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.)

2 Lawrence High School seniors earn special recognition from College Board
Two seniors from Lawrence High School have earned special recognition from The College Board for academic excellence, according to a news release from Lawrence Public Schools Thursday evening.

City of Lawrence considering long-term expansion of parklet program; staff seeks feedback
Last summer, the city of Lawrence started implementing temporary parklets to expand outdoor seating for businesses during COVID-19. Now those parklets might be around for a while longer.

Kansas Board of Regents takes step toward evaluation of campus health clinics
The Kansas Board of Regents tentatively endorsed Thursday formation of a task force to independently examine options for limiting legal risks of operating campus student health centers and for increasing collection of payments from insurance companies for treatment services.

Lawrence Art Guild excited to welcome guests to Art in the Park this weekend
Art in the Park is returning this Saturday — and this Sunday, marking the first two-day run for the event since 1964, according to Jen Unekis of the Lawrence Art Guild.

Lawrence garden projects help youth cultivate their futures, serve community
Amid the lush leaves and neatly arranged rows of plants and trees, the orchard and gardens at West Middle School grow a bounty of food. The smells of clematis and lavender float through the air, and wherever you turn, you’ll see colorful fresh fruit and vegetables. But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll also find the project grows people.

Your new best friend could be waiting at the Lawrence Humane Society — fees waived this Saturday
The Lawrence Humane Society (along with hundreds of other shelters across the country) is waiving all adoption fees Saturday, in an effort to get all animals available for adoption matched up with their new families.

Douglas County boasts 12 National Merit Semifinalists
A dozen students of Douglas County high schools have earned the prestigious title of National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists, according to a news release from the organization.

Clay Wirestone: Progressives beware: Don’t let values become casualties of the pandemic (Column)
“I sympathize with the anger. But during this virus-riddled time, we can’t allow the pandemic to melt our minds. We should not want people who disagree with us — even if that disagreement takes the form of refusing a vaccine or mask — to forgo health insurance or medical care,” Clay Wirestone writes in this column.

Douglas County Commission approves homelessness resources, discusses options for federal funds
The Douglas County Commission approved new funding toward addressing local homelessness and discussed federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act at Wednesday’s meeting.

Kansas cold case task force lays groundwork for sharing DNA database hits
Members of a task force developing protocol for newly discovered DNA evidence in closed cases is backing a recommendation laying out a process to ensure defense counsel is made aware when a match is found in DNA registries.

Douglas County Sheriff’s Office unveils updated jail data dashboard; DA’s dashboard in the works
Eighty percent of the people incarcerated in the Douglas County jail are there pretrial — meaning they haven’t been convicted and are presumed innocent. That’s just one takeaway from the inmate population data dashboard from the sheriff’s office.

Steve Lopes: Fed up with a discouraging status quo? Grassroots organizing holds the solution (Column)
“Many citizens are outraged by this or that, and that’s a good thing, but only if that energy is used to promote positive change. The obvious response is: Convert our collective anger to action through collective organizing,” Steve Lopes writes in this column.

Lawrence women plan march for reproductive rights
(Updated article) In conjunction with a nationwide movement, Lawrence women are planning a march on Saturday, Oct. 2 to South Park.

Haus of McCoy: Open Haus coming up this week (Announcement)
On Thursday, Sept. 16, Haus of McCoy is having their first Open Haus, featuring free food, a book giveaway and our special guest, Silky Nutmeg Ganache.

Four Kansas school districts temporarily close as COVID-19 outbreaks hit 31 schools
Kansas education commissioner Randy Watson says at least 31 Kansas schools are reporting outbreaks of COVID-19, forcing more school districts to close temporarily.

Lawrence City Commission approves design for public art piece at police headquarters
The Lawrence Police Department headquarters will soon feature a new piece of public art.

KU students call for Phi Kappa Psi fraternity to be banned from campus in second night of protests
Easily several hundred protesters gathered again in front of Phi Kappa Psi at the University of Kansas Tuesday night in response to reports of a sexual assault.

Voting rights attorneys argue whether new Kansas law blocks registration drives
Voting rights attorneys battled Tuesday in Shawnee County District Court over the merits of a new law that threatens felony prosecution for any activities that could be mistaken as the work of an election official.

The Raven Book Store’s bestsellers for Sept. 14, 2021 (Sponsored post)
“Last week we had a thrilling and wonderful grand-opening celebration, including a magical sold-out in-person event with Sarah Smarsh. In fact, that magic is reflected in this week’s bestsellers,” the Raven Book Store says.

Clay Wirestone: Kansas attorney general should stop playing footsie with fascism (Column)
“Let’s talk about Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt for a moment. He’s tall. He’s folksy. He has a decent chance of becoming the next governor of Kansas. And he has a distressing history of playing footsie with fascism, catering to the worst impulses of his party,” Clay Wirestone writes in this column.

FAQ: What to know about Douglas County’s updated isolation, quarantine procedures for schools
The Times has compiled a list of frequently asked questions to help community members understand the guidelines for COVID-19 isolation and quarantine protocols.

Protesters gather on KU frat lawn over sex assault allegations
Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of a University of Kansas fraternity Monday night after a student reported that they had been the victim of a sexual assault there recently.

Lawrence school board approves 2-year retention incentive pay plan for staff, a new budget and more
The Lawrence school board on Monday approved retention payments for staff, discussed budget priorities and quarantine measures, and more.

School safety panel aims to keep kids in school while reducing COVID-19 outbreaks
Gov. Laura Kelly is urging a new COVID-19 school safety workgroup to focus on policies that will not only keep Kansas children and staff healthy but in the classroom, after hundreds of infections were reported in school districts across the state.