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
Mystery organizer cultivates monthly mug hunt in Lawrence
An enigma, a Lawrence resident hides mugs around town every first Saturday of the month in hopes that all will be found. The Lawrence Mug Hunt draws folks of all ages and is free for everyone to participate.
MORE GOOD NEWS
Eudora teen with a passion for patient care earns $5,000 college scholarship
Eudora High School graduate Ling Clobes knows the scary feelings that can accompany a child’s hospital stay. Born with a cleft lip and palate, the teen has undergone a dozen procedures, including double jaw surgery.
Couple’s ‘little pocket prairie’ beckons butterflies to Indian Hills neighborhood
Call it a pollinator’s delight, a butterfly haven, a nectar buffet. This Monarch Waystation is the pride of longtime Lawrence gardeners Dena Podrebarac and Heidi Rios.
Tragic Comedy to center queer, femme, BIPOC comedians in Lawrence
A new comedy troupe in town is bringing parody, musicals, sketch comedy, and standup in a space with room for all who love comedy to showcase their authentic selves and their jokes.
Lawrence High student wins $10K scholarship to support her dream of becoming a restaurateur
Victoria Bell remembers peanut butter cookies and cornbread as the first recipes she ever made by herself. Now, as a rising high school senior, she can see her dream career of one day owning a restaurant or bakery in close reach.
Lawrence PRIDE parade and party return
Two days of Lawrence PRIDE celebrations culminated in a gathering at South Park, a parade down Massachusetts Street and a party at Abe & Jake’s.
Free State student invited to National Youth Wind Ensemble, prestigious youth band experience
Trumpeter Keith Popiel said he doesn’t usually get jitters before performing, but when he found himself sitting on a historic stage in the nation’s capital among some of the best youth musicians in the country, he realized his musical career had come to a pinnacle moment.
Meet the first Mass Street Kitten Academy recruits of 2022
Jupiter, Luna, Nova and Orion are the first Mass Street Kitten Academy recruits of 2022. This morning, they got to be the first to try out the academy’s stellar new window display, hosted at Love Garden Sounds.
Lawrence Juneteenth celebration unites community, honors people who make a difference
“It’s a celebration of freedom; of how far Black people have come,” said Janae Colter, of Lawrence, cradling her two-week-old daughter, Zya, at Saturday’s Juneteenth celebration.
Students persevere to overcome obstacles and graduate from Lawrence’s adult education program
A gymnasium filled with friends, families and supporters on Thursday evening celebrated the accomplishments of local students who overcame adversity to graduate this year from the Lawrence school district’s Adult Learning Center and Diploma Completion Program.
Liberty Memorial Central students create unique multimedia poetry project with Lawrence Arts Center
Call it a colossal community collaboration featuring the creativity of nearly 150 seventh-graders. The Zinn Writers of Liberty Memorial Central Middle School once again have partnered with the Lawrence Arts Center, resulting in a multimedia literary project called “I Hope You Know.”
Lawrence High’s 148th class graduates to life’s ‘next chapter’
The sun set Friday evening on the high school careers of 375 Lawrence High Chesty Lions as family members, friends and faculty filled the outdoor stadium to celebrate the class of 2022’s accomplishments.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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