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
Lawrence High’s Maya Smith earns Kansas Student Journalist of the Year award
Lawrence High School senior Maya Smith was named the state’s top student journalist Wednesday by the Kansas Scholastic Press Association.
MORE GOOD NEWS
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
St. Luke AME’s stained-glass windows are back
The splendor of stained glass is returning to St. Luke AME Church this week.
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.
Photo gallery: Volunteers prepare annual LINK Thanksgiving meals
Volunteers hustled Wednesday to prepare hundreds of meals for the annual LINK Thanksgiving tradition.
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.
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.
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.”
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.