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.)

Traffic planning: Fire hydrant repair to close lane of Lawrence Avenue on Wednesday
The northbound lane of Lawrence Avenue will be closed Wednesday while crews repair a fire […]

A 4-year mayor and 6 Lawrence city commissioner districts among task force’s recommendations
The people of Lawrence should directly elect a mayor to serve a four-year term and six city commissioners broken down by districts, according to the city government study task force.

Steering committee for downtown plan wants more time to consider feedback to draft plan
Members of a steering committee overseeing the proposed master plan for downtown Lawrence are asking […]

Virtual conference for teens to focus on leadership, making positive change
Mental health, leadership and substance use will be among the topics of a virtual conference […]

KU rescinds mask mandate for Lawrence, Edwards campuses with exception of public transportation, health facilities
The University of Kansas will no longer require mask-wearing on its campuses — with a […]

Ethics panel fines anti-abortion activist $5,000 for campaign report failures
Conservative activist Mark Gietzen received a $5,000 fine from the state ethics commission for failure to submit timely campaign receipt-and-expenditure reports in the wake of an unsuccessful bid for mayor of Wichita.

Report of gunshot fired interrupts Project Graduation
Project Graduation — an annual celebration for all Lawrence high school graduates — was interrupted Wednesday night after police received a report of a gunshot fired.

Free State graduates celebrate triumph over pandemic adversity
The Lawrence Free State High School class of 2021 donned mortar boards and face masks under cloudy skies for their commencement Wednesday night.

Lawrence City Band returns for concert at South Park
After taking 2020 off amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lawrence City Band returned for a concert Wednesday night at the South Park gazebo.

Douglas County Commissioners allow mask mandate to expire in favor of public health guidance
Douglas County on Thursday will become one of the last Kansas counties to allow its mask mandate to expire, as county commissioners decided Wednesday to allow “strong recommendations” from local health officials to become the guiding force of managing the COVID-19 pandemic moving forward.

Events to mark 165th anniversary of Battle of Black Jack, 200th year of Santa Fe Trail
The beginning of June will mark the 165th anniversary of the Battle of Black Jack, […]

Lesser prairie chicken may be listed as threatened in Kansas, endangered in southwest
Lesser prairie chickens could be listed as a threatened species in Kansas and northern stretches of the bird’s habitat, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday.

Kansas lawmakers fail to override veto of ‘junk’ insurance expansion, urge end to unemployment boost
TOPEKA — Republicans in the Senate and House punctuated the close of the 2021 legislative […]

Kansas GOP lawmaker describes peculiar school incident as potential ‘psychotic episode’
State Rep. Mark Samsel allegedly abused Wellsville High School teenagers while working as a substitute art teacher by kicking one in the groin and intimidating others by grabbing students and ranting about religion, music and sex.

South Lawrence Trafficway safety and noise concerns discussed during public forum
Participants in a virtual hearing about plans to widen the South Lawrence Trafficway Tuesday night expressed concerns about safety, noise and other issues with the proposed expansion of the western leg of the highway.

Lawrence High graduates persevere despite pandemic
Amid a backdrop of basketball lore and behind face masks, the students of Lawrence High School’s class of 2021 celebrated their commencement Tuesday evening in Allen Fieldhouse.

Sarah Gonzales-McLinn resentenced to 25 years to life
Sarah Gonzales-McLinn will spend about 18 more years behind bars, minimum, for the 2014 murder of Harold “Hal” Sasko.

KU to create police oversight board, implement mental health training following task force study
The University of Kansas will implement all 12 recommendations posed by a task force on […]

University endowments have started accepting cryptocurrencies as donations; KU is one of them
The endowment associations and foundations linked to U.S. colleges and universities most commonly take in donations of cash, stocks, art and land. But a somewhat unorthodox donation method is on the rise at some universities across the country, including the University of Kansas: cryptocurrencies.

The Raven Book Store’s bestsellers for the week of May 25, 2021 (Sponsored post)
The biggest Raven news this week isn’t what’s on the bestseller list, but rather that we’re reopening the Raven’s original 6 E. Seventh St. location for browsing on June 5!

Recap: Lawrence school board meeting, May 24
The Lawrence school board on Monday heard a report on school resource officers and discussed their thoughts, approved a new board policy manual and more.

Lawrence Police Department needs better training on racial and cultural divides, report finds
Of all racial and ethnic groups, Black women have the worst interactions with the Lawrence Police Department, some community members interviewed for a consultants’ report said. The report, based on listening sessions with members of the community and other stakeholders, urges the department to become more culturally competent, better engage with the community and put in place firm metrics and measurable goals.

Kansas education funding hike, school choice eligibility expansion signed into law
TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday commended a new bipartisan education law increasing education […]

Kaw Valley Almanac for May 24 – 30, 2021
Recent rains have begun a significant increase in fruiting mushrooms which will only increase as temperatures warm. There are more than 400 mushroom species in Kansas, so keep an eye out for a wide variety of these fungi in coming weeks.