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.
Please share your good news with us!
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
Contributed images
Organizers of Coats 4 Kids hope to ‘promote peace, love, and positivity’ in Lawrence; drive is Sunday
Anthony Harvey Jr. and Ja’Darius Woods will be giving away free winter accessories to anyone who needs them, no questions asked, at the second annual Coats 4 Kids drive this Sunday.
Photo courtesy of KU Theatre
KU Theatre’s fall finale centers trans woman, ‘disrupts’ idea of classic American play
KU Theatre is preparing for the grand finale of its fall season this Friday: a contemporary play that centers on the story of a transgender woman returning to her childhood home in the American South.
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
St. Luke AME’s stained-glass windows are back
The splendor of stained glass is returning to St. Luke AME Church this week.
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
Photos: Santa brought to safety once again in downtown Lawrence
A Lawrence tradition continued Friday night as Santa Claus was safely rescued from the top of Weaver’s Department Store.
Tricia Masenthin / The Lawrence Times
Photo gallery: Volunteers prepare annual LINK Thanksgiving meals
Volunteers hustled Wednesday to prepare hundreds of meals for the annual LINK Thanksgiving tradition.
Contributed/Emily Boedeker
Children’s choir aims to diversify voices, remove barriers to participation
A new children’s choir for Douglas County third through sixth graders boasts only one requirement: a love for singing. No auditions, no fees, no experience nor church membership required.
Contributed photo and Wikimedia Commons
Lawrence High senior chosen to perform in Big Apple with Carnegie Hall concert choir
A Chesty Lion will join voices with the top-rated high school vocalists from across the world in February.
Lucie Krisman / The Lawrence Times
Jingle House pop-up combines plants and holiday cheer
Jungle House owners Jhami and Rachel Guffey hope that when customers walk into their new pop-up shop in downtown Lawrence, they experience “over-the-top holiday magic.”
Tricia Masenthin/The Lawrence Times
Fairytale faves and zombies mix it up in West Middle School production
With two casts and two endings, there’s a lot to keep organized in West Middle School’s all-school play, “The Walking Dwarves.” There’s no sugar-coating the scene at Thursday morning’s preview show: It’s pure, loud chaos. It’s also a celebration.
Tom Harper / Contributed Photo
A moment in Lawrence: Community celebrates new mural at Cottin’s Hardware
A crowd gathered Sunday to celebrate the completion of a new mural at Cottin’s Hardware in Lawrence.
Lucie Krisman / The Lawrence Times
Lawrence-based sculptor wins design title in nationwide metalworking competition
Lori Norwood took inspiration from Lawrence’s Pooch Plunge tradition to create a steel sculpture. Her piece was recently selected for a metalworking award.
Danny Caine / Contributed Photo
Raven Book Store cat retires after a decade of service
Ngaio, the 13-year-old resident bookstore cat at the Raven, greeted and accompanied customers for 10 years. She has now retired to a quieter life at a bookseller’s home.
Campbell Ragan/Contributed Photo
Pumpkin seeds, picture book make math engaging for students of homegrown Lawrence teacher
Second graders at Schwegler Elementary learned a fun fact during their recent math unit: A pumpkin’s size doesn’t determine the number of seeds inside the fall fruit.
Jordan Winter/The Lawrence Times
Pastor Verdell Taylor leaves 26-year legacy at Lawrence’s historic St. Luke AME Church
Since 1995, Verdell Taylor has been the pastor at St. Luke AME Church, an East Lawrence entity with a deep history intertwined with the civil rights movement. After his recent retirement, he is “turning the page for the next chapter.”
Contributed
Lawrence donation orchard seeks volunteers to plant ‘giving’ fruit trees
A Lawrence donation garden’s growers aim to end local food insecurity. They’ve shared 7,500 pounds of produce in Douglas County so far this year, and they need help planting fruit trees this weekend.
Matthew Willie Garcia via Wonder Gallery
Wonder Gallery to reopen, featuring Matthew Willie Garcia prints, a ‘Utopian Bookstore,’ and ‘blobby things’
Wonder Gallery will reopen on Final Friday with an expanded focus that includes home items and a Utopian Bookstore alongside rotating artists’ exhibitions.
Tom Harper / The Lawrence Times
Photos: First Nations Student Association makes KU history, raising tipi on campus
As part of Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations this week, students with the First Nations Student Association at KU have made history, raising a tipi on the lawn of Strong Hall.
Tricia Masenthin/The Lawrence Times
Lawrence teens create ‘no judgment’ period supply closet for all who menstruate
A group of Lawrence teens aims to alleviate embarrassment by normalizing the conversation about menstruation while offering free period products to those in need.
Tricia Masenthin / The Lawrence Times
Lawrence school board to consider donation of trees for Cordley Elementary playground
The Lawrence school board on Monday will consider a donation of trees for the playground at Cordley, then meet in executive session to discuss contracts with the PAL-CWA union.
Lawrence Schools Foundation / Contributed Photos
Lawrence Schools Foundation celebrates 4 high school seniors as champions of the arts
Four accomplished young artists — Free State High School seniors Matt Chappell and Devon Janus and Lawrence High School seniors Ashton Rapp and Rachel Schmaus — have been honored as the Lawrence Schools Foundation’s 2021 Student Champions.
If local news matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
