Our favorite kinds of stories to tell — highlighting good things happening in Lawrence and Douglas County.
The image at the top of this page is from the August 2022 Pooch Plunge. Check out the full gallery at this link.
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LATEST GOOD NEWS
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Rosy-cheeked rascal from the North Pole gets stranded again; Lawrence firefighters to the rescue
Lawrence was abuzz ahead of Friday’s downtown holiday lighting ceremony, wondering if Santa would once again find himself in an embarrassing predicament. The jolly man did not disappoint.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Rosy-cheeked rascal from the North Pole gets stranded again; Lawrence firefighters to the rescue
Lawrence was abuzz ahead of Friday’s downtown holiday lighting ceremony, wondering if Santa would once again find himself in an embarrassing predicament. The jolly man did not disappoint.
MORE GOOD NEWS
Emma Bascom / The Lawrence Times
KU fans gather on Mass Street ahead of the championship game
The energy in downtown Lawrence was electric in the hours leading up to KU’s appearance in the national championship game.
Jordan Winter / The Lawrence Times
Indigenous Community Center launches Native youth skate team in Lawrence
The Indigenous Community Center is aiming to help local Native youth build confidence and healthy habits through its new skate team. The first skate meet was today at Edgewood Park.
Douglas County / Contributed Photo
New manager of human services continues efforts toward safe, accessible housing for all in Douglas County
Gabi Sprague is the new human services program manager for Douglas County. She’ll focus on preventing homelessness and helping unify the work of local social service agencies. Though the title is new for Sprague, the work isn’t.
Contributed Photo
Free State junior awarded 2022 Princeton Prize in Race Relations
Soledad Edison, 17, has been inspiring conversations of equity in the classroom since middle school. Now a junior at Free State, he has a passion for connecting with diverse people and finding solutions to issues facing marginalized students.
Contributed Photo
Deja Brooks crowned Queen of Lawrence St. Patrick’s Day Parade; it ‘shows growth,’ she says
St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee members selected their queen on Sunday, and she already was one. Deja Brooks, a Lawrence drag artist, said she was shocked and excited to be chosen for the honor.
Contributed Photo
Polar plunge invites community to take a dip in support of Special Olympics, ‘meaningful inclusivity’
With a fundraising goal of $17,000, organizers for the Special Olympics Lawrence Polar Plunge ask community members to get cold for a cause this month and help more than 4,000 Kansas athletes.
Tricia Masenthin/The Lawrence Times
Unique elements of North Lawrence make up new welcome sign
A new sign celebrating a few of North Lawrence’s distinct features now greets residents and visitors just past the intersection of North Second and Locust streets.
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
Photo: Deerfield Doughnuts brought to life at Infusions Bakery in Lawrence
The doughnut creations of third-graders at Deerfield Elementary school have come to fruition.
United Way of Douglas County / Contributed Photo
Taryn Wells, 14, recognized with award for leadership in social justice projects
Taryn Wells, 14, has earned the 2020 Galluzzi Volunteer of the Year Award for her community work and leadership in Lawrence.
Tricia Masenthin/The Lawrence Times
Heart transplant gives community volunteer, award recipient more time to serve people of Douglas County
A new heart has given Marion Belcher, 2020 Galluzzi Volunteer of the Year, more time to help feed the community.
Infusions Bakery Facebook page
Voting open for Deerfield 3rd graders’ unique doughnuts; top 12 creations to be sold at Lawrence bakery
Voting is now open for the public to decide which 12 doughnuts designed by Deerfield Elementary third graders will be sold for a limited time at Infusions Bakery in Lawrence.
Carter Gaskins / The Lawrence Times
Quilter Marla Jackson preserves African American history in Lawrence through art and education
Lawrence quilter and historian Marla Jackson tells powerful stories of Black resistance and freedom through textile art with vibrant colors, patterns and pieces of history.
Laura Amlung/Contributed Image
Deerfield Doughnuts: 3rd grade students’ unique designs to be sold in Lawrence
A doughnut with apple pie filling, topped with chunks of bacon and a chocolate drizzle? This dream is one that Laura Amlung’s third grade class at Deerfield Elementary hopes to make a reality.
Contributed
Lawrence school district alum returns, hopes to spark BIPOC students’ interest in education
In addition to an enthusiastic passion for history, first-year teacher Tori Mitchell offers Black students something she didn’t have as a student in Lawrence schools — a teacher who looks like them.
Indigenous Community Center / Contributed Photo
Lawrence’s Indigenous Community Center launches new food sovereignty farm
Lawrence’s Indigenous Community Center has reserved an acre of farmland, where board members and a crew of volunteers will plant perennial crops including berries, vegetables, roots, edible flowers and herbal medicines.
Lawrence women establish support group for girls with ADHD
A new support group is forming in Lawrence to provide a safe space for the growing number of girls and young women who are diagnosed with ADHD.
Contributed Photo
Young entrepreneurs open shoe store, Soled Out LK, in downtown Lawrence
With aspirations to level up from online shoe resales, business partners Anthony Wahquah, 19, and Riley Henley, 20, opened Soled Out LK in October, reaching their goal of owning a shoe store in their hometown of Lawrence by age 21 with time to spare.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times
Lawrence students, educators honor legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at annual event
Centered on students and the theme “It Starts with Me,” a tribute to civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. took place Friday afternoon at Billy Mills Middle School.
Lawrence Schools Foundation/Contributed Photo
Free State High School teacher honored with Dedication to Education Award for ‘never giving up on students’
Erin McDaneld-Campbell, a Free State High School special education teacher, was selected to receive the 2021 Dedication to Education Award and the $5,000 check that goes with it.
Jeff Burkhead/Contributed Photo
Lawrence photographer tells story of community’s response to first year of COVID-19 pandemic in new book
Lawrence photographer Jeff Burkhead’s “Our Pandemic Year in Photos” is filled with hundreds of images telling tales of love, strength and resilience. Observations and essays penned by locals punctuate the collection and tie together the book’s message of hope.
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