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
John Clayton / Contributed photo
Tom Harper: Community to gather in ‘precious love’ to celebrate the life of Rob Blank (Column)
The family of Rob Blank — “Peace Man” and “Precious Love” — wants to thank the Lawrence community for the love and support it gave Rob throughout his life. They’re planning a gathering in his memory next month, Tom Harper writes in this column.
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.
LETTERS TO THE TIMES
Letter to the Times: Wanted – Younger generation neighborhood leaders
“The gray-haired (and no-haired) neighborhood activists of Lawrence want and need a younger generation of neighborhood leaders to come forward,” Phil and Peggi Englehart write in this letter to the Times.
Letter to the Times: Lawrence’s policies should support business growth
“By supporting the expansion of existing businesses and by attracting new employers, we can create jobs, increase our tax base and ultimately ease the pressure on residential property taxpayers,” Gary Rexroad writes in this letter to the Times.
Letter to the Times: Planning Commission should deny 3rd and Michigan upzoning request
“Please encourage the development interests — public and private — to engage the neighborhood so that the results reflect sensible density that adds value for all concerned,” Phil and Peggi Englehart write in this open letter to the Planning Commission.
ORG CORNER
Bishop Seabury Academy announces the Class of 2025 (Announcement)
“The 17 members of the Class of 2025 have received 120 acceptances to 80 different colleges and were offered more than $10 million in four-year renewable scholarships and institutional grants,” Bishop Seabury Academy writes.
Watkins Museum of History: Curtis Marsh book talk set to celebrate KU’s 160th anniversary
“Over the course of his 30-plus years of service to the University of Kansas, (Curtis) Marsh has amassed a wealth of knowledge about Jayhawk stats, history, and traditions,” Will Haynes writes in this piece from the Watkins Museum of History.
Letter to the Times: Bail fund overregulation would keep ‘justice’ system in hands of the elite
”The idea that community bail funds should be regulated with insurance requirements is an absurd overregulation of what amounts to voluntary mutual aid within a community,” Douglas County Community Bail Fund directors write in this letter to the Times.
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.
From the Stacks: Reclaiming memory and history in ‘Last Night at the Telegraph Club’
“Queer history is vital to a queer future. Reclaiming spaces in history that were occupied by real people through fiction is just as vital,” Margo Moore writes.
