Latest

Justice Matters annual assembly to discuss youth trauma
Justice Matters will focus on solutions to youth trauma at this year’s action assembly. The nonprofit coalition of faith-based groups will also provide an update on its efforts to boost the elder care workforce and end chronic homelessness.
Latest – All local government news

Election 2021: Lawrence City Commission and school board candidate forums
Last update: Oct. 26
The Lawrence Times has aggregated information about candidate forums, and you can find all our coverage of past forums, plus links to recordings, on this page.

Meet the Lawrence City Commission primary candidates
The Lawrence Times sent out candidate questionnaires. We wanted to start off with something a little bit different from typical election coverage and give you a chance to learn more about the human side of your candidates.

What’s the status of the historical markers for Nick Rice and Tiger Dowdell’s deaths?
In the nine months since the Lawrence City Commission unanimously approved creating historical markers to memorialize two teenagers killed by Lawrence police, the conversation on what those markers might look like, where they’ll be placed, and how much they’ll cost has mostly gone silent.
Lawrence city Commission

Lawrence Historic Resources Commission denies revised plans for downtown row houses
Lawrence’s Historic Resource Commission on Thursday voted 2-2 against a plan to build 15 row houses next to the former Borders book store downtown. The developers can appeal the denial.

Lawrence police chief shares new data reports, outcomes from community meetings
Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart shared with city commissioners on Tuesday how the department is trying to improve community relations. He provided new data and said crime is down, yet the fear of crime is up in some areas.

Lawrence City Commission general public comment for April 15, 2025
Here’s the general public comment for the Lawrence City Commission’s Tuesday meeting, as public comment is no longer being broadcast.
Douglas County Commission

Lawrence, Douglas County cultural events can seek up to $10K from new grant program
Annual events that “celebrate, honor and uplift the county’s diverse cultural heritage” could receive up to $10,000 in funding from a new Heritage Conservation Council grant program.

Douglas County commissioners approve plan for Franklin Cemetery, final letter to feds
Cemeteries in Lawrence are nearing capacity, but Franklin Cemetery will someday soon start accepting burials — more than 100 years after the last person was buried there.

Douglas County commissioners to ask federal delegation to ‘show the fortitude’ to defend democracy
Douglas County commissioners have penned a letter to the four congresspeople who represent the county, asking them to “prevent a single branch of government from becoming too powerful.”