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
Sarah Cole: Legislative leaders spread biased tropes about disabled Kansans in crusade against Medicaid (Column)
”Though disabled people are often prevented from doing the work they would prefer to be doing … most, if not all, of those barriers come not from within disabled people but rather from the outside world,” Sarah Cole writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Tom Harper/Lawrence Times
Tom Harper: Celebrating renovations to the oldest library in Kansas (Column)
”Members of the Coal Creek Library Board in Vinland recently hosted an open house for community members and donors to celebrate the successful restoration of the nearly 125-year-old library building,” Tom Harper writes in this column.
Max Kautsch: Rule lets Kansas courts refuse the release of ‘compiled information,’ obscuring your right to know (Column)
”Even though court records in adult criminal cases are presumptively open in this country, searching for such records … by the type of crime charged or over a range of dates is prohibited,” Max Kautsch writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Tom Harper/Lawrence Times
Tom Harper: Taking a rare 45, ‘Hawk it to ‘Em,’ to Love Garden Sounds (Column)
”Love Garden Sounds has survived and thrived for 33 years not just because they love music and sharing it with our community. They have also followed a simple and profound tenet — the Golden Rule,” Tom Harper writes in this column.
Mackenzie Clark/Lawrence Times
Clay Wirestone: I knew Kansas officials would overstep after Marion raid. I didn’t expect it to be in Lawrence. (Column)
”The fiasco in Marion generated national attention. This dustup in Douglas County will likely fly under the radar, given that it was conducted in the far more restrained forum of legal filings. But we should all be on notice,” Clay Wirestone writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Tara Wallace: Fixing Kansas’ child welfare system requires the voices of families ‘closest to the pain’ (Column)
”When those living in poverty are dehumanized, no voice can be heard. There is no opportunity to create understanding and no possibility of change,” Tara Wallace writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Clay Wirestone: Kansas newspaper raid draws plenty of attention, but journalists defy threats across U.S. (Column)
”When powerful people go after journalists and news outlets, they go after everyone. … Let’s look at outrages big and small from across the United States,” Clay Wirestone writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Doug Anstaett: Kansas Reporters’ Shield Law, passed by huge majorities, should have prevented raid on Marion paper (Column)
”Under the shield law, those who wish to subpoena interview recordings, unpublished notes and other information gained through the newsgathering process must allow those being subpoenaed to have their day in court before proceeding,” Doug Anstaett writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Clay Wirestone: Powerful voices speak up for Kansas paper after shocking raid. Meanwhile, where’s the affidavit? (Column)
“The question isn’t whether reporters are above the law. It’s whether Marion law enforcement is above the law,” Clay Wirestone writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Clay Wirestone: In Marion County newspaper raid, a grim threat to Kansans’ First Amendment rights (Column)
”The outrageous law enforcement assault on the Marion County Record newspaper raises a veritable forest of red flags,” Clay Wirestone writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Rachel Sweet: One year ago, Kansas made history. The fight to protect abortion rights isn’t over. (Column)
”One year ago, Kansas became the first state in the nation to vote on reproductive rights following the fall of Roe v. Wade and the first to boldly protect the constitutional right to abortion,” Rachel Sweet writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Dot Nary: Celebrating a nation with disability rights (Column)
”Many would be surprised to learn of the rights that the ADA protects and of the far-reaching effect of this law on the lives of people of all disability types and life stages,” Dot Nary writes in this column.
Nick Kuzmyak: Lawrence’s land development code update’s first major deliverable is ready, and your input is important (Column)
”We can have our voices heard now, when the fundamental laws are being set, rather than later when we hear of a development we don’t agree with or are frustrated at the slow pace of housing construction,” Nick Kuzmyak writes in this column on the city’s land development code update.
Clay Wirestone: A powerful storm sledgehammered northeast Kansas. Amidst the chaos, I spotted lessons for us all. (Column)
”Can you imagine living without a home? Can you imagine living without the fundamental comfort of — as an architect friend of mine once put it — a thermally controlled space?” Clay Wirestone writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Clay Wirestone: This Lawrence, Kansas, gathering spot held a special place in my heart. I’ll miss it terribly. (Column)
”Being a regular, having a place, having a group of people you know and see every few days, that makes a difference in one’s life,” Clay Wirestone writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
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