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.)
2 more forums coming up for Lawrence City Commission candidates; catch up on forums you missed
Voters in November will elect two Lawrence city commissioners and three Lawrence school board members. Here are the remaining upcoming forums, plus info on forums we’ve covered so far.
First Kaw Valley Field Day coming up in Douglas County
A local conservation advocacy group will soon hold the first annual Kaw Valley Field Day, offering free, family-friendly fun.
Obituary: Mary Ann Williams
Mary Ann Williams, 12/14/1949 – 9/24/2025
Maya Hodison/Lawrence Times
Lawrence school district personnel testify in child sex crime case against former speech pathologist
Special education personnel in the Lawrence school district testified Friday that a former Prairie Park Elementary speech pathologist brought students without individualized education plans into private screenings, which is against policy.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Court decision will allow transgender Kansans to change gender markers on their driver’s licenses
Thanks to a Kansas Supreme Court decision this week, transgender Kansans will soon be able to change the gender markers on their driver’s licenses.
Pavement maintenance, block parties to shut down stretches of road in Lawrence and more traffic updates
Multiple roads will be shut down in the coming week for pavement improvement projects, block parties and festivals. Parts of U.S. 56 Highway will also go down to one lane, impacting commuters.
Wulfe Wulfemeyer/Lawrence Times
New wine bar and kitchen in downtown Lawrence will source local, serve up unusual pours
Downtown Lawrence will welcome a new wine bar and kitchen opening next week with natural selections and a distinctly townie mindset.
Maya Hodison/Lawrence Times
Preliminary hearing underway in sex crime case against former speech pathologist
In interviews with a child advocate, Prairie Park Elementary students had used “uncomfortable,” “strange,” “weird” and “suspicious” to describe what they said they’d experienced by a former speech pathologist now charged with sex crimes.
Man seriously injured in crash near Lone Star Lake
A 29-year-old man was seriously injured in a crash Thursday evening after he swerved his motorcycle to avoid turkeys that had entered the roadway, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Kansas Republicans shift focus from gerrymandering to anti-trans law in quest for a special session
Republican legislative leaders are urging lawmakers to support their push for a special session where they can both ban Kansans from altering gender markers on their driver’s licenses and redraw congressional maps.
Wulfe Wulfemeyer/Lawrence Times
Multiple downtown and East Lawrence stores and restaurants shuttering
A restaurant, a coffee chain and two retail stores located in downtown and East Lawrence have announced closures recently.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Art exhibition preserves a moment in time using historical scientific research, microbiology and macabre curiosity
Artist Emily Mulvaney takes the term “body of work” literally in her exhibition focused on the preservation and degradation of specimens, offering perfect fodder for the Halloween season in Lawrence.
Kansas post-secondary schools see increased enrollment, plan for challenges ahead
University officials across Kansas celebrated a third year of growing enrollments on Wednesday, even though the future will present more challenges.
Obituary: Karron Schwarz
Karron Schwarz, 12/10/1970 – 9/27/2025
Douglas County commissioners delay implementing tenant right to counsel, requesting more information
Douglas County commissioners have requested that staff complete more research over the next month or two toward implementing tenant right to counsel, though dozens of advocates called for a vote to launch a program this month.
Cuyler Dunn/Lawrence Times
Lawrence City Commission, school board candidates commit to transparency at forum
Candidates for the city commission and school board pledged to ensure transparency and improve collaboration between local government branches at a forum Wednesday.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
4 Lawrence-based projects awarded 2025 Rocket Grants
Four Lawrence-based artistic projects, including a documentary on Trans Lawrence Coalition, have been selected from a competitive pool of 114 applications to earn $6,000 Rocket Grants.
Actor, Haskell alum to perform story involving boarding schools and Navajo code talkers
A one-woman play to be hosted at Haskell Indian Nations University, “Native Vision,” will portray bravery and resilience through the eyes of a Navajo woman.
Kansas disability service providers say conflict of interest rule could cause ‘massive’ problems
Complying with a federal policy designed to avoid conflicts of interest could cause “massive system disruption” for Kansans who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, an advocate told legislators.
Obituary: Cecil L. Snyder
Cecil L. Snyder, 4/16/1958 – 9/27/2025
Carter Gaskins/Lawrence Times
‘Every child matters’: Haskell holds remembrance event on Orange Shirt Day
Haskell held a walk, prayer, song and fellowship meal Tuesday for the National Day of Remembrance to honor the children who suffered, endured abuse or lost their lives in the federal residential school system.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Students arrested after Lawrence High School fire; district aims to improve communications
Two students were arrested following a small fire Monday at Lawrence High School, and the district says staff members will work to improve communication to parents in future emergencies.
Kansas judge dismisses Kobach’s lawsuit over governor’s refusal to give food program data to feds
A Kansas district court judge on Tuesday dismissed a case filed by Attorney General Kris Kobach that challenged the right of Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration to withhold Kansans’ personal data from the federal government.
Lawrence Humane Pet of the Week: Ricky Ricardo is a pit bull born to eat spray cheese, forced to stay at the shelter
Ricky Ricardo, a pit bull who is 1 year and 9 months old, escaped euthanasia after being transferred to the Lawrence Humane Society from a rural shelter, but he’s declining after 10 months without a consistent home.
