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 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.

Lawrence Public Schools: 309 currently in quarantine, according to new data on COVID-19 info page
The Lawrence school district has added to its website a table of current COVID-19 cases and quarantines for students and staff. As of Monday, it showed a total of 309 in quarantine.

Photos: KU’s rare corpse flower blooms
After teasing University of Kansas greenhouse manager Sam Sumpter for a few days in a row, a rare corpse flower bloomed late Sunday night.

Kansas House member takes plea deal in Wellsville school case
State Rep. Mark Samsel negotiated a deal with Franklin County prosecutors resulting in probation for guilty pleas to three counts of misdemeanor disorderly conduct emerging from strange physical and verbal encounters with students at Wellsville High School.

Homeless advocate: COVID-19 relief insufficient, eviction surge puts families in peril
Joe Reitz, who helped start Family Promise of Lawrence, said the organization was providing emergency shelter and services to nearly two dozen families prior to the coronavirus outbreak. More recently, he said, the nonprofit was struggling to care for more than 85 families.

Nelson Mosley selected as KU chief of police
The University of Kansas has selected the chief of the Rose Hill Police Department and former interim chief of Wichita PD to lead the office of public safety, according to a news release Monday.

Kaw Valley Almanac for Sept. 13-19, 2021
Insects continue to be prolific, with lots of monarchs and other butterflies, dragonflies, cicadas, grasshoppers, mantids and walking sticks, and katydids and moths after dark. Help tag monarchs from 8 a.m. to noon this Saturday at the Baker Wetlands Discovery Center.

Lawrence school board to conduct final budget hearings, consider retention bonuses for staff
The Lawrence school board at its meeting Monday will hold budget hearings, consider retention bonuses for most staff and more.

‘We demand better’: KU students, faculty call on administrators to mandate COVID-19 vaccines
University of Kansas students, faculty and staff members called on administrators to mandate vaccines on campus during a rally Sunday, expressing concerns about the ongoing surge of the delta variant of COVID-19.

Not In Our Honor: NFL should have zero tolerance for racialized Native American branding (Column)
“Not In Our Honor will continue our protest outside the stadium in addition to other signage around the city. … Apply the NFL’s ‘zero tolerance’ for on-field use of racial and homophobic slurs to all races and ethnic groups, especially Native Peoples,” the coalition writes in this piece.