The pieces in this section are generally written by members of the Lawrence community and those who have close ties. In addition, the Times is offering some space for area organizations and organizers to provide updates and attempt to reach other folks who might share their mission.
The Lawrence Times does not publish staff editorials (unsigned opinion columns, usually about the topics we cover, that many news publications run). Want to submit a letter or column to the Times? Great! Click here to find out how.
OPINION COLUMNS
Edith Guffey: What happened to liberty? (Column)
“I wonder, if the justices are so concerned about history and intent, what do they make of some of the other important documents of our country and the intent of the founding fathers?” Edith Guffey writes in this column.
Ella Lee Dominguez: Lighting candles and cleaning crumbs as my rights disappear (Column)
“The Supreme Court has made its decision — so I will make mine,” Ella Lee Dominguez writes in this column.
Bridging the digital divide can reduce gaps between Kansas communities (Column)
“As state and local governments invest in broadband, they should also ensure their work is focused on digital equity,” members of the Governor’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice write in this Kansas Reflector column.
Mark McCormick: This Juneteenth, let’s redefine freedom as parity (Column)
“Parity offers the truer path to freedom for African Americans and to a healthier democracy. Juneteenth’s emancipation remembrance merely marks the first step,” Mark McCormick writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Max Kautsch: With open government on the line, we’re calling Kansas legislators to account (Column)
“Kansas voters cannot allow our elected leaders to avoid this crucial issue. … After all, if elected leaders are not sensitive to the concerns of their voters, why should they remain in office?” Max Kautsch, president of the Kansas Coalition for Open Government, writes in this column for Kansas Reflector.
Tom Harper / Lawrence Times
Tom Harper: Impending demolition of KU’s Facilities building is a betrayal to historic district (Column)
“Jayhawks and the Lawrence community deserve better decision-making from KU’s leadership as it relates to historic preservation on Mount Oread,” Tom Harper writes in this column about the likely impending demolition of the Facilities Administration Building.
LETTERS TO THE TIMES
Letter to the Times: The choice is in your hands
“Maybe … you are generally pro-life but don’t like extreme restrictions on abortion. Maybe you are just generally uneasy about abortion itself but want it to keep it as an option,” Ken Grotewiel writes in this letter to the Times.
Letter to the Times: Kansas will ban abortion if amendment passes on Aug. 2
“If the amendment passes, Kansas lawmakers can — and they will — enact laws banning abortions. And we know they will because they’ve already tried,” Amii Castle writes in this letter to the Times.
Letter to the Times: Douglas County should adopt a tenants’ right to counsel
“If you’re charged with a felony, you have the right to an attorney. If you’re about to be kicked out of your home here in Douglas County, you’re on your own,” Steven Koprince writes in this letter to the Times.
ORG CORNER
#BeMoreLikeClaire: Power of collective generosity is helping Douglas County (Column)
“Over the past four years, through the power of collective generosity, #BeMoreLikeClaire has awarded more than $195,825 in grants to area nonprofits, with the vast majority located in Douglas County,” organization leaders write in this column.
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Justice Matters: Join us at the Action Assembly to witness our collective power (Column)
“When we are united around addressing systemic issues of injustice, the impact is long-lasting and profound,” the co-presidents of Justice Matters write in this column.
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Tonganoxie Community Historical Society: ‘Living Sovereignty’ exhibit on display this month (Announcement)
Members of the Tonganoxie Community Historical Society hosted an opening reception April 5 to celebrate a new exhibit, “Living Sovereignty,” and a standing-room-only crowd came to hear Judith Manthe, Principal Chief of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas, speak.
FROM THE STACKS
Note: Staff members at the Lawrence Public Library write blog posts about books, bookish things and other media. The Times is reposting some of those blogs in this feature, From the Stacks. Find many other blog posts, titles referenced in these posts and much more on the library’s website, lplks.org.
Lawrence Public Library/Contributed Image
From the Stacks: Unsolicited reading recommendations for Lawrence candidates
Here’s a series of unsolicited reading recommendations for Lawrence City Commission and Lawrence school board candidates, based on favorite books they shared with the Times.
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From the Stacks: An interview with Bathsheba Demuth ahead of her Wednesday event
“One of my favorite books of the past couple years is Bathsheba Demuth’s award-winning ‘Floating Coast,’ so I was pleased to see that the author is part of this season’s speaker series at KU’s Hall Center for the Humanities,” Jake Vail of Lawrence Public Library writes.
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From the Stacks: What I learned about tardigrades, aka ‘water bears’
Tardigrades “have inched their way into the public imagination in recent years. For one thing, they are cute as heck, especially for a microscopic creature that doesn’t really have a face,” Dan Coleman writes in this piece for the Lawrence Public Library.
