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.)
Letter to the Times: Lawrence school district’s palatial headquarters
If the board of education decides to close any school, the district should abandon its […]
Hands-free cellphone policy sorely needed for Kansas drivers, bill backers say
A bill under consideration in the Kansas Senate Transportation Committee would create a hands-free cellphone policy for Kansas drivers under 18, plus all drivers in a construction zone or school zone during designated hours.
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
Open house allows Old West Lawrence residents to voice concerns, discuss future of neighborhood traffic program
Neighbors shared observations and concerns Tuesday evening during a virtual open house to discuss a pilot traffic program that has caused some division among Old West Lawrence residents.
Carter Gaskins / Lawrence Times file photo
Longtime Lawrence school board member explains how district’s budget crisis has unfolded
Lawrence school board Vice President Shannon Kimball took the board commentary portion of Monday’s meeting as an opportunity to provide some insight into the history of USD 497’s funding woes.
Kansas Republican defends gerrymandering and partisan politics as ‘just things that happen’
Rep. Steve Huebert during a four-hour House debate Tuesday defended an obvious attempt by Republicans to gain an upper hand in congressional races through redistricting as simply “a political process.” Lawrence reps are displeased.
Sister Cities Lawrence / Contributed Photo
Lawrence’s Sister Cities program connects community with Japan, Germany, Greece
Since 1986, Lawrence’s Sister Cities program has planted the seed for marriages between Lawrencians and residents in Eutin, Germany; brought our quilting community closer to the one in Hiratsuka, Japan; and even helped KU Theatre collaborate on a Greek tragedy performed in the ancient open-air theatre of Iniades, Greece.
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Lawrence school board approves nixing some high school classes
Lawrence school board members on Monday agreed to curriculum changes that include eliminating the district’s driver’s education offering. Staff said students will still have alternative options to take the class.
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
Lawrence community members rally in support of schools at board meeting
Lawrence community members rallied at school district offices Monday in support of their neighborhood schools, and the board got to hear from some very young public commenters.
Law enforcement officers, legislators resist Kansas House bill banning no-knock warrants
Advocates for Kansas legislation prohibiting no-knock search warrants on Monday triggered indignation and rebukes from legislators with experience as investigators, attorneys and judges in Kansas.
Lawrence Times illustration
Scammers posing as law enforcement use fraud, fear trying to take money from victims
Douglas County residents are reporting the resurgence of a telephone scam where callers posing as law enforcement officers attempt to use fraudulent charges and threats of arrest to take money from victims.
Zora Lotton-Barker: The racist history of the Hollywood film industry and its implications for today (Racial Justice essay)
“From its inception, Hollywood has been systematically dominated by white male filmmakers and producers, catering to a predominantly white audience,” Zora Lotton-Barker writes in this essay.
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
What do you think of the Old West Lawrence traffic devices? City launches online survey
An online survey is asking folks to share their opinions on the city’s traffic project that has placed temporary barriers throughout Old West Lawrence neighborhood streets.
Kaw Valley Almanac for Jan. 24-30, 2022
Please consider supplementing the shrinking food and water supplies with a birdseed feeder and some water for the next month or so. This is typically the hardest time of the year for many birds — give them a hand!
Dave Loewenstein/Contributed Photo
Signs of support for Lawrence schools pop up around town
A tight timeline for the Lawrence school board to make decisions about whether to close schools seems to have lit a fire under many community members who are coming together to “#SaveOurSchools497.”
August Rudisell/The Lawrence Times
Closure proposals missing from Lawrence school board agenda; board will consider nixing some classes and more
Nothing on the Lawrence school board’s Monday agenda indicated whether members will discuss proposals to close several district schools. But the board will consider deleting some high school classes, approving a calendar with a weeklong fall break and Juneteenth as a holiday in 2023, and more.
Rebecca Zarazan Dunn/Contributed Image
Rebecca Zarazan Dunn: People of Lawrence should commit to a shared effort to save our schools (Column)
“If our schools are shuttered, the institutional mourning will be profound, but as a Lawrencian I’m optimistic we will not witness that outcome. Where the district sees opportunity in this budget crisis, I see opportunity as well,” Rebecca Zarazan Dunn writes in this column.
Clay Wirestone: Like Quantrill’s violent raiders, GOP legislators in Kansas aim to stifle Lawrence progressives (Column)
“(Legislators are) perfectly willing to exploit (Lawrence) for their own purposes. They just don’t want to allow its residents to choose U.S. representatives,” Clay Wirestone writes in this column for Kansas Reflector.
Contributed Photos
Lawrence’s high school debate teams compete at State, reflect on season
Lawrence high school debate teams recently competed at the State tournament, completing the season and another year of remote competitions.
Kansas Republican senators approve map to split KC metro, splinter Democratic vote
Kansas Republican senators on Friday countered criticisms of their plan for the state’s congressional district boundaries, passing the controversial “Ad Astra” map that moves Lawrence into a rural district that stretches to Colorado.
Carter Gaskins / The Lawrence Times
JD Woods caps off his college football career, commits to NFL dreams
Star football player and community organizer Ja’Darius “JD” Woods, 24, moved to Lawrence when he was 10 years old and quickly dove into the youth sports scene. He’s shattered records and earned a multitude of honors since, but he hasn’t limited his influence to the football field.
Fact check: Kansas senators make false claims about COVID-19 deaths, vaccines, PCR test
Specific statements made this week by Sen. Mike Thompson, R-Shawnee, Sen. Mark Steffen, R-Hutchinson, and Sen. Beverly Gossage, R-Eudora, are false.
Kansas Senate rejects bid to force health workers to treat patients regardless of COVID-19 vax status
The Kansas Senate defeated an amendment to a COVID-19 bill that would have forced thousands of health care professionals — physical therapists and athletic trainers, physicians and nurses, acupuncturists and contact lens distributors — to treat patients regardless of their vaccination status or infection experience.
Obituary: Mary Ann Stewart
Mary Ann Stewart, 1/26/1950 – 12/13/2021
August Rudisell/The Lawrence Times
Lawrence youth, mentors and advocates honored with awards at One Dream MLK event
A night of cultural performances and honors for equity advocates, students and educators capped off a week of Lawrence school district tributes to Martin Luther King Jr. on Thursday.
