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
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240607-Drug-court-graduation-9.jpg?fit=700%2C438&ssl=1)
Latest Douglas County drug court graduates celebrate completing this step of their journeys
Three new graduates of Douglas County drug court can now start with a clean slate and continue to build on the people they’ve grown to be throughout their time in the program.
MORE GOOD NEWS
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/20220526-FSHS-graduation-15.jpg?fit=747%2C438&ssl=1)
Free State High School celebrates resiliency of 2022 graduates
A light breeze Thursday evening blew the tassels of Free State High School’s graduating seniors as some supporters donned winter coats – an unusual site for a late-May ceremony. With temperatures hovering in the high 50s, family, friends and faculty filled the football stadium to honor Free State’s 25th graduating class.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Loop.jpg?fit=691%2C438&ssl=1)
Guide to Lawrence Loop aims to help people with mobility limitations navigate city’s nature trails
A group of local people and organizations have collaborated to create a guide to the most accessible routes along the Lawrence Loop.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Raven.jpeg?fit=584%2C438&ssl=1)
Raven Book Store selected as Publishers Weekly Bookstore of the Year
The Raven Book Store has been selected for the biggest award a bookstore in America can receive.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/20220524-Rabiola-1-2.jpg?fit=757%2C438&ssl=1)
Free State’s Sam Rabiola wins $10,000 excellence in teaching prize from Lawrence Schools Foundation
Sam Rabiola, English teacher at Free State High School, has won the 2022 Special Award for Excellence in Teaching, also known as the Bobs award.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/class-min.png?fit=750%2C438&ssl=1)
Sunflower first-graders proudly present their donation to feathered friend from Operation Wildlife
A unique guest visited Sunflower Elementary on a mission. The kestrel falcon’s task: Pick up a donation from Jessica Brown and her first grade class.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/LVS-Graduation-2022-Social-Size-5-of-57.jpg?fit=657%2C438&ssl=1)
Students celebrate graduating from Lawrence Virtual School, ‘where everyone can find a home’
Dozens of Lawrence Virtual School graduates crossed the stage to collect their diplomas Saturday, and dozens of others not present in person were celebrated along with them.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/20220515-KU-graduation-2.jpg?fit=683%2C438&ssl=1)
KU graduates celebrate finishing college careers that were ‘upended by a global pandemic’
A stormy morning made way for smiles, champagne and just enough sunshine Sunday afternoon as the University of Kansas graduates of 2022 celebrated all that they’ve accomplished.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/20220513-Estrella-9.jpg?fit=722%2C438&ssl=1)
Photos: La Estrella celebrates opening new Lawrence location
The owners of La Estrella, the restaurant and tienda mexicana, held a grand opening Friday to celebrate opening their new, larger Lawrence location.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/20220513-Haskell-graduation19-copy.jpg?fit=753%2C438&ssl=1)
Haaland, national leaders stress importance of history and representation during Haskell commencement ceremony
U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland called the graduates who attended Friday morning’s commencement ceremony at Haskell Indian Nations University “a dream that our ancestors had.”
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/20220513-LAC-3-2.jpg?fit=615%2C438&ssl=1)
Lawrence Arts Center adds new performance, rehearsal, gallery and storage space in major expansion
Almost from the moment it was launched nearly 50 years ago, the Lawrence Arts Center found itself scrambling for space. Now, it may have solved its space problems.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Liberty-Hall-1.jpg?fit=732%2C438&ssl=1)
Liberty Hall stage reconstruction project earns award from Lawrence Preservation Alliance
Liberty Hall holds so many years’ worth of stories and experiences that it’s almost as if the structure itself is alive. That’s why General Manager Dean Edington II refers to the building’s aura as “the spirit of the hall.”
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22-state-champs.jpg?fit=664%2C438&ssl=1)
Lawrence students take state championships in Speech and Drama; Free State takes 3rd consecutive title
Students from Free State High School, Lawrence High School and Bishop Seabury Academy all have state champions to celebrate following a successful weekend.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Driscoll_GreatShot_AnimalLife_IMG_9048.jpeg?fit=655%2C438&ssl=1)
Free State High School student’s photo wins Great Shot contest
Addie Driscoll, a senior at Free State High School, has won first place in a national photo contest for a joyful photo of her lemon beagle, Maizie Jo.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Sunflowerjewelry.jpg?fit=768%2C432&ssl=1)
Sunflower first-graders design unique jewelry for auction to benefit injured, orphaned wildlife
First-graders in Jessica Brown’s class at Sunflower Elementary have named the muses that inspired the colorful jewelry they’ve crafted. Now it’s time for the public to place bids.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Lewis_Truman_1600x900-2.jpg?fit=764%2C438&ssl=1)
Students cross finish line with confidence in Lawrence school district’s adaptive triathlon
The time he spent pounding the track’s pavement during the adaptive triathlon Wednesday at Lawrence High was the funnest part for Richard Outcalt. That, and the Southwest Middle School eighth-grader envisioning himself attending LHS in the fall.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/saltwell-LEAD.jpg?fit=590%2C438&ssl=1)
Saltwell Farm Kitchen is Lawrence restaurateurs’ culinary journey into hospitality, heritage and home
With lots of hard work and a great team surrounding them, Shantel Grace and Rozz Petrozz, the founders of Saltwell Farm Kitchen, have opened the abandoned-farmhouse-turned-restaurant to the public with one request: Come as you are.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Just-Food-Clinic.jpg?fit=768%2C432&ssl=1)
Lawrence Humane Society aims to keep animals out of shelters by offering resources to pet owners
The Lawrence Humane Society has been shifting its focus away from bringing animals in need into the shelter to instead providing support to people struggling to keep their own pets at home.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/kickathon-1.jpg?fit=768%2C432&ssl=1)
New scholarship fund supports young survivors of domestic violence with ‘confidence training’ through martial arts
Young martial artists in Lawrence are raising money for a Kids Karate Fund that will expand the benefits of martial arts to more of their peers.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Angel_Myles.jpg?fit=768%2C432&ssl=1)
Promise of transplant begins to awaken family from ‘nightmare’ year of illness and loss
In early 2021, Angela Dotson frequently dropped off her son with his grandpa while she worked to get on her feet. A year later, however, illness has taken her father, her job and her health — but the recent promise of a kidney transplant means hope is on the horizon.
![](https://i0.wp.com/lawrencekstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Rupp-Marshall.jpg?fit=768%2C432&ssl=1)
NATIONAL CHAMPS! Free State debate duo wins big tournament
Free State High School seniors Serena Rupp and John Marshall won the final round of the Tournament of Champions late Monday on a 2-1 decision, becoming national champions.
If our local journalism 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