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.)
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.
Former KCK cop accused of framing Black man for murder indicted in sex assault cases
A former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective was arrested Thursday by federal agents on a six-count indictment alleging repeated sexual assault of two women while leveraging his position as a law enforcement officer to perpetrate the crimes.
Chloe Anderson/Lawrence Times
Lawrence’s Sexual Trauma & Abuse Care Center celebrates 50 years
The Sexual Trauma & Abuse Care Center honored Lawrence community members and celebrated its 50th anniversary Thursday at Venue 1235.
DUI saturation patrol planned for Friday in Lawrence
Extra Lawrence police officers will be patrolling for impaired drivers this Friday, Sept. 16.
As Month of the Monarch continues, butterfly conservation efforts to be highlighted through events this weekend
Monarch butterflies arrive in Kansas mid-September each year, but the renowned species has recently been deemed endangered. Some events scheduled for this weekend in Lawrence will both celebrate and raise awareness of local monarch conservation efforts.
Max Kautsch: Kansas AG’s office enforces open records law while overlooking key piece (Column)
”Ruling in ways that enforce that law against some agencies and not others, particularly when the agency charged with enforcing the law refuses to apply it internally, shakes public confidence in government,” Max Kautsch writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Have feedback for Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center? Here’s how to share it
Community members will have an opportunity to offer their ideas, opinions and needs about Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center during two listening sessions set for Thursday, Sept. 29.
Obituary: Wyatt Allen Hundley
Wyatt Allen Hundley, 1/5/1951 – 9/12/2022
Celebration of life for Donald V. Binns
Donald Victor Binns, 12/7/1947 – 7/2/2022
Young Kansas voters embrace political power in fight to preserve democracy
Isabella Vermooten, of Lawrence, is the kind of person who “literally went through and pestered everyone in my contacts” until they showed her evidence they were registered to vote.
Ex-Lawrence police officer will face jury trial in on-duty rape case after mediation fails
A former Lawrence police officer charged with raping a woman in his patrol vehicle will now face a jury early next year after mediation failed to lead to a plea agreement.
A giant solar farm project is pitting neighbor against neighbor
Johnson and Douglas counties approved regulations allowing the construction of what would be the largest utility-scale solar farm in Kansas. But while residents say they support green energy, there’s a vocal contingent pushing back against building 2,000 acres of panels so close to their communities.
Wichita decriminalizes fentanyl test strips, ditches city charges for marijuana possession
The Wichita City Council passed a city ordinance that decriminalizes the possession of fentanyl test strips and removes the city’s municipal courts from charging people with possessing marijuana.
Emporia State receives green light to move rapidly with faculty, program realignment
The Kansas Board of Regents endorsed a request Wednesday by Emporia State University administrators to initiate a process of transforming the campus workforce and realigning academic offerings to address harsh financial and enrollment trends.
Public comment from the Sept. 14, 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.
A Shafer Photography via Just Food
Just Food’s interim executive director leaving position; staff will report to board
A few months in as interim executive director of Just Food, Brett Salsbury has decided to return to his previous home of Las Vegas to pursue other career opportunities.
Obituary: Earl E. Ryan
Earl E. Ryan, 8/18/1931 – 8/31/2022
Open enrollment for Kansas schools raises concerns about equity, representation and funding, local leaders say
Open enrollment in Kansas public schools will worsen existing inequities and funding issues as well as diminish the importance of voters’ representation on local school boards, some local leaders say.
