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.)
Public comment from the Sept. 21, 2022 Douglas County Commission meeting
Here’s an audio recording of general public comment from the Douglas County Commission’s Wednesday meeting, taken via the Zoom virtual meeting.
Author and musician Nabil Ayers, son of famous jazz artist, to speak at Lawrence library Thursday
Brooklyn-based musician, record executive and author Nabil Ayers on Thursday evening will stop in Lawrence as part of his current book tour to share his powerful story navigating life with an absent father, who is also a famous musician.
Dot Nary: Holding events that welcome all (Column)
”Failing to accommodate disabled people in public discourse, in meetings, and on boards can result in loss of their contributions; programs that are exclusionary; plans that fail to address community needs; and events that do not comply with civil rights laws,” Dot Nary writes in this column.
Carter Gaskins/Lawrence Times
Upcoming Theatre Lawrence musical follows humorous and heartwarming quest of drag queens
An upcoming Theatre Lawrence production will take audience members through a journey full of joy, humor, glitz and glamor in the midst of life hardships, showing what taking a chance on oneself can produce.
Adam Schultz
Thousands of Kansans eligible for student debt forgiveness, White House officials say
Kansans who have struggled to repay student debt may receive relief, with hundreds of thousands in the state eligible for some form of debt forgiveness, the Biden-Harris administration announced Tuesday.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Lawrence police, Willow Domestic Violence Center working together with goal of improving outcomes for victim-survivors
Megan Stuke said she’s usually frustrated, exhausted and probably a little angry when Lawrence city commissioners hear from her — but on Tuesday night, she was “simply hopeful and really happy about the progress that we’ve made.”
The Raven Book Store’s bestsellers for Sept. 20, 2022 (Sponsored post)
“September, a time of changing seasons. Summer to fall. Baseball to football. No school to school. Most importantly to us, September is the official beginning of Fall Books Season,” the Raven Book Store writes.
Judge throws out the most serious convictions against Chinese professor at University of Kansas
A federal judge has thrown out the wire fraud convictions of a prominent KU professor, ruling that the evidence was insufficient to support them. But she upheld a jury’s conviction of Feng “Franklin” Tao for making false statements.
KU is in possession of Native American remains
The University of Kansas has remains of Native American people in its museum collections, according to a statement from administrators.
Independent review of Kansas foster care system points to progress and ongoing failures
An independent evaluation of the Kansas foster care system shows the state is improving the stability of children in state custody but breaking its promise to end the practice of children sleeping in offices overnight.
Lawrence City Commission to consider utility rate increases and weigh options to expand assistance programs
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will consider water, sewer, solid waste and stormwater rate increases, and assess possible ways to expand a program to help financially stressed residents pay their bills.
August Rudisell/The Lawrence Times
Lawrence police find skeletal human remains on west side of town
Lawrence police are investigating after finding skeletal human remains in a wooded area south of Bob Billings Parkway just east of Kansas Highway 10, according to a social media post from the department.
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
Ex-employee alleges Bert Nash supervisor asked her to change her natural Black hair style, discriminated against her
A former employee of Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center alleges that her supervisor asked her to make her hair “more white looking” because her natural Black hair looked “messy and unkempt.”
Kansas voters to decide on a Republican-backed limit of the governor’s political power
Lawmakers have made a proposal to voters in Kansas: Give us more power. Take away clout from the governor.
Derek Schmidt pledges to model Kansas immigration and anti-LGBTQ school policies off Ron DeSantis
Dozens of people protested the Republican candidate’s appearance with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been criticized for sending two planes of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard with no warning or assistance.
Here’s why former KCKPD detective Roger Golubski is facing federal civil rights charges
Roger Golubski is back in federal court today for a hearing to determine if he should remain in custody or be released on bond. The former KCK police detective is accused of sexually assaulting two women — but he faces charges of depriving them of their civil rights under federal law.
Ken Lassman
Kaw Valley Almanac for Sept. 19-25, 2022
Monarch migration is in full swing, though south winds this past week have made it difficult to move ahead. This monarch was finding refuge in some goldenrod.
Native American adoptees resonate with cultural erasure as the Indian Child Welfare Act now faces legal opposition
The United States has a long history of removing Native American children from their families and communities, stripping their cultural identities. Now that a 44-year-old protection is at risk, the threat of regression is ever present.
Three local Native adults who were adopted into white families as children shared their stories about the effects that cultural erasure has had on their identities and senses of community.
Chloe Anderson/Lawrence Times
Free State High School orchestra students to perform with KC Symphony at free concert in Lawrence
Free State seniors Morgan Kimuri and Mei Gordon Washington practice cello every day, many mornings before dawn. The community will be able to witness the girls’ and their classmates’ dedication firsthand during a free concert with the KC Symphony’s Mobile Music Box Tuesday at South Park.
Lawrence City Commission to consider 30-minute total limit and signups for general public comment, among other changes
A revised draft of a city ordinance would limit general public comment during Lawrence City Commission meetings to 30 minutes total and require advance signup, and it suggests that comments won’t be livestreamed. It also adds more specific language regarding decorum and restricts the public’s ability to request that items be removed from the consent agenda.
Kansas pitches plan offering 9 hours of college courses to under-resourced high school students
Kansas Board of Education member Betty Arnold believes a program offering lower-income students nine credit hours of college courses while in high school can propel more toward two- or four-year degrees — on one condition.
More Americans got health insurance during the pandemic, but not in Kansas
New Census data shows that more Americans have health insurance now than before the pandemic thanks to special federal programs. But not so in Kansas, where insurance rates dropped significantly below the U.S. average for the first time in decades.
Tricia Masenthin/Lawrence Times
‘Tired of seeing friends and community members thrown into crisis,’ Bert Nash clients voice their concerns
Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center has two listening sessions coming up, but some clients are sounding off now. They say unfilled medications, a lack of available appointments, and unresponsiveness are keeping them from staying on track with their mental health care.
Learn about organized labor in Douglas County at event Saturday
A panel discussion Saturday morning will bring together leaders of several Lawrence and Douglas County-area labor unions.
