, Beacon Landing.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Judge temporarily reinstates transgender Lawrence woman’s driver’s license
A Douglas County judge has temporarily reinstated a Lawrence transgender woman and Army veteran’s license that was invalidated by an anti-transgender state law.
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
August 2026 election canvass: Douglas County sees its second-largest primary turnout
This month’s primary election in Douglas County offered poll workers a “surprise whammy at the end” as voter numbers suddenly increased, leading to the county’s second-highest primary turnout to date.
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.
TJ Campsey: We must struggle together to reach bold, brave solutions (Column)
“We need to find our common strength. That means rejecting the fear and hatred the GOP manufactures to keep us divided and weak,” TJ Campsey writes in this column.
Suzanne Wikle: The future of public education in Kansas will be decided at the polls (Column)
“On Aug. 4, voters will see a ballot question asking if we should start directly electing our Kansas Supreme Court justices. … The threat to fairness of our public schools is one of the main reasons I’ll be voting ‘no,’” Suzanne Wikle writes in this column.
Letter to the Times: I want to go to Algeria (and thanks to all!)
Algerians and Lawrencians proved to the world (and perhaps to ourselves) that it is possible to build bridges and break barriers, Tai Edwards writes 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.
TJ Campsey: We must struggle together to reach bold, brave solutions (Column)
“We need to find our common strength. That means rejecting the fear and hatred the GOP manufactures to keep us divided and weak,” TJ Campsey writes in this column.
Suzanne Wikle: The future of public education in Kansas will be decided at the polls (Column)
“On Aug. 4, voters will see a ballot question asking if we should start directly electing our Kansas Supreme Court justices. … The threat to fairness of our public schools is one of the main reasons I’ll be voting ‘no,’” Suzanne Wikle writes in this column.
Letter to the Times: I want to go to Algeria (and thanks to all!)
Algerians and Lawrencians proved to the world (and perhaps to ourselves) that it is possible to build bridges and break barriers, Tai Edwards writes in this letter to the Times.
MORE …
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