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
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.
Ulysses Clayborn: Why renting to subsidized tenants is good business for Kansas — and every state (Column)
“The issue — property owners holding on tightly to unfounded myths about subsidized renters rather than leaning into the facts — is a problem with a solution. We can debunk these myths and lessen their grasp upon voucher holders’ ability to find homes,” Ulysses Clayborn writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Clay Wirestone: Kansas anti-trans sports law opens door for genital inspections of kids. That’s the simple truth. (Column)
”(L)awmakers have effectively legalized the abuse of children they claim to be protecting,” Clay Wirestone writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Clay Wirestone: With Kansas Legislature’s override vote, anti-trans bill becomes law. Here are five takeaways. (Column)
”Transgender people are still here. Even if you bar them from playing sports in every city and state, transgender people will still be here. They will still demand their right to exist and participate in sports and society,” Clay Wirestone writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Clay Wirestone: Exuberant protesters challenge malevolent Kansas legislators. Whose side are you on? (Column)
”Who best represents the principles that made Kansas and America great? (Hint: It’s the kids,)” Clay Wirestone writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Melody Alexander: School closures are not an equitable answer (Column)
”Equity resides in the community we’ve built for these children. And that equity was a priority because of these schools’ walls, where they feel the safety and security they deserve,” Melody Alexander writes in this column.
Ashley All: Lawmakers are ignoring Kansas voters, interfering in our private medical decisions (Column)
”Back in August, I could not have envisioned the extreme overreach that legislators would attempt during the 2023 legislative session,” Ashley All writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Clay Wirestone: Emporia State demands ransom for public records. You deserve to know what they’re hiding. (Column)
”We asked Emporia State University a simple question. After breaking the law in responding to us, the school now wants a preposterous ransom to answer it,” Clay Wirestone writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Dot Nary: Despite Kansas state rep’s view, disabled people will not ‘rot at home’ (Column)
”Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Stilwell Republican, described some of his constituents as ’people who really can’t do anything … they will rot at home.’ … I want to address the prejudicial attitude revealed in his statement and his stereotypical and outdated view of some of the people he was elected to represent: disabled people,” Dot Nary writes in this column.
Tom Harper/Lawrence Times
Tom Harper: Smith Hall demolition is on hold for now, but the building is still endangered (Column)
”The University of Kansas last year placed Smith Hall on a list of 12 buildings deemed obsolete, ’demolition ready,’ and likely to be razed in fiscal year 2023. Those plans have changed, but the fight is not over,” Tom Harper writes in this column.
Carter Gaskins / Lawrence Times
Eric Thomas: Bill Self’s illness reminds us how much he has accomplished as Kansas head coach (Column)
”The University of Kansas men’s basketball team and its fans face the prospect of entering the postseason with head coach Bill Self away from the bench. It’s a striking absence — hopefully temporary — for a program that has been defined by its head coach,” Eric Thomas writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
