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.)
Lawrence City Commission hits pause on plan for turf soccer fields
The Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday deferred plans to join forces with a local soccer club to build artificial turf fields in town over concerns that the club wanted some exclusivity built into the agreement.
City Playcorps/Contributed Images
City Play Corps: Pop Up Play Shop opens in downtown Lawrence (Announcement)
“The City Play Corps, a nonprofit organization that promotes the practice of true play for kids, has opened up a temporary storefront dedicated to letting kids be kids by making their own fun,” the group writes in this announcement.
Lobbyists form contractor alliance to seek $315 million for university building repair backlog
A fledgling association of construction contractors led by two political lobbyists is developing a plan to persuade the Kansas Legislature to make an unprecedented seven-year, $315 million investment to shrink the academic building repair backlog at the state’s six public universities.
The Raven Book Store’s bestsellers for 2021 (Sponsored post)
“We are pleased to present the Raven’s bestsellers of 2021! I must say, it’s an incredible list.”
Tax council testimony: Kansas sales tax burden creates regressive system
Nearly 38% of Kansas’ tax revenue comes from sales taxes, according to Donna Ginther, director of the Institute for Policy and Social Research at KU.
Lawrence school board vets ideas to fill multimillion-dollar budget gap
Many questions and few answers came out of the Lawrence school board’s review of potential cost-savings ideas Monday during a special meeting to discuss the district’s budget deficit.
Evergy proposes energy efficiency programs designed to save customers $42M
Evergy customers in Kansas could soon get discounts and rebates to upgrade their homes to be more energy efficient.
Contributed photo; Lawrence Times file photo
Interim chief of Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical shares plans for his tenure
Tom Fagan, new interim chief of Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical, said he’s honored and excited to “serve our great community and responders in this new manner while the executive search is underway.”
Ken Lassman
Kaw Valley Almanac for Dec. 20-26, 2021
The winter solstice is on Tuesday; expect 14 1/2 hours between sunset Tuesday and sunrise Wednesday morning. In contrast, summer solstice nights last just a little more than 9 hours.
Is cutting down a tree for Christmas bad for the environment?
Christmas is a time for celebrating the season and a time for cutting down trees — and that holiday tradition sometimes leads to discussions about what’s best for the environment: Is it greener to buy a real tree or a fake tree, or abstain altogether?
Tricia Masenthin/The Lawrence Times
Lawrence school board to hold special meeting to discuss budget-cut proposals
Inside 300 pages of cost-trimming ideas for the Lawrence school board’s consideration are proposals to combine low-enrollment classes at high schools, restructure middle schools and more.
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
Douglas County has confirmed case of omicron variant
Kansas’ second confirmed case of the omicron variant of COVID-19 is in Douglas County, according to Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health.
Surging COVID-19 case numbers have some Kansas hospitals sapped of bed space, resources
Amid concerns COVID-19 will worsen as the temperature drops, Kansas hospital leaders are warning of rapidly rising case numbers leading to poor outcomes and limiting bed space.
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
Fire at Lawrence strip mall was accidental, fire department says
A fire in the attic of a Lawrence strip mall Thursday afternoon was caused by an “electrical event,” according to a news release from Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical.
Jeff Burkhead/Contributed Photo
Lawrence photographer tells story of community’s response to first year of COVID-19 pandemic in new book
Lawrence photographer Jeff Burkhead’s “Our Pandemic Year in Photos” is filled with hundreds of images telling tales of love, strength and resilience. Observations and essays penned by locals punctuate the collection and tie together the book’s message of hope.
Tricia Masenthin/The Lawrence Times
Lawrence school district says it hasn’t received any credible threats of violence amid nationwide fears
Joining school districts across the country, Lawrence Public Schools on Thursday sent a message to families regarding social media posts “containing vague threats of mass violence to schools” on Friday.
An eastern Kansas resident is the state’s first confirmed case of the omicron COVID-19 variant
A vaccinated person in Franklin County is the first confirmed Kansas case of the COVID-19 omicron variant.
Contributed images
Organizers of Coats 4 Kids hope to ‘promote peace, love, and positivity’ in Lawrence; drive is Sunday
Anthony Harvey Jr. and Ja’Darius Woods will be giving away free winter accessories to anyone who needs them, no questions asked, at the second annual Coats 4 Kids drive this Sunday.
Kansas National Guard deploys helicopters to wildfires burning in Kansas
The Kansas National Guard will deploy helicopters in an effort to put out wildfires in several counties in central and western Kansas, several state departments said in a news release Thursday.
Tom Harper/The Lawrence Times
Tom Harper: An update on Lawrence’s blue/purple streetlights (Column)
Here’s an update on the streetlights casting a blue-purple hue over Lawrence’s roadways.
August Rudisell/The Lawrence Times
Proposals to help balance Lawrence school district budget include school closures, reductions of positions
The public got its first glimpse of the details behind more than two dozen budget-trimming ideas for the Lawrence school district Wednesday afternoon.
‘Our greatest challenge’: Latest COVID-19 surge threatens Kansas hospitals again as omicron looms
The chief medical officer for the KU Health System is monitoring a steep climb in COVID-19 hospitalizations, almost entirely from unvaccinated residents, while hospitals already are busy treating patients suffering from influenza and the respiratory syncytial virus.
Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Lineup announced for Sundance Film Festival screenings in Lawrence
The Sundance Film Festival and Wichita’s mama.film will bring world premieres of comedies, period pieces, dramas and documentaries to Liberty Hall next month as part of the Sundance Satellite Screen program.
Tricia Masenthin/The Lawrence Times
Lawrence school district explains Montessori idea for New York Elementary; budget committee to hold meeting today
There is no current proposal or recommendation to close New York Elementary School, according to Lawrence Public Schools spokesperson Julie Boyle.
