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.)
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Douglas County students invited to apply to 2024 Lawrence Juneteenth T-shirt design, essay contests
Douglas County students could have their work featured in this year’s Lawrence Juneteenth celebration. The annual T-shirt design and essay contests are now open.
Lawrence is facing a winter storm watch; heavy snow is possible
Lawrence and the surrounding areas could see heavy snow Sunday evening through Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Topeka.
Carter Gaskins/Lawrence Times
Lawrence school board to consider new high school graduation requirements
The Lawrence school board on Monday will look to approve proposed high school graduation requirements for next year.
Kansas sees lower tornado count, one tornado watch issued for central region in 2023
There were slightly fewer tornadoes reported in Kansas and only one tornado watch issued for the central portion of the state in 2023.
Task force asks Legislature for 4-year, $82.7 million annual spike in special education funding
The task force created by the Kansas Legislature to resolve funding challenges in K-12 special education endorsed a four-year plan Friday adding $82.7 million annually in appropriations to local school districts.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
A look inside the Village, Lawrence’s community to help people recover from homelessness
Fifty small cabins will soon be available to help Lawrence community members experiencing homelessness — specifically veterans, domestic violence survivors, older and disabled people — recover and secure housing.
August Rudisell/The Lawrence Times
Lawrence school district to host annual MLK Jr. celebration; student volunteers needed
Community members are invited to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with Lawrence school district students and staff.
Kansas special education task force to convene – finally – for quick study of funding shortfall
Rep. Kristey Williams and Sen. Renee Erickson agreed there was little value in convening a task force to study the state’s shortfall in funding public school special education programs because the financial issues were too complex for such a group to unravel and the only remedy suggested by education advocacy groups was too simplistic to warrant examination.
Lawrence police say missing man who has dementia has been found safe
Keith Schmitz, 84, of Lawrence, was found safe early Friday, according to an update from police.
Free State High School senior achieves highest national speech and debate honor
Sophie Racy, Free State High School senior, has earned the National Speech and Debate Association’s highest honor, and she’s the state’s first three-time qualifier for the Tournament of Champions.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Prescribed burn near Naismith Park will spark future growth at pocket prairie
A symphony of fire and flame enveloped a frosty Monarch Waystation on Thursday morning in south-central Lawrence. The purposeful fire was part of a carefully orchestrated plan to encourage biodiversity outside the home of Dena Podrebarac and Heidi Rios.
Kansas Chamber puts shoulder behind 2024 income tax, health care, education reforms
The Kansas Chamber released a legislative policy agenda Thursday endorsing a proposed single rate state income tax, opposing expansion of Medicaid health coverage to 150,000 low-income Kansans and supporting investment of state tax dollars in private K-12 education.
Researchers are finding high levels of fertilizer in drinking water from rural Kansas wells
College students are testing private wells in south-central Kansas. The results are prompting families to install treatment systems to reduce nitrate levels.
Driver and passenger injured in crash west of Lawrence
A 19-year-old Lawrence man and an 18-year-old woman were taken to hospitals Wednesday evening after a crash west of Lawrence.
‘What comes from the heart touches the heart’: Original play to pay homage to MLK Jr.
A Lawrence playwright aspires for her original script to empower action this Martin Luther King Jr. Day with her new production, “The Steps of a Good Man.”
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Lawrence Transit’s Central Station opens, route changes go into effect
Lawrence Transit embarked on a new era Tuesday with the opening of Central Station, plus route changes going into effect. Transit staff members are hoping to hear from the public as they look ahead to regular route changes in August.
Commissioners approve plan for steering committee to help choose site for downtown Lawrence bus station
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday voted 4-0 to approve the creation of a steering committee that will help the city pick a spot for an improved downtown bus station.
Lawrence City Commission faces criticism after proclamation on crisis in Gaza
Mayor Bart Littlejohn on Tuesday proclaimed “Advocating for Peace Month,” a response to months of community pressure for the city to take action on the conflict in Gaza. Many of those same community members, though, said the measure fell short.
Courtesy of Ramen Bowls
Ramen Bowls moving to a bigger downtown Lawrence location – again
Ramen Bowls, a downtown Lawrence noodle restaurant, will soon enter its third chapter. It’s set to move into a bigger space next month.
Watkins Museum’s new exhibit celebrates Lawrence’s sister cities
The Watkins Museum of History has opened a new exhibit on Lawrence’s connection to its sister cities: Eutin, Germany; Hiratsuka, Japan; and Iniades, Greece.
Kansas senator proposes job limits to avoid potential conflicts of interest in state government
Sen. Tom Holland, of Baldwin City, has introduced a bill that would forbid members of the Kansas Legislature from concurrently holding jobs in an executive branch agency. Others have filed bills on school starts, birth centers, taxation and heritage sites.
Abortion remains hotly contested in Kansas heading into the 2024 legislative session
From an influx of patients to evolving state restrictions, 2023 brought changes to abortion access in Kansas — and more could be on the way in 2024.
KU spent $10 million to defend its basketball program against NCAA violations
Kansas Athletics hired four law firms and spent $10 million to handle an NCAA investigation that dragged on for six years. In one month alone, more than 15 lawyers at four firms around the country worked on the case.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Lawrence City Commission to consider plan for downtown bus station site selection
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will hear an update on transit staff members’ process to pick a spot for a downtown bus station and vote on a draft resolution to create a steering committee.
