As 2025 draws to a close, our news team has reflected on another year dedicated to serving our town through fearless local news that holds people in power accountable, informs voters, chronicles the community’s ups and downs and so much more.
The stories happening right here in Lawrence — the challenges our neighbors face, the successes of community members, the decisions local elected officials make — directly shape all of our daily lives and our collective future. It is an honor to provide trustworthy, fact-based local news and information that everyone can access, regardless of their ability to pay.
Our news team has looked back over the more than 1,200 Lawrence news articles we’ve posted this year and chosen some work that stood out to them.
This has also been a year of very strong growth behind the scenes for us as we brought a second full-time reporter, Wulfe Wulfemeyer, on board in June.
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Wulfemeyer and photojournalist Molly Adams have since joined me in roles to lead this publication as news editor and photo editor, respectively, and I am more confident than I’ve ever been in this publication’s future. We have so much in the works, and I’m so excited for you all to see it come to fruition.
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Thank you for your support and your readership. None of this work would be possible without you. We’ll celebrate five years publishing in March (!), and we look forward to providing more strong coverage in 2026.
Without further ado, here are some thoughts from several members of our fantastic news team.
With deep gratitude and high hopes for 2026,
— Mackenzie Clark, founder and reporter
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Cuyler Dunn, student journalist
Lawrence city commissioners voted to implement rec center fees. Some believe they broke a promise.
City commissioners voted in September to add entrance fees to use recreation centers, a decision that augmented community pushback. This article, published just before the election, helped sort through the topic’s complicated past and ensure candidates were on the record about their beliefs. Examining and highlighting important local issues like this — and their impact to readers’ pockets — is core to our mission. (Read the article; read more at this link)
Experts warn of expanding surveillance as Lawrence police adopt camera integration system
When the city approved the Axon Fusus program, it was buried inside a contract and voted on with no deliberation. It wasn’t until months later that the community began to learn the details of what the police surveillance tools can do. In this story, I dug through documents, spoke with experts and interviewed community members about the new technology and what it means for Lawrence. After the article was published and community members pushed back, commissioners asked the police to work on more safeguards for the tech. (Read the article; read more at this link)
Maya Hodison, equity reporter
Resident of Lawrence housing for seniors lacks air conditioning; in ‘agony’ during hot days
A 73-year-old resident of Babcock Place, an apartment complex in Lawrence geared toward seniors, contacted us after exhausting other efforts to be heard. Her air conditioning unit was broken and she had endured consecutive hot June and July days until it was unbearable for her. The Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority, which owns the property, fixed the resident’s A/C days later. This article highlights renters’ rights as well as local news’ ability to put some pressure on institutions that have not lived up to their responsibilities. (Read the article)
Sexual Trauma and Abuse Care Center working to recover from financial crisis that led to furloughs, job cuts
At the core of this story were critical services that staff members at the 50-plus-year-old Sexual Trauma and Abuse Care Center had to find a way to continue providing in Lawrence, but the story heavily involved people’s livelihoods and emotions, as well. I appreciated the board’s willingness to meet with me as I tried to make sense of the financial crisis the center seemed to be in. Sources spoke to challenges many similar small nonprofits experience. Top staff members later shared how the center was rebuilding. (Read the article; read more at this link)
Molly Adams, photo editor
While looking back at my contribution to local news this past year, I expected to find some meaningful photos that show emotion or connection to share in this review. Instead, I found that the stories where I felt most impactful as a reporter were the ones when I didn’t even have a camera.
