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.)
Learn about severe weather and preparedness at upcoming Lawrence event
Douglas County community members can learn about severe storms and how to best prepare for them during an upcoming presentation.
No verdict yet in trial for teen charged in shooting death of Lawrence boy; deliberation to continue Wednesday
A Douglas County jury on Tuesday couldn’t reach a verdict in the trial for a teen charged in the shooting death of a Lawrence boy. They’ll return Wednesday and take more time to deliberate.
Kansas bill banning affirming care for trans kids headed toward fight with governor
Kansas House lawmakers advanced a wide-ranging bill Tuesday that includes Republican plans to ban trans children from getting gender-affirming medical care amid outcry from worried parents.
Kansas House committee considers abortion coercion bill, funding for anti-abortion services
The House Federal and State Affairs Committee heard testimony on a bill creating a felony of coercion for persuading someone to terminate a pregnancy against their will and a bill designed to funnel $5.8 million into efforts to pressure women not to terminate a pregnancy.
City of Lawrence names new director of finance
Rachelle Mathews, currently the acting chief financial officer for the City of Topeka, will be the new director of finance for the City of Lawrence.
Douglas County launching local program to restore people’s legal competency as they await trial
People who are booked into jails statewide have long waited several months — even more than a year — for beds at state mental hospitals, so their competency to understand court proceedings can be restored. Douglas County is now working on a local solution to that problem.
Jury to decide case in shooting of Lawrence boy; prosecutors say teen planned to kill, but defense attorney says evidence creates doubt
A Douglas County jury is deliberating whether they believe a teen intended to shoot and kill a 14-year-old Lawrence boy last year, whether the teen acted recklessly, or whether they doubt that he was the one who pulled the trigger at all.
Lawrence Transit to hold grand opening for Central Station
Lawrence Transit staff members are inviting the public to celebrate the opening of the new Central Station at Bob Billings Parkway and Crestline Drive.
Kansas court upholds AG Kobach’s argument in transgender driver’s license case
A district court has sided with Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach on a temporary block to keep Kansas residents from changing the gender listed on their drivers’ licenses.
Neighbor of teen charged in shooting death of Lawrence boy says she witnessed someone else with gun
A neighbor testified about seeing an alternate suspect holding a gun the day a 14-year-old Lawrence boy was shot and killed, but prosecutors questioned her story and countered some details she shared.
Max Kautsch: This Sunshine Week, Kansas officials should finally clear the Marion County Record’s journalists (Column)
”Journalists should not feel like they are taking an unreasonable risk just to do their jobs, a feeling perpetuated every day that goes by without resolution on the raids” of the Marion County Record, Max Kautsch writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
Kaw Valley Almanac for March 11-17, 2024
Look to the south after dark to see some of the best constellations of the year, with Orion sliding west from the south, Taurus and the Pleiades leading the way and bright Jupiter in the west.
City of Lawrence names next director of parks, recreation, arts and culture
Luis Ruiz, currently deputy director of community facilities in Mesa, Arizona, has been selected as the next director of parks, recreation, arts and culture for the City of Lawrence.
Why former KU basketball star Lynette Woodard should be as famous as Caitlin Clark
Up until a few weeks ago, Lynette Woodard from KU had scored more points in college basketball than any woman ever. But she was never recognized by the NCAA as a scoring champion.
After school closures, Lawrence families grapple with fractured communities, future of school district
After the Lawrence school board voted to close two elementary schools last year, some local families now wrestling with doubts about their future in the district and the community.
Longtime KU Innovation Park executive selected as new CEO
Adam Courtney, who has worked at KU Innovation Park for more than 10 years, has been named the organization’s new CEO.
Obituary: Margaret Kathleen ‘Katie’ Coleman
Margaret Kathleen “Katie” Coleman, 8/25/1974 – 3/3/2024
Pronoun button party brings together members of Lawrence’s Indigenous, queer communities
Dozens of community members gathered at Art Love Collective Friday evening for a pronoun button party.
Gunshot residue detected on teen, his car following shooting death of Lawrence boy
Gunshot residue was detected on the teen charged with the shooting death of a Lawrence boy, but not on the alternative suspect the defense has suggested could have been responsible for the crime, according to evidence presented Friday.
Transparency concerns loom at Lawrence school board meeting; district will follow new plan to make up snow days
The Lawrence school district will follow a revised plan for the district’s middle and high school students to make up time lost to snow days, though school board members voiced concerns about how district administrators handled the issue and communicated the plan to families.
Lawrence school district tentatively changes plans, will keep early dismissal Wednesdays for final quarter
Lawrence school district administrators and teachers union members have tentatively agreed to a plan to make up snow days by adding days to the end of the year instead of nixing early dismissal on Wednesdays for middle and high schoolers.
Obituary: Elizabeth Lichtwardt
Elizabeth Lichtwardt, 6/14/1927 – 3/4/2024
New Kansas bill requests $40 million for homeless shelters, requires enforcement of camping laws
A bill supported by Sedgwick County and the city of Wichita is requesting $40 million from the state for homeless shelter infrastructure, and it also requires localities to enforce ordinances on camping and vagrancy.
Kansas Democrats blast GOP physicians for pushing disinformation in debate on anti-trans bill
House Democrats questioned the integrity of two Republicans legislators who brandished their credentials as physicians while promoting harmful misinformation about transgender children during debate Thursday on legislation that would prohibit doctors from providing gender-affirming care.