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
Clay Wirestone: Lawrence doesn’t hate immigrants enough. So the Trump administration plots vengeance. (Column)
“The Trump administration has put my town — the place my family and I call home — on its hit list for a thought crime,” Clay Wirestone writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Holly Krebs: Community members face challenges engaging with the city, researching the budget (Column)
“Our coalition believes our community deserves the opportunity to provide more substantive feedback about our priorities for the city’s 2026 budget,” Holly Krebs, of the Coalition for Collaborative Governance, writes in this column.
Holly Krebs: Lawrence community deserves transparency and a voice on city budget, debt (Column)
“Because we believe our community would benefit from more public discussions about these important issues, our coalition will independently host a community conversation about the Lawrence city budget,” Holly Krebs, of the Coalition for Collaborative Governance, writes in this column.
Max Kautsch: Kansas Legislature’s supermajority makes mockery of open records law over efficiency portal messages (Column)
“This iteration of the Legislature seems to think it is entitled to redact information that could traditionally be found in a phonebook, and that it may do so in a futile attempt to shield the identity of a handful of powerful Kansans but not the rest of us,” Max Kautsch writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Tom Harper/Lawrence Times
Tom Harper: Son of longtime Liberty Hall owners aims to preserve something ‘beneficial for everyone’ (Column)
Josh Millstein is stepping up to keep Liberty Hall alive and well, aiming to preserve his father’s vision and an iconic piece of downtown Lawrence’s historic district, Tom Harper writes in this column.
Housing advocates and organizers: Lawrence should say no to occupancy restrictions (Column)
“We see daily how families of all kinds — blood-related or chosen — pool groceries, bills and child care to keep one another safe. Occupancy caps effectively criminalize mutual aid, making it harder for people to meet basic needs,” four local housing advocates write in this column.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Lawrence school board President Kelly Jones: Schools must be safe, welcoming amid anti-trans onslaught (Column)
“The USD 497 Board of Education resolutely wants transgender students, staff, and their families to feel all love the whole school day and be afforded the right and dignity to show up to school as they are — especially now,” Lawrence school board President Kelly Jones writes in this column.
Tom Harper/Lawrence Times
Tom Harper: What’s old is new again at Liberty Hall (Column)
Repertory movies have made a comeback, cultivating community in downtown Lawrence, and “During these uncertain times, we need Liberty Hall as much as Liberty Hall needs us,” Tom Harper writes in this column.
Shawn Alexander: Black history prevails, despite persistent threats (Column)
“Despite backlash, the Black community has consistently pushed to teach Black history, whether sanctioned or not. … We should all champion their efforts,” Shawn Alexander writes in this column.
Clay Wirestone: In its wisdom, Kansas Legislature puts mugging transgender children ahead of all other priorities (Column)
”(Kansas legislators) are making antihuman choices that will destroy lives and rip apart families for cheap political gain. The fact that we all knew this was coming does not make it any easier to bear,” Clay Wirestone writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Tom Harper/Lawrence Times
Tom Harper: A new and improved Volume 1 of ‘Embattled Lawrence’ is coming soon (Column)
Since the release of Embattled Lawrence, Vol. 2, people have asked editor Dennis Domer frequently where they can find a copy of Vol. 1. A new version of the local history book — long out of print — will soon be available, Tom Harper writes in this column.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Shawn Alexander: The new year, with apologies to and inspiration from Langston Hughes (Column)
”Let us see and hear in the new year the faint voices captured in the Kaw and all ancient rivers ‘older than the flow of human blood in human veins’ that are carrying the calls and dreams of a more hopeful, peaceful, tolerant, and just world,” Shawn Alexander writes in this column.
Tom Harper: A ‘Thanksgiving miracle’ in Lawrence (Column)
”Simple acts of kindness and generosity happen daily. Sometimes they are small, such as holding a door open for a stranger; other times, they’re as monumental as gifting a vehicle to someone in need,” Tom Harper writes in this column.
Shawn Alexander: Say his name – Fred Harvey Smith (Column)
”Racial violence has been omnipresent in American history, and in far too many of the incidents, the perpetrators of the crime are acquitted or not even brought up on charges. When I think of such cases I am often haunted by the heinous murder of Fred Harvey Smith here in the land of John Brown in May 1936,” Shawn Alexander writes in this column.
Mike Warner: Voters have an experienced choice in this district attorney race (Column)
”Experience matters. … A poorly managed district attorney’s office undermines justice and wastes taxpayers’ money, and I want to end this,” Mike Warner writes in this column.
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