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: Kris Kobach comes for trans Kansans’ birth certificates. Did legislators want this to happen? (Column)
”Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach’s move to strip trans Kansans of the right to change their gender markers came late Friday, a notorious dumping ground for unpleasant news,” Clay Wirestone writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Eric Lynch, IAFF Local 1596: Lawrence and Douglas County leaders must budget more money for public safety (Column)
”More than a decade of increased workload and city/county growth without increased help has left our first responders at their breaking point,” Eric Lynch, of IAFF Local 1596, writes in this column.
Rick Cagan: Local action is needed for renewable energy (Column)
”It’s important that we speak out so that commissioners know that the majority of Douglas County residents support large-scale clean energy projects along with community and rooftop solar. We can’t afford to delay action based on misinformation,” Rick Cagan writes in this column.
Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
Clay Wirestone: Pride Month arrives in Kansas. So does organized hate, political wrangling and advocacy for change. (Column)
“In the past couple of years, voices of hate have reemerged, louder than ever. In the Kansas Legislature, these voices supported legislation targeting the transgender community,” Clay Wirestone writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Community Children’s Center: Embracing the lost art of boredom (Column)
”This summer, I encourage all parents and caregivers to give yourselves a break! Allow your child to be bored and know that you are facilitating an opportunity for your child to learn to tolerate uncomfortable feelings, increase their creativity, and inspire imagination,” Chelsea Harrington writes in this column from the Community Children’s Center.
Allie Lippe-Mackey: Lawrence High students growing milkweed to help monarchs (Column)
”By engaging students in hands-on activities and fostering a sense of responsibility towards their community and the natural world, Lawrence High School is empowering the next generation of environmental advocates,” Allie Lippe-Mackey writes in this column.
Courtney Farr: Kansas is passing the same laws that powered the 1969 Stonewall raid (Column)
”Almost 54 years (after the Stonewall riots), the idea of being arrested after a genital inspection doesn’t feel all that far-fetched once again,” Courtney Farr writes in this column.
Tom Harper/Lawrence Times
Tom Harper: Celebrating 41 years of a KU campus icon (Column)
”Today we celebrate the 41st anniversary of the installation of Moses in front of Smith Hall, gazing at the beautiful stained glass that represents the Burning Bush,” Tom Harper writes in this column.
Judy Erpelding: I never planned to leave Free State; it’s time to start advocating for performing arts (Column)
”It’s important to me that my students and their families know that leaving this year was never in my intentions,” Judy Erpelding, director of Free State High School orchestra, writes in this column.
Courtney Masterson/Contributed
Ken Lassman: Lawrence Parks and Rec is downplaying herbicidal overkill of remnant prairie (Column)
”Parks and Rec is seriously downplaying the unlikelihood of the prairie (behind Prairie Park Nature Center) recovering after being so seriously damaged and depleted by this senseless act,” Ken Lassman writes in this column.
Kirsten Kuhn: Delaying plans to expand access to opioid overdose reversal drug could cost lives (Column)
”This commission may consider a delay of a week or two to be no big deal, simply a way of doing their due diligence. But it very well could be the difference between life and death for one of our community members,” Kirsten Kuhn writes in this column.
Vince Munoz: Lobbying didn’t stop Kansas anti-trans bill. Here’s what will, even after it goes into effect. (Column)
”Oppression relies, in part, on the compliance of bystanders. When people start flagrantly ignoring rules, it costs time, money and energy from those in power to enforce their rules,” Vince Munoz writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
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