Latest new posts from ALL categories of The Lawrence Times:
Lawrence news, state news, Community Voices, Lawrence Life, obituaries and more.
(Please note that opinion pieces are included in this list, marked as columns or letters to the Times. Not all posts linked on this page were written or produced by the Lawrence Times staff.)
Kansas lawmakers strike several provisions from controversial private school funding program
In the first of what is likely to be a series of bill negotiations over the next few days, a Kansas senator proposed cutting provisions on teacher salaries and district funding from a controversial, voucher-like K-12 education proposal.
Community Children’s Center: Early Childhood Family Resource Fair to return Saturday (Announcement)
“The CCC Early Childhood Family Resource Fair provides an excellent opportunity for parents, caregivers, and families with young children to learn about the various resources available to them in Lawrence,” Will Averill writes in this column for the Community Children’s Center.
Kansas law singling out abortion clinics contested at high court
An attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights says a 2011 state law that targets abortion clinics with a “regulatory scheme” was an unjustified attempt to restrict access to a fundamental right.
Kansas attorney general urges state Supreme Court to reverse 2019 abortion-rights decision
Justices of the Kansas Supreme Court grilled the state solicitor general Monday about an appeal asking the state’s highest court to reverse its 2019 opinion finding the right to abortion was embedded in the Kansas Constitution and then pivot to affirm a state law banning an abortion procedure.
Kansas activists discuss abortion rights, Legislature’s response to amendment vote
The Legislature may not respect the public’s stance on abortion, but reproductive rights advocates find hope in knowing the record turnout Aug. 2 to defeat the constitutional amendment on abortion was fueled by young voters who are likely to keep voting.
Shy 38, a sanctuary for rescued farm animals, saves lives through advocacy and education
Kris Taylor is giving farm animals a new lease on life. Taylor is the director and founder of Shy 38, a sanctuary in Lawrence that’s helping people see industrialized farm animals in a new light.
Ken Lassman
Kaw Valley Almanac for March 27 – April 2, 2023
Spring wildflowers have been slow to emerge in most of the state; however, it has begun, as evidenced by this false rue anemone in a native oak hickory woodland.
Firebird Matthew Marcum wins national wrestling championship
Free State High School senior Matthew Marcum has earned a national championship title, becoming the first Lawrence wrestler to do so, according to his coach.
Mackenzie Clark/Lawrence Times
Lawrence school board to take final votes on two elementary school closures
After hearing from dozens of community members on Saturday, Lawrence school board members will decide Monday whether or not to close one or two elementary schools after the end of this school year.
Melody Alexander: School closures are not an equitable answer (Column)
”Equity resides in the community we’ve built for these children. And that equity was a priority because of these schools’ walls, where they feel the safety and security they deserve,” Melody Alexander writes in this column.
Chloe Anderson/Lawrence Times
Community gathers to celebrate Indigenous culture at Haskell Alumni Association Powwow
Community, food, shopping and dancing attracted people from Lawrence and beyond to the Haskell Alumni Association’s powwow on Saturday.
Family struggling with anger after woman’s death at North Lawrence campsite
Ashley Sawyer’s family members learned that she died this week, but rather than sit with their loss, they are processing feelings of anger and confusion resulting from the police department’s failure to notify them properly.
Mackenzie Clark/Lawrence Times
‘You’re breaking up a family’: Pinckney community discusses the support system the school provides
Members of the Pinckney Elementary School community frequently teared up on Saturday afternoon as they told Lawrence school board members why the small school is so special.
Small planes and secrecy: Pilots fly people to Kansas and other states for abortions
Elevated Access recruits hobby pilots to fly abortion patients out of states with bans. They offer a window into the increasingly scrappy tactics of abortion rights groups in a post-Roe America.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Broken Arrow parents plead with Lawrence school board to keep the school open
A school is more than just a building, said parents, students and other community members Saturday at a public hearing on the possible closure of Broken Arrow Elementary. Instead, they said, it’s part of a community.
Kamarjay Shaw ‘loved hard’ and ‘had the heart of a lion,’ parents of slain Lawrence teen say
Fearless and big-hearted are how family members of a 14-year-old Lawrence boy recently shot and killed remember him. Kamarjay Shaw’s parents and loved ones said they won’t quit until he gets justice.
Leave those good vibes behind! Grief expert Nora McInerny to bring humor, real talk to Lawrence show
The pressure to wear a smile and a veil of optimism — no matter how it feels inside — pervades culture. Nora McInerny has spent the last decade bucking that system.
Maya Hodison/Lawrence Times
Save Our Schools 497 plans to livestream public hearings on Broken Arrow, Pinckney closures
Local activist group Save Our Schools 497 has tentative plans to livestream Saturday’s public hearings on possible closures of Broken Arrow and Pinckney elementary schools.
Letter to the Times: Closing Broken Arrow would compound systemic issues
”(The Lawrence school board’s) vote to hold a hearing on closing Broken Arrow Elementary School is a great disappointment and a clear testament that the winds of prejudice are still blowing across the land,” a group of community members write in this letter to the Times.
Lawrence school district releases new proposed boundary map ahead of closure hearings
The Lawrence school district has released a map showing how elementary boundaries could change if the school board chooses to move forward with closing two elementary schools after public hearings, which are set for Saturday.
Raven Book Store to host ‘Henry, Like Always’ author for craft and story time
Young readers of all ages and their grownups are invited to the Raven Book Store this weekend for story time and crafts with the author of “Henry, Like Always.”
‘I buried this terrifying experience’: Survivors of child sex crimes urge changes to Kansas law
Earl McIntosh wants state lawmakers to look at a photo of himself as a young boy, to see him as an innocent child full of joy and potential, and to think about how his life forever changed when he was sexually assaulted.
Updated: Kansas lawmakers advance bill making it easier to get a religious vaccine exemption
A bill that would have broadened vaccine exemptions in day care, schools and workplaces in Kansas got rejected Thursday by a legislative committee.
Grant funding available to conserve Douglas County landmarks, open space and natural areas
Douglas County community members will have an opportunity next week to learn about nearly $300,000 in grant funding available for projects that conserve cultural, natural, agricultural or environmental resources.
