LATEST NEWS FROM THE HILL
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
KU’s living library of fungi, key to restoration and sustainability, threatened by shrinking federal funds
For a team of researchers at KU, fungal doomsday looks less like parasitic mushrooms transforming people into zombies, and more like the loss of a fungi collection that serves as a major global resource for sustainability and restoration.
MORE KU NEWS
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
KU alum David Booth donates $300M to Kansas Athletics to propel Gateway District
David Booth, an alum of Lawrence High School and KU, has made a donation of $300 million to Kansas Athletics — which is “among the largest single gifts in the history of college athletics,” according to a KU news release.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Lawrence City Commission approves tax incentives for KU Gateway District
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday approved a package of tax incentives of up to $94.6 million for KU to develop its Gateway District.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Move-in days underway for KU; Haskell’s coming up late this month
Traffic is about to get heavy (or heavier) in Lawrence as a flock of Jayhawks will soon move into KU’s dorms. Haskell’s move-in days are coming up later this month.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Art exhibitions about Sacred Red Rock and more in Spencer Museum’s fall lineup
Artwork by local artists and Kaw Nation citizens telling the story of the Sacred Red Rock will soon be on display at the Spencer Museum of Art.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Lawrence City Commission to vote on tax incentives for KU stadium project; neighbors and an expert have concerns
As Lawrence city commissioners prepare to vote on a massive tax incentive package for KU’s Gateway Project, neighbors say a required community input process was not completed, and an expert says STAR bonds can be a gamble.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
‘A systemic failure,’ part 1: Hilltop Child Development Center staff, families say abuse reports are symptoms of bigger issues
Despite reports of abuse surfacing, current and former Hilltop Child Development Center staff members and families say they have deeper concerns, and publicized incidents are a small part of a much larger story.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
‘A systemic failure,’ part 2: Teachers, families say Hilltop’s ‘magic is gone’ after key staff are pushed out
Hilltop Child Development Center has taken a dramatic turn for the worse very recently. Teachers and parents say that “the magic is gone” after two longtime staff members were pushed out.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
‘A systemic failure,’ part 3: Hilltop staff, parents question whether center will be able to open safely after staff exodus
Hilltop Child Development Center is supposed to open its doors for the fall semester on Monday, Aug. 11. But many Hilltop staffers and families are unsure whether that will be able to happen — and if it does, if it’ll happen safely.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Open house celebrates decade of Free State High School prairie restoration project
Local wildlife appeared and wildflowers were in bloom on Sunday as community members toured the decade-old Free State High School prairie.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Students frustrated after KU complies with state order to strip pronouns from email signatures; experts decry vague directive
KU students and faculty are speaking out against KU’s decision to comply with anti-DEI directives that raise First Amendment concerns. It’s also unclear what the penalty might be if the university were to snub the order.
Nathan Kramer
In final push to boot DEI initiatives, KU tells employees to remove pronouns from email signatures
KU has eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion positions and programs and is directing employees to remove gender-identifying pronouns from their email signatures before the end of the month in response to state legislation.
KPR Staff/Contributed photo
KPR launches emergency fundraising campaign in wake of federal funding cut
Congress has voted to claw back $1.1 billion of already-approved federal funding for public broadcasting nationwide, and the action will “have an immediate impact” on Kansas Public Radio, according to the station.
Historic Resources Commission approves demolition of former Jayhawk Bookstore building
Demolition of the former Jayhawk Bookstore building at Crescent Road and Naismith Drive could get underway as soon as next week with the approval of the Historic Resources Commission.
Tom Harper/Lawrence Times
KU Endowment seeks to demolish former Jayhawk Bookstore building to make way for business hub
KU Endowment is looking to demolish the building that formerly housed Jayhawk Bookstore and McLain’s Market on KU’s campus to make room for the business school’s new entrepreneurship hub.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Haskell accreditation status moved to ‘on notice’; KU accreditation reaffirmed
Haskell’s accreditation status was changed to “accredited on notice” after an evaluation found the university had a risk of falling out of compliance with multiple standards. KU’s accreditation was reaffirmed, but the review suggested ways to improve.






