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.)
Obituary: Lyle E. Beers
Lyle E. Beers, 9/20/1946 – 12/3/2022
Kansas State research: Growing frequency of dry, hot and windy conditions damage wheat yields
The compounding influence of adverse dry, hot and windy climate patterns slashed wheat yield 4% in Kansas and five other Great Plains states over the past 40 years, Kansas State University researchers reported in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
Douglas County likely to see snow Wednesday; wind chill will be below 0°
Very cold and very snowy weather is on its way to Douglas County.
Kelly launches legislative campaign for three-year, $500 million state tax reduction plan
Gov. Laura Kelly initiated a campaign Monday to convince the Republican-led Legislature the revenue surplus was sufficient to end the state sales tax on groceries by April 1, create a three-day sales tax holiday on school supplies and increase the state income tax exemption on Social Security benefits.
Unlike most jails in Kansas, Douglas County has found a way to lock up fewer mentally ill inmates
The number of people booked into the Douglas County jail with serious mental illness dropped from 18% in 2014 to 10% in 2022 — and hit a low of 5.5% in 2018.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
City staff member says management ignored her input on North Lawrence campsite for unhoused people
The city’s homeless programs coordinator says a decision to close a North Lawrence campsite for people experiencing homelessness was solidified before she was consulted, and though she advocated against it, her supervisors dismissed her concerns and moved forward with the plan anyway.
Historic preservationists pressing legal case to block demolition of Docking office building
Demolition work on the Docking state office building next to the Kansas Capitol could begin in January to prepare the site for construction of a three-story multipurpose building atop the original foundation.
Ken Lassman
Kaw Valley Almanac for Dec. 19-25, 2022
With super cold, snowy, windy conditions predicted this week, be sure to help overwintering songbirds survive by putting out plenty of bird seed. Don’t be surprised if you live in the country if wild turkeys, opossums and even a deer or two show up to grab a little snack to stay warm, too.
Jenn Wolsey: Our unsheltered neighbors in the Lawrence community deserve better (Column)
”I wanted the full truth to come out because this community deserves transparency. I messed up. The city messed up. We need to do better. Our unsheltered neighbors deserve better,” Jenn Wolsey, homeless programs coordinator for the City of Lawrence, writes in this column.
Vera Institute report on Douglas County jail spotlights racial disparities, charges driving incarceration
Almost one out of every three Black men ages 25-54 living in Douglas County were booked into the jail between 2017 and 2021.
That number is among findings in a recent report by the Vera Institute of Justice examining incarceration here.
Lawrence Style Scout — Game Day Edition
Join us as we walk through downtown Lawrence to celebrate KU basketball’s 84-62 win against Indiana. We ask fans about their game day merch, favorite players, and more.
Tricia Masenthin/Lawrence Times
Treatment & Recovery Center reps explain available services during proposed opening phases
Behavioral health staff and leaders said Wednesday no one needing help would be turned away once the Treatment and Recovery Center of Douglas County opens, but they offered up scenarios explaining how inpatient access would be limited, at least for some.
Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
Lawrence author, musician Melvin Litton is driven by passion for creativity
Lawrence author and musician Melvin Litton walks his German shepherd, Jack, through the Barker neighborhood every evening. He might be shaping sentences in his head or exploring literary ideas as he walks, eager to scrawl them onto his sketch pad once he’s home again.
Mac Moore/KSHSAA Covered
Photos: Lawrence High girls basketball celebrates Native American Heritage Night
The Lawrence High School girls basketball team celebrated Native American Heritage Night on Friday.
Chansi Long/Lawrence Times
‘Who made this decision?’ City administrators address move to evict people from North Lawrence camp, reversal
Over a span of five days, people living at the campsite in North Lawrence were told they would soon need to move; then the city reversed course. In addition to the emotional rollercoaster the ordeal brought for residents of the camp, it has raised questions about decisions made behind closed doors.
Andrea Albright / The Lawrence Times
Murder case against Carrody Buchhorn dismissed
The case against Carrody Buchhorn, charged in connection with the death of a Eudora infant in her care, has been dismissed.
Chloe Anderson/Lawrence Times
KU forms committee to repatriate Indigenous ancestors, shares other efforts in progress
KU has created a committee to administer the repatriation of Indigenous remains in its possession and is working to reconcile with the university’s Indigenous communities, according to a campus update.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
15 undergraduates from Douglas County earn research awards from KU
The University of Kansas has selected 54 students for undergraduate research awards, including 14 students from Lawrence and one from Lecompton.
Kansas public universities face $1.2 billion in deferred maintenance on core buildings
Restoring life safety and functional integrity to nearly 500 academic or research buildings on state university campuses in the Kansas Board of Regents system would cost an estimated $1.2 billion, officials said Thursday.
Federal lawsuit says Dodge City’s election system keeps Latino candidates out of office
A coalition of voting rights groups says Dodge City’s election system is designed to prevent the community’s Latino population from holding office on the city commission.
Adam Johnson/Lawrence Times TV
Lawrence City Commission to consider suspending enforcement of rules on downtown liquor sales
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will vote on a resolution that would allow some small downtown establishments to derive up to 90% of their sales from liquor for the next few years.
Kansas medical marijuana committee holds final meeting, prepares for January legalization push
Medical marijuana may have a future in Kansas after all, though lawmakers are still uncertain whether any medical marijuana legislation will garner support in the Senate, or wither away like previous bills.
Courtesy of Chabad Center for Jewish Life
Chabad Center for Jewish Life to hold Hanukkah celebrations in Lawrence
The Chabad Center for Jewish Life will host two communitywide Hanukkah celebrations downtown next week, focusing on spreading love and light to counter darkness.
Not just any oil spill. The Keystone pipeline dumped notoriously hard-to-clean ‘dilbit’ in Kansas
The spill in Kansas is now the second-largest spill of tar sands crude on U.S. soil. And scientists say this stuff comes with major complications for containing and cleaning it.
