Articles on this page generally required more “digging” than much of the rest of the coverage our award-winning journalists have produced. This collection of articles includes what we consider to be some of the most important coverage we publish. We are always willing to ask the hard questions. In fact, that’s one of the biggest reasons we launched The Lawrence Times in February 2021 — to fearlessly challenge power and injustice.
Whether these investigations took a few days, a few weeks or more than a year, we believe they’re important, and we appreciate our readers’ support to pursue this kind of coverage.
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Mackenzie Clark/Lawrence Times
‘It’s not right’: Pallet village guests voice concerns about Lawrence’s community for unhoused people
Sarah Swan was apprehensive about moving from a camp into Pallet shelter village. Now, as one of dozens of people who have been exited back to the streets, she’s angry, sad and concerned about how the program is being operated.
Mackenzie Clark/Lawrence Times
‘It’s not right’: Pallet village guests voice concerns about Lawrence’s community for unhoused people
Sarah Swan was apprehensive about moving from a camp into Pallet shelter village. Now, as one of dozens of people who have been exited back to the streets, she’s angry, sad and concerned about how the program is being operated.
Top tags
In addition to the key articles linked on this page, we have a lot more coverage on some of the big topics we’ve investigated:
Animal Control • Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center • Brady/Giglio • HeadQuarters Kansas • Open records • NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) • Treatment and Recovery Center •
MORe Investigative work
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
‘He did not just fall and die’: Lawrence mother pleads for answers about the death of her 3-year-old
Ilene Tolbert will always grieve the death of her 3-year-old son, Carter. But she’s still pushing for answers to the questions that have haunted her since 2020, hopeful that someday she’ll at least get closure.
Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
Former Mobile Response Team staff blame high turnover, Bert Nash management for temporary service disruptions
Two years after Douglas County’s Mobile Response Team launched, some former employees say the service remains crucial, but that it has been hamstrung by management at Bert Nash.
Superintendent salaries: How does Lawrence stack up compared to other Kansas districts?
As the Lawrence school board is poised to approve an interim superintendent contract with a salary equivalent to $235,000 over a full year, here’s a glimpse at how superintendent pay compares across several districts.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
City of Lawrence advisory board process raises confusion, concerns about transparency
The process to appoint community members to City of Lawrence advisory boards has left some board applicants and members of the public feeling as though they’re in the dark.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Treatment and Recovery Center nurses call for new leadership, policies to improve safety, patient care
Five licensed nurses who’ve worked at the Douglas County Treatment and Recovery Center are speaking out after recent injuries and security breaches — including one involving a loaded gun — have increased their fears for the safety of staff and patients.
Contributed photo
Entire board and interim director of HeadQuarters Kansas resign; new staff letter highlights concerns
The interim executive director of HeadQuarters Kansas and its entire board of directors have resigned. A new staff letter highlights ongoing concerns about the nonprofit suicide prevention organization.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Teachers leaving Lawrence schools wrestle with passion for educating, challenges of profession
”This was my dream job.”
A handful of outgoing teachers shared their reasons for leaving Lawrence Public Schools. Some plan to continue teaching in a new environment; others are leaving education altogether.
Repatriation completed for portion of Native American ancestral remains in KU’s collections
Human remains belonging to at least 104 Native American ancestors and one ceremonial mask that were in KU’s possession have been identified and repatriated with tribal nations in Kansas, Florida and Mexico.
Bryndal Hoover / LHS Budget
Lawrence journalism students convince district to reverse course on AI surveillance they say violates freedom of press
Journalism students at Lawrence High School have convinced the school district to remove their files from the purview of a controversial artificial intelligence surveillance system after months of debate with administrators.
Andrea Albright / Lawrence Times
Topeka man sentenced to 18 years for Lawrence robbery, but plan to proceed with murder-for-hire charge is unclear
A Topeka man was sentenced this week to 18 years in prison for the 2017 armed holdup of a Lawrence convenience store, but an additional charge alleging he solicited the murder of a witness remains in limbo.
Lawrence teacher pay stagnated near the bottom compared to similar districts as admin pay rose and fell.
Lawrence teachers spent years with wages near the bottom compared to similar sized school districts, along with large pay gaps relative to administrators. But recent efforts to raise teacher wages have helped teacher salaries move closer to other districts.
In Lawrence schools, admin pay grew faster than teachers’ for years. Recent raises have started reversing the trend.
For four years before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the gap between administrators’ salaries and teachers’ salaries in Lawrence Public Schools grew bigger and bigger. That trend has started reversing, but there’s still frustration about the gap.
Lawrence Public Schools’ enrollment has dropped for four straight years. Where the students went is unknown.
All of the 10 largest districts in Kansas saw their enrollment drop during the pandemic-riddled 2020-21 school year; all but Lawrence have bounced back to see some enrollment growth in the last few years.
Contributed
Lawrence resident who found injured dog, shelter director call on city to boost animal control coverage
Richard Renner planned to walk his dog around the Pinkney neighborhood last week. But as the pair went outside they encountered a disturbing sight — a severely injured black dog curled up in their yard.
After school closures, Lawrence families grapple with fractured communities, future of school district
After the Lawrence school board voted to close two elementary schools last year, some local families now wrestling with doubts about their future in the district and the community.
Investigative SerieS: Days of Rage — Lawrence, 1970
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