The Lawrence Times runs opinion columns written by community members with varying perspectives on local issues. Occasionally, we’ll also pick up columns from other nearby news outlets. These pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Times staff.
The Lawrence Times does not publish staff editorials (unsigned opinion columns, usually about the topics we cover, that many news publications run).
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OPINION COLUMNS
Birdie Alt: City of Lawrence must prioritize creating a climate plan (Column)
“The Lawrence City Commission needs to refocus on creating and implementing the Climate Action Plan before expanding Lawrence,” Birdie Alt writes in this column.
Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition: For health of Kansas mothers and babies, a focus on 1,000 crucial days (Column)
“The first 1,000 days — from a woman’s pregnancy to her child’s second birthday — is a time of tremendous potential and enormous vulnerability for a child. Babies’ brains develop fastest during this period,” Treva Smith and Brenda Bandy, co-executive directors of the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition, write in this column for the Kansas Reflector.
Clay Wirestone: In Afghanistan’s fall, a swell of emotion for Kansas veterans and families (Column)
“We want to believe that we can change the world and our circumstances for the better. … But the end of our two decades in Afghanistan suggests that belief isn’t enough,” Clay Wirestone writes in this column for the Kansas Reflector.
Kimberly Lopez: Subvert the expectations of your gender (Column)
“Even when it comes to rejecting beauty norms, there is a standard, and that standard is still the most acceptable type of body,” Kimberly Lopez writes in this column.
Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector
What we learned from the strike at Frito-Lay for better pay and one day off (Column)
“We witnessed what is the heart of all unions across the country. SOLIDARITY,” officers of the Kansas AFL-CIO write in this column.
Kimberly Lopez: Gender is inherently a performance (Column)
“When I was younger, I was convinced that theater would be my future. … I had no idea my best performance was off-stage, was within me, and there was more to come,” Kimberly Lopez writes in this column.
Syed Jamal: Kansas should realize real cost of Styrofoam and phase out harmful products (Column)
“Although I fully empathize with the economic impact an abrupt ban will have on people whose livelihoods are involved, Styrofoam manufacturers can be offered incentives to make the transition from foam to paper,” Syed Jamal writes in this column for the Kansas Reflector.
Dot Nary: It’s Disability Pride Month — Here’s why we should all celebrate July 26 (Column)
“Let’s celebrate the anniversary of the ADA as a landmark civil rights law that protects the right of people with disabilities to be seen and to be fully participating members of our community,” Dot Nary writes in this column.
Ask Cody: Are you a boy or a girl? (Column)
This week’s question was not submitted through the Ask Cody account. It was asked in person, during one of the most important events of my life. “Are you a boy or a girl?”
Mackenzie Clark / The Lawrence Times
Michelle Gonzales: Why the mother of a woman who killed her rapist isn’t happy with an ‘extraordinary’ settlement (Column)
“I am the mother of Sarah Gonzales-McLinn, the 19-year-old woman who killed Hal Sasko in 2014. … To imply that my daughter’s sentence was cut in half is misleading,” Michelle Gonzales writes in this column.
Kirsten Kuhn: Prosecutors don’t want jurors to know they have this power (Column)
“Jury nullification is a basic refusal to convict based on the jurors’ beliefs and principles,” Kirsten Kuhn writes in this column.
Steve Devore: To help prevent suicide, Kansas youths created these messages of love and reassurance (Column)
“As my team at Kansas Suicide Prevention HQ looks back at the wonderful success of the 2021 Youth Art Contest, we are overwhelmed by the love, support, and care that these students embedded into their works of art,” Steve Devore writes.
Patrick Wilbur: City of Lawrence should pass savings on to taxpayers (Column)
“An increased tax burden has very real implications. The ongoing effort to address affordable housing issues will be dented as struggling homeowners will be pushed out of ownership and renters will see increased pass-through costs as well,” Patrick Wilbur writes in this column.
Kimberly Lopez: Maybe I will just wear jeans (Column)
“Everything has only gotten more complicated since I’ve stumbled out of the closet, and I’ve realized there are new and dreadful ways that society at large perceives a body like mine,” Kimberly Lopez writes in this column.
Mackenzie Clark / The Lawrence Times
Valdez, Sternberg: Why the Douglas County DA and a defense attorney took an extraordinary step in Sarah Gonzales-McLinn’s murder case (Column)
“Because this case is closed, we ethically can address misconceptions that have arisen from a misguided narrative based on supposition and speculation,” Douglas County DA Suzanne Valdez and defense attorney Jonathan Sternberg write in this column.
