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 families navigate life with neurofibromatosis
When 5-year-old Leo Peper was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis at 9 months old, his family was devastated. They had never heard of the genetic disease, which currently has no cure. But they’re hopeful that could someday change.
Kansas governor vetoes bill on child COVID-19 vaccines, authority of health officials
Gov. Laura Kelly shot down an anti-vaccination bill that would have blocked child COVID-19 vaccination requirements and stripped authority from public health officials, a move greeted with outrage from Republican leaders in the Legislature.
Free State social studies teacher selected for assistant principal job at LMCMS
Phil Mitchell, a social studies teacher at Free State High School, has been selected as the new assistant principal and athletic director for Liberty Memorial Central Middle School.
Broken Arrow principal to become new principal at Sunflower Elementary
Amanda Green, current principal of Broken Arrow Elementary, will transition into the position of principal at Sunflower Elementary School rather than a new administrative position.
Kansas governor’s latest veto means no major tax cuts in the state this year
Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday vetoed the final tax relief bill to reach her desk this year. It would have given tax breaks to private businesses that compete with government services — like fitness centers and child care facilities.
Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
Haskell graduates encouraged to take a chance on themselves
Life experiences can be turned into opportunities if one chooses not to wait, the keynote speaker at Haskell Indian Nations University’s commencement told graduates Friday morning.
Defense attorney and local activist to team up for events highlighting resistance in Lawrence
Attorney Ron Kuby will team up with longtime Lawrence activist Tim Miller on Sunday for two public events that will highlight free speech and activism past and present.
Tom Harper/Lawrence Times
Tom Harper: Celebrating 41 years of a KU campus icon (Column)
”Today we celebrate the 41st anniversary of the installation of Moses in front of Smith Hall, gazing at the beautiful stained glass that represents the Burning Bush,” Tom Harper writes in this column.
Our love affair with uniform landscapes kills trees. So Kansas and Missouri are going for variety
About one-third of Overland Park’s street trees are maples. Experts say cities must diversify their canopies, or pests will keep devastating them.
Former students honor Lawrence High School math teacher Matt Ellis with teaching award
In the halls of Lawrence High School, math teacher Matt Ellis will always be known for his collection of ties that he features throughout the school year. Now he’ll also be known as the winner of a teaching award that reflects his connection with his students.
Gov. Kelly signs bipartisan bill decriminalizing use of fentanyl test strips in Kansas
Gov. Laura Kelly had the late Cooper Davis and Sebastain Sheahan in mind Thursday when signing into law bipartisan legislation designed to save lives by decriminalizing in Kansas use of test strips capable of detecting presence of fentanyl in drugs.
Plans filed to bring Braum’s Ice Cream and Dairy Store to northwest Lawrence
There are more than 300 Braum’s Ice Cream and Dairy Stores, but none closer to Lawrence than Emporia, more than an hour drive away. That could soon change.
Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
Artists’ works respond to roadside attractions that lean on stereotypes and misappropriate cultures
In “Roadside Inappropriation,” artists Armando Minjarez, Mona Cliff and Erika Nelson each created a display responding to roadside attractions that appropriate elements of their cultures or portray people as caricatures.
After lying about offer to convert Muslim woman, Kansas senator opines on ‘lost souls’
Sen. Mark Steffen says he never felt so overwhelmed as when he was caught lying about his offer to convert a Muslim woman.
Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
Former staff, students shine as inspirational role models at Billy Mills Middle School
A retired staff member, Kathy Stuntz, and three former students, E’Lease Stafford, Ekow Boye-Doe and the late Travis Sanders, were honored Wednesday for their positive contributions to Billy Mills Middle School and the Lawrence community.
Letter to the Times: Native stewardship is needed to protect the prairie
“For future restoration and stewardship efforts to succeed for the City of Lawrence, at Prairie Park and beyond, they should be done in direct consultation and collaboration with Native people,” Brett Ramey writes in this letter.
Chloe Anderson/Lawrence Times
Van Go JAMS artists unveil new mural in the Baker Wetlands Discovery Center
Dozens of people gathered in the Baker Wetlands Discovery Center Wednesday night to view the new mural by Van Go’s apprentice artists.
30-plus vendors will have food, art and more for sale during Spring for Handmade
Lawrence artist Chelsea Rezabek will soon host her third artist-centered community event, featuring more than 30 local vendors offering handmade arts and crafts, homemade food and live music.
Lawrence-Douglas County Sustainability
Drive-thru event to recycle electronics set for Saturday in Lawrence; volunteers needed
Douglas County residents are encouraged to bring their disused electronics to a drive-thru recycling event coming up Saturday in Lawrence.
Provision of Kansas K-12 funding bill slices state aid to about 100 public school districts
The school funding bill forwarded by the Kansas Legislature to Gov. Laura Kelly contained an unexpected budget twist that potentially blindsided as many as 100 public school districts with declining enrollment.
Chansi Long/Lawrence Times
Fresh Mediterranean owner plans to nix gas station, expand restaurant
The gas pumps at the Cenex station on 23rd Street are going away. But the falafel and kebabs that draw customers for much more than a fill-up are staying.
Judy Erpelding: I never planned to leave Free State; it’s time to start advocating for performing arts (Column)
”It’s important to me that my students and their families know that leaving this year was never in my intentions,” Judy Erpelding, director of Free State High School orchestra, writes in this column.
Letter to the Times: Holding my applause for city and county leaders
”Too many times I’ve heard speeches professing progress and promising goals only to watch them unfold at a snail’s pace, then several years into the future showing only a mere fraction of those promises and goals come to fruition,” Kathleen Christian writes in this letter to the Times.
Lawrence High School principal to resign
Lawrence High School Principal Jessica Bassett is resigning from her position at the end of June, the school district announced Tuesday evening.
