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
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Lawrence community members celebrate opening of Promise Heights housing for families
A new six-unit housing development in central Lawrence will begin welcoming families in early to mid-September, offering lower-barrier housing and case management for people working to regain long-term stability.
MORE GOOD NEWS
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Two Haskell seniors leave their mark on campus with a ‘girl’s girl’ art show
Haskell seniors Aziza Smith and Aiyanna Tanyan look at each other and see a reflection of an ambitious woman taking on the world. They’re leaving their mark on campus with a “girl’s girl” exhibition at the Haskell Cultural Center and Museum.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Lawrence’s Parade of Hearts installation celebrates disability inclusion
Lawrence is now home to a Parade of Hearts installation called “Inclusion Starts with the Heart,” celebrating acceptance and inclusion of people with disabilities.
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Lawrence Public Library makes nerding out free, accessible at annual fandom convention
The Lawrence Public Library seemed bigger on the inside Saturday as superfans and media lovers packed both levels of the building with cosplay, fan art and a passion for all things fandom.
4 Lawrence High School students win gold medals at national Scholastic Art Awards
Four students from Lawrence High School have earned gold medals from the Scholastic Art Awards, a longstanding national competition for teen artists.
Contributed photo
KU researcher wins competitive NASA fellowship
Hayley Beltz, a postdoctoral researcher at KU, has earned the highly competitive NASA Hubble Prize Fellowship.
Third KU debate team qualifies for national tournament
A National Debate Tournament committee selected a KU team that includes a Free State High School graduate as the university’s third pairing to attend the competition.
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
For a welcoming adult choir in Lawrence, singing brings connections, joy
Crescendo, an adult choir in Lawrence with a “come one, come all” attitude, wants every voice to shine, regardless of musical experience. They’ll showcase their harmonies at an upcoming concert with a local children’s choir.
Logan Pierson / Lawrence Times
Annual Eastern European and Eurasian Spring Festival gives space for culture, music and bliny
The smell of crepes and the sound of music filled Liberty Hall on Sunday as KU’s Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (CREES) held its annual Spring Festival.
Contributed image
Lawrence High School student artists shine in regional competition, advance to nationals
Lawrence High School students are celebrating success in a prestigious regional art competition, and many of their works will advance to the national level.
Logan Pierson / Lawrence Times
KU student repairs typewriters to preserve history and inspire new art
Jonathan Swanberg, 21, spends his weekdays in Lawrence as a KU math major before heading home for the weekends to Leawood, where he runs a typewriter repair business that’s in high demand throughout the KC metro.
Jason Wang/Contributed photo
Artist invites Lawrence community members to leave their mark on ceramics for arts center exhibition
In the antiseptic age of AI and ChatGPT, Jason Wang has devised a tactile method to remind Lawrencians of their authenticity, messiness and capacity for human connection.
Carter Gaskins/Lawrence Times
Here’s a sneak peek at Runner, service-dog-in-training and future Watkins Museum volunteer
Runner, the latest service-dog-in-training being raised by a Watkins Museum volunteer, stopped by the museum Thursday to greet her future colleagues.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Santa Claus’ associates in Lawrence usher in holiday cheer
Since Santa Claus must conserve energy for his Christmas Eve omnipresence, he wisely delegates some duties to remote workers. Here are a few of the Lawrence locals who signed on to give Santa a helping hand this year.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Loving Paws therapy dogs provide a fuzzy shoulder to lean on
Even if dogs can’t solve the world’s biggest problems, they can be present at just the right moment for folks who need a fuzzy shoulder to lean on, Loving Paws Animal Therapy’s volunteer coordinator believes.
Contributed photo
Free State High School troupe selected to perform at Wichita festival; local performance to send them off
Free State High School theatre students will take “The Addams Family: School Edition” on the road after being selected as one of five schools statewide to participate in the Kansas Thespian Festival.
Contributed photo
Deerfield Elementary teacher earns Dedication to Education award
Melissa Clover, a fourth grade teacher at Deerfield Elementary School, was surprised Monday with an award for her dedication to student success.
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
Dragon’s Hoard gets a bigger den: Impassioned hobbyists are the wind beneath this Lawrence game store’s wings
As businesses throughout Lawrence close due to plummeting revenue and skyrocketing rents, The Dragon’s Hoard, with its free-to-use play spaces and safe space ethos, has roosted in a larger den thanks to a fiercely loyal community of gamers and hobbyists.
Contributed photo
Lawrence author wins World Fantasy Award for best novella
Local author R.B. Lemberg has won a World Fantasy Award —one of the most prestigious awards for science fiction, fantasy and speculative titles — for a novella in their ongoing speculative fiction series.
Doug and his dogs: Watkins Museum earns recognition for preparing puppies for service
Doug Tyler has been able to train more than two dozen puppies on their way to becoming service dogs during his Watkins Museum volunteer shifts over the last several years.
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