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.)
Contributed Photos
Lawrence’s high school debate teams compete at State, reflect on season
Lawrence high school debate teams recently competed at the State tournament, completing the season and another year of remote competitions.
Kansas Republican senators approve map to split KC metro, splinter Democratic vote
Kansas Republican senators on Friday countered criticisms of their plan for the state’s congressional district boundaries, passing the controversial “Ad Astra” map that moves Lawrence into a rural district that stretches to Colorado.
Carter Gaskins / The Lawrence Times
JD Woods caps off his college football career, commits to NFL dreams
Star football player and community organizer Ja’Darius “JD” Woods, 24, moved to Lawrence when he was 10 years old and quickly dove into the youth sports scene. He’s shattered records and earned a multitude of honors since, but he hasn’t limited his influence to the football field.
Fact check: Kansas senators make false claims about COVID-19 deaths, vaccines, PCR test
Specific statements made this week by Sen. Mike Thompson, R-Shawnee, Sen. Mark Steffen, R-Hutchinson, and Sen. Beverly Gossage, R-Eudora, are false.
Kansas Senate rejects bid to force health workers to treat patients regardless of COVID-19 vax status
The Kansas Senate defeated an amendment to a COVID-19 bill that would have forced thousands of health care professionals — physical therapists and athletic trainers, physicians and nurses, acupuncturists and contact lens distributors — to treat patients regardless of their vaccination status or infection experience.
Obituary: Mary Ann Stewart
Mary Ann Stewart, 1/26/1950 – 12/13/2021
August Rudisell/The Lawrence Times
Lawrence youth, mentors and advocates honored with awards at One Dream MLK event
A night of cultural performances and honors for equity advocates, students and educators capped off a week of Lawrence school district tributes to Martin Luther King Jr. on Thursday.
Andrea Albright / The Lawrence Times
Advantages of Lawrence’s parking payment apps outweighed by dissatisfaction for some downtown users
Mobile payment options added to metered parking in downtown Lawrence have provided a new level of convenience for many shoppers and diners, but the change has left others fighting tickets and feeling frustrated.
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
Closing 5 Lawrence schools would save about $3.25 million; timeline for decisions is tightening
A proposal to close four Lawrence elementary schools and a middle school could save the district about $3.25 million, and the school board will have to decide by the end of the month whether to keep that option on the table.
Contributed Photo
Young entrepreneurs open shoe store, Soled Out LK, in downtown Lawrence
With aspirations to level up from online shoe resales, business partners Anthony Wahquah, 19, and Riley Henley, 20, opened Soled Out LK in October, reaching their goal of owning a shoe store in their hometown of Lawrence by age 21 with time to spare.
USD 497
Lawrence school district to present awards at One Dream MLK event
Students, educators and community members will be honored Thursday during the Lawrence school district’s annual One Dream Martin Luther King Jr. tribute. The event celebrates the vision of the slain civil rights leader and those making efforts locally to bring MLK’s dreams to reality.
Lawrence Times graphic
More than 100 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Lawrence schools; Douglas County again breaks record high
The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Lawrence Public Schools Tuesday more than doubles the district’s recent single-day high of 53.
Douglas County
Douglas County accepting grant applications to fund conservation, educational projects
The Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council has launched its application cycle for the 2022 Natural and Cultural Grant program.
Screenshot
Douglas County health officer stepping down; says the local ‘team response to this pandemic serves as a model for other communities’
Dr. Thomas Marcellino, who has served as Douglas County health officer since before the COVID-19 pandemic, has submitted his resignation.
Kansas Republicans introduce map to divide KC metro, place Lawrence in 1st District
A Kansas House committee has introduced four competing maps that would redraw the state’s congressional districts and attempt to lock down partisan advantages. In one map, Lawrence would move to the district that stretches to Colorado.
Kansas abandons efforts to trace contacts for COVID-19 infections
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced Tuesday it would stop contact tracing for COVID-19 at the end of the month because of a lack of cooperation and a surge in new cases.
Lawrence school district’s budget and boundary advisory committees to meet Wednesday, hear details on Hillcrest proposal
The Lawrence school district’s Boundary Advisory Committee and its Budget and Program Evaluation Committee will both meet Wednesday, and the BAC will hear details about a proposal to close Hillcrest Elementary.
The Raven Book Store’s bestsellers for Jan. 18, 2022 (Sponsored post)
“For the first time since we began tracking bestsellers, four of the top 10 are current staff picks,” the Raven Book Store writes.
Andrea Albright / The Lawrence Times
Lawrence parents, students begin campaign against school closures with sidewalk messages of support
Parents, students, and neighbors on Monday covered sidewalks with chalk messages of hope at Lawrence schools that could face closures.
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
Meeting on Old West Lawrence traffic barriers moved to online format
A public meeting to discuss the traffic project that has placed temporary barriers throughout Old West Lawrence streets — and for city staff to gather feedback for permanent installations — has been moved online.
Ryan Brown: Disposable (Racial Justice essay)
“I’m scared when my father goes out for a run, or when I see my cousins wearing hoodies. I’m constantly wondering: will one of my family members become a hashtag?” Ryan Brown writes in this essay.
Edith Guffey: The state of the Beloved Community (Column)
“Today, many will pause to remember the life and legacy of The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. You will hear many references to his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, but given the context of the country and of Lawrence, Dr. King’s vision of the Beloved Community is what I can’t get out of my head,” Edith Guffey writes in this column for the Times.
Ken Lassman
Kaw Valley Almanac for Jan. 17-23, 2022
This is not seagulls in a cloudy sky — it’s snow fleas on the snow.
Kansas bill promises speedy review of untested sexual assault kits
Kansas advocates say a bill approved by a Senate committee Thursday will ensure survivors who undergo sexual assault exams will have their evidence kits tested in a timely fashion.