Haskell Indian Nations University lays off dozens of employees after federal orders
My phone started exploding with notifications as dozens of employees at Haskell Indian Nations University employees were suddenly laid off on Valentine’s Day. The campus — usually bustling with life — was still, desolate and grim. I sat with people as they processed their impending termination and relayed information to Mackenzie so she could compose and publish an article as the situation developed. The broader Lawrence community quickly rallied to support Haskell and I resumed my observant role as a photographer as the story developed. (Read the article; read more at this link)
Billy Mills Middle School locked down, dismissed after report of image of student with gun
I was supposed to be on vacation in October, but then I heard so many sirens. I knew there was either something happening at Billy Mills Middle School or there had been a terrible multivehicle crash to summon that many sirens on this edge of town. Bracing for the worst, I grabbed my phone and keys and rushed to BMMS. Officers from various agencies were still arriving as I stood in the nearby Broken Arrow parking lot. I felt relieved to not hear gunshots coming from the building and I once again called Mackenzie to give her live updates for a developing story to help other parents, caregivers and community members stay informed. What I didn’t anticipate was that students inside the locked-down building would find comfort in the article, too. (Read the article)
Nathan Kramer, student photojournalist
John Brown’s Aboveground patio has reopened; it represents years of a small staff’s dedication to the downtown scene
The expanded John Brown’s Underground shifts from bright afternoon sun on the new patio to soft illumination inside, requiring a technical approach to capture the space’s character. The limited light pushed me to introduce a small supplemental flash and rely on a fast lens during one of Wulfe’s interviews. The resulting collection of images tell a complete visual story of the space, showcasing the bright colors, personality and people that make the space unique. (Read the article and see the photos)
Wulfe Wulfemeyer, reporter and news editor
‘Our lives are not disposable’: Lawrence mourns, builds community power at vigil for transgender lives lost to violence
In a time when the humanity of transgender people is under attack, it is critical to represent the breadth of the community’s experiences. As a trans reporter myself, covering Lawrence’s Transgender Day of Remembrance vigil gave me insight to explore the highs and lows, the sniffles and the giggles, the grief and resistance that all come bundled together as the community celebrated and mourned those lost to transphobic violence in the last year. (Read the article)
Lawrence has one animal control officer; catching strays falls heavily on the humane society and the public
When I joined the Times as a full-time reporter this summer, I immediately started a weekly column about adoptable animals from the Lawrence Humane Society, since these fluffy friends are part of our community, too. As I got to know more about the humane society’s operations and stray intake, I learned that the city has only one animal control officer, which has broad-reaching implications for the number of strays on the city’s streets, and for the community members who volunteer their time to capture them. I felt it was essential to explore the issues and possible solutions around animal control to inform readers of what’s happening with one sliver of our city’s budget. (Read the article; read more at this link)
Team project: Cuyler and Maya
Families allege years of trauma in Lawrence special education
We had the opportunity to speak at length with multiple people connected to Lawrence’s special education program, including parents, students and teachers. What they shared was at times heartbreaking, scary, inspiring and hopeful. The final story highlighted critical and ongoing concerns with the district’s special education services largely rooted in inadequate state funding. We are grateful to those who were willing to share their stories. (Read the article)
Mackenzie Clark, founder and reporter
After much time thinking about this — and reflecting today on how my dad would stand on the porch and play Auld Lang Syne on his trumpet at midnight every new year — I want to share the most personally meaningful piece I wrote this year: my father’s obituary. He was truly The Lawrence Times’ biggest supporter from day one. Losing him was (and is) devastating, and I am so grateful for this news team and the many community members who have helped me keep going, whether they realized it or not.
Readers, please know what an absolute honor it is for us to publish your loved ones’ obituaries, and as long as this publication exists, we will not charge a single dime for that service.
If local news matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.
Read their complete bio here. Read their work for the Times here.
Molly Adams (she/her), photo editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2022. She can be reached at molly@lawrencekstimes.com.
Check out more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
Cuyler Dunn (he/him), a contributor to The Lawrence Times since April 2022, is a student at the University of Kansas School of Journalism. He is a graduate of Lawrence High School where he was the editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, The Budget, and was named the 2022 Kansas High School Journalist of the Year. Read his complete bio here. Read more of his work for the Times here.
Nathan Kramer (he/him), a multimedia student journalist for The Lawrence Times since August 2024, is a senior at Free State High School. He is also a news photo editor for Free State’s student publication, where he works as a videographer, photographer and motion designer. See more of his work for the Times here.
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Lawrence Times news team highlights some key work from 2025
Wulfe Wulfemeyer/Lawrence Times
