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.)
Marion County Record publishes in defiance of police raid — and gets seized property back
Marion County Record staff worked through the night to publish the paper’s weekly edition after police raided the newsroom and confiscated computers, cellphones and other items. Authorities also returned property the police took.
Governor, legislators agree to settle lawsuit for $11.25 million with Kansan exonerated of murder
House and Senate lawmakers and Gov. Laura Kelly agreed Wednesday to settle for $11.25 million a lawsuit brought by exoneree Floyd Bledsoe that accused Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Jefferson County officials of misconduct in a notorious murder case.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
It’s move-in week for KU and Haskell students; here’s what to expect
Lawrence’s college campuses will be abuzz with activity again Thursday and Friday as KU and Haskell students make their way into town. Here’s some basic info for those we’re welcoming to town — and for locals who want to avoid the traffic.
Attorneys battle over request for transgender Kansans to intervene in driver’s license lawsuit
A judge said Wednesday she would quickly respond to a request by transgender Kansans to intervene in a lawsuit filed by AG Kris Kobach seeking affirmation of his belief a new state law required driver’s licenses to reflect a person’s sex assigned at birth.
Inside the Marion County Record: Staff rushed to publish a newspaper after the police raid
Journalists at the Marion County Record worked late into the night to publish their first issue since the widely-criticized raid. “SEIZED… but not silenced,” its headline read.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Organizers collecting donated shoes to distribute at 4th annual Kicks 4 Kids
Kicks 4 Kids will return this weekend, offering kids and young adults free shoes to wear into the new school year.
Obituary: Lucas Aaron Heckman
Lucas Aaron Heckman, 5/3/1983 – 8/12/2023
Lawrence City Commission approves requests to allow west Lawrence housing development
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday approved requests to rezone property, change lot size requirements and more to allow a developer to build 14 single-family homes on the west side of town.
Lawrence becomes first city in Kansas to pass CROWN Act ordinance banning race-based hair discrimination
The Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday soundly adopted a local ordinance protecting people from racial discrimination based on hair, making Lawrence the first city in Kansas to do so.
The Raven Book Store’s bestsellers for Aug. 15, 2023 (Sponsored post)
”Nothing can unseat the mighty ’Embattled Lawrence 2,’ which officially launches with a party Aug. 15 at Merchants. Hope to see you there!” the Raven Book Store writes.
Civil War on the Border event series to offer tours, lectures, gospel music
Douglas County’s largest heritage festival will return this weekend, offering Civil War-era tours and lectures and sharing stories of resilience.
KU releases renderings of Memorial Stadium renovation; Goff: ‘Unprecedented investment’ makes statement for the future
Kansas Athletics on Tuesday released its most detailed renderings yet of plans to overhaul David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium and the surrounding area.
Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector
Sports Pavilion Lawrence to close for maintenance
Sports Pavilion Lawrence will close for maintenance and resurfacing starting Monday, Aug. 21, though some programs will still use the building while the work is underway, the city announced Tuesday.
Dolly Parton celebrates statewide expansion in Kansas of literacy program for children
Musician and literacy advocate Dolly Parton celebrated with Gov. Laura Kelly Kansas’ statewide expansion of a program delivering to children an age-appropriate book each month through their fifth birthday.
Kansas continues to break legal promise to children in foster care system, report shows
An independent evaluation of the Kansas foster care system showed the state, for a second year in a row, failed to make progress in several key areas, and had even more children sleeping in offices than the previous year.
Lawrence school board approves district’s maximum budget for publication; hearings for final approval set
Property taxes might increase as a result of the Lawrence school district’s increased mill levy, which the Lawrence school board gave initial approval Monday.
Lawrence school board narrowly approves First Management tax breaks
The Lawrence school board on Monday voted 4-3 to approve tax breaks for First Management Inc. to renovate a downtown building into its new corporate headquarters.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
CROWN Act supporters share accounts of race-based hair discrimination and how proposed Lawrence ordinance would address inequities
Grassroots proponents of the CROWN Act gathered Monday to push for approval of anti-discrimination protections to give people of color freedom to wear their hair as they wish.
Mackenzie Clark/Lawrence Times
Snapchat messages by Lawrence boy’s alleged shooter contained racial slurs, violence, evidence shows
The same day a 14-year-old Lawrence boy was killed, his alleged shooter had been using social media to send messages full of racial slurs and insinuating violence, according to testimony.
Marion newspaper’s lawyer chastises police for treating newspaper as ‘drug cartel,’ ‘street gang’
The Society of Professional Journalists’ board unanimously offered $20,000 to the Marion County Record for legal costs in wake of the seizure of newspaper and personal property by local law enforcement.
Clay Wirestone: Powerful voices speak up for Kansas paper after shocking raid. Meanwhile, where’s the affidavit? (Column)
“The question isn’t whether reporters are above the law. It’s whether Marion law enforcement is above the law,” Clay Wirestone writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Kaw Valley Almanac for Aug. 14-20, 2023
Douglas County creatively hired some goats to eat down the ragweed on a very steep slope that has been planted back to prairie at Wells Overlook Park. They should have the offending weeds eaten down in 4-7 days.
KBI director on Marion County newspaper raid: Media is not ‘above the law’
The top law enforcement officer in Kansas appeared to justify a Marion County search warrant that led to an unprecedented raid on a local newspaper and potentially contributed to the death of the paper’s co-owner.
Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
Statewide policy bans trans girls from girls’ sports; Lawrence school district ‘will not waver’ in support of students
A new statewide policy bars transgender girls from girls’ sports, but the Lawrence school district is still evaluating what compliance will look like and voicing support for trans and gender-nonconforming students and employees.
