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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Latest
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
‘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.
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
Advocates for stray dog decry gaps in Lawrence’s animal control services
Shebah captured advocates’ hearts as she made her way to Lawrence Humane Society, and hopefully, toward a better life.
Labor board finds merit in union-busting charges against Lawrence Chipotle; settlement reached
Chipotle must reaffirm labor rights and walk back punishments after a Lawrence employee alleged that management had engaged in union busting.
Douglas County DA, sheriff reach compromise on long-running dispute over personnel files
Two of Douglas County’s top law enforcement officials have reached an agreement following a long dispute over access to information contained in deputies’ personnel files.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says audit finds that more than 1,500 jail calls between defendants, attorneys were recorded
An audit of the Douglas County jail’s inmate calling system found that 1,520 privileged calls between defendants and attorneys were recorded that should not have been.
Repatriation of Native American people’s remains is in progress, KU official says
More than one-fifth of the human remains belonging to Native American people that are in KU’s possession will soon be returned to their rightful tribal nations, the university’s repatriation manager says.
One year since KU announced its possession of Native American human remains, progress is unclear
A year after KU announced it was in possession of Native American human remains in its museum collections, it is unclear what progress the university has made to repatriate remains and sacred items.
Andrea Albright / Lawrence Times
Judge dismisses case against man accused of soliciting murder from his jail cell
After months of arguments over improper procedures and possible constitutional rights violations, a judge on Monday dismissed a case against a man accused of soliciting murder from his Douglas County jail cell.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Douglas County jail recorded calls between some defendants and attorneys for months, lieutenant testifies
The Douglas County jail was recording phone calls between some defendants and their defense attorneys for at least several months, a violation of their attorney-client privilege.
Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
Nearly 1,000 traffic cases dismissed in Douglas County District Court
In hopes of avoiding numerous driver’s license suspensions, Douglas County judges have dismissed about 940 traffic cases. Circumstances of the batch dismissals are also mentioned in a pending disciplinary case against DA Suzanne Valdez.
Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
Former tenant seeks accountability for water leaks, mold issues in rental home
Hillary Jones, a single mom and disabled veteran, felt frustrated and powerless when water leaks sprang up at her former Lawrence home. She blames mold for aggravating her kids’ asthma and wants accountability within a system she views as once helping her family but ultimately failing it.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
‘He can’t rest’: Family of Kamarjay Shaw unable to hold burial because plot wasn’t dug
When family members arrived at Oak Hill Cemetery on Saturday to lay 14-year-old Kamarjay Shaw to rest, they were distraught to learn that his burial plot — next to that of his great uncle, Rick “Tiger” Dowdell — had not yet been dug.
Lawrence man’s lawsuit against ex-cop, city to end with settlement; case reveals details of internal investigations
A federal civil case against an ex Lawrence police officer, the city, and a former police chief was set to proceed to trial this month, but the parties have reached a settlement.
Internal investigation documents in the case file reveal details that have never been made public about two cases that brought officer integrity issues into the spotlight in Douglas County.
FAQs, background info and timelines as Lawrence school board mulls closing buildings
The Lawrence Public Schools superintendent on Friday released his recommendation to close three elementary schools and repurpose a middle school. We’re looking to answer your questions about timelines, transportation, the budget and more.
Chloe Anderson/Lawrence Times
Members of Lawrence school district’s budget planning committee share frustrations with process, reflections
By the end of a five-month process of analyzing potential budget cuts for next year, some members of the Lawrence school district’s budget planning committee felt facilitators and district leaders lacked transparency and dismissed their ideas. Others felt the committee achieved its purpose.
KU hires repatriation program manager to coordinate return of Indigenous remains and artifacts
KU has hired Thomas Torma as repatriation program manager. Torma will be responsible for returning ancestors’ remains and funerary artifacts to tribes and tribal communities.
Investigative SerieS: Days of Rage — Lawrence, 1970
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