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.)
Kaw Valley Almanac for Jan. 1-7, 2024
Around dusk, many flocks of blackbirds find a safe place to alight in the upper reaches of cottonwoods, oaks, elms and other tall trees. You can see this dynamic play itself out across the state every year just past the winter solstice.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Looking ahead in Lawrence: Big changes coming in 2024
From major updates to Lawrence’s public transportation system to the election of every seat in the legislature, 2024 is going to be a big year for Lawrence and for Kansas as a whole. Here’s a roundup of big changes to know about, dates to mark and more.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Group to begin project to clean headstones at Haskell cemetery
Moss and lichen are beginning to eat away at the marble headstones of the children buried at Haskell Indian Nations University, but they will soon be cleaned with care.
Kansas universities demolishing old buildings to save millions on deferred maintenance
The Kansas Board of Regents allocated $16.5 million appropriated from the state treasury to turn to rubble 500,000 square feet of obsolete buildings on university campuses.
Letter to the Times: A CNA’s plea for increased staffing standards in Kansas nursing homes
”Scarcity of staff has compelled facilities to deploy CNAs with minimal training and experience into situations where the safety net of an experienced colleague or nurse is glaringly absent,” Addison Stover writes in this letter to the Times.
Obituary: Richard Lee Walthall
Richard Lee Walthall, 3/20/1942 – 12/23/2023
Extra Douglas County Sheriff’s Office deputies will be patrolling over the New Year’s holiday
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies across the state will have more deputies on duty this weekend in hopes of removing more impaired drivers from roadways.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Person found dead in Kansas River was Edgerton woman, 57
The person whose body was found in the Kansas River last week was Melinda Sue McCluskey, 57, who was last known to have lived in rural Edgerton, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Next phase of Kansas’ gradual repeal of state sales tax on food to yield savings of $150 million
Gov. Laura Kelly said the next scheduled reduction in the state’s sales tax on groceries Jan. 1 will cut the rate in half to 2% and enable shoppers in Kansas to avoid $150 million annually in food costs.
Kansas leads nation with 9.7% real GDP growth during third quarter of 2023
Growth in the market value of goods and services produced in Kansas from July to September was tops in the nation and expanded by 9.7% during that three-month period, the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis reported.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
North Lawrence leather, shoe repair shop to temporarily relocate after fire
About five months after a destructive fire, a North Lawrence shoe repair shop will temporarily move into a building just outside of downtown in East Lawrence.
New city bus routes may change how some Lawrence students get to school
City bus route changes that will go into effect in the new year will disrupt some Lawrence school district students’ rides to school.
Critic of masks alleges ‘righteous governmental altar’ in lawsuit against Lawrence schools
A critic of now-rescinded COVID-19 mask mandates filed a federal lawsuit against the Lawrence public school district superintendent and school board members to challenge constitutionality of his banishment from district property.
Some drivers given incorrect court dates on traffic tickets, DA’s office says
Drivers who got citations from the Kansas Highway Patrol and who were given court dates to appear in Douglas County District Court this Friday, Dec. 29, received the wrong date.
Person taken to hospital after fire in Lawrence home’s basement
A person was taken to the emergency room to be evaluated after a basement fire Wednesday morning in Lawrence.
Kansas school leaders say the shift to open enrollment next fall won’t be simple or easy
A new state law that goes into effect next fall lets Kansas students attend schools outside the districts where they live, as long as there is space available.
KU wins first bowl game in 15 years, topping UNLV 49-36
The Kansas Jayhawks are bowl winners, going 9-4 on the season. The Jayhawks faced the UNLV Rebels in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix, winning 49-36.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
City of Lawrence starting process to pick a downtown bus station location
With several Lawrence Transit projects reaching their final stages, staff members are starting to shift their focus to finding the right location for a new downtown bus station.
Infusion of state funding chips away at Kansas’ significant affordable housing shortage
A statewide study confirmed in 2021 that Kansas had an insufficient supply of reasonably priced housing. The crisis has undermined quality of life and restrained economic growth.
Jonathan Mouer/Courtesy photo
KU football to face UNLV in Guaranteed Rate Bowl
The Kansas Jayhawks are getting ready to play the UNLV Rebels in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Kaw Valley Almanac for Dec. 25-31, 2023
This immature hawk perched on a cedar limb is looking for an
rodent or stray bird for a quick meal. Judging from the number
of hawks on power line poles, fences and trees this time of
year, there is enough to live on.
Lawrence may see rain, snow on Christmas; city shares winter weather reminders
Although temperatures are expected to be above freezing during the day Monday in Lawrence, the area may see some rain and snow.
K-State biologists begin research to explain 15-year decline in Kansas wild turkey population
Biologists at K-State are responding to a persistent 15-year decline in the state’s wild turkey population by launching a $1.8 million study of bird habitat, nesting, reproduction and survival to refine harvest and land management strategies.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Grant boosts access to addiction treatment at Heartland Community Health Center
For more than a decade, Eden lived each day trapped in a vicious cycle. Today, she’s celebrating 28 months of recovery with the help of medication-assisted treatment at Heartland Community Health Center.
