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Lawrence school board to vote on plan to make Liberty Memorial Central a STEAM school
The Lawrence school board on Monday will decide whether Liberty Memorial Central Middle School will become a STEAM — Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math — school next year.
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After a creative Halloween, University Place neighborhood resident plans for a festive Fourth
Scott Gustafson’s traveling scarecrow was a hit in October in the University Place neighborhood. Now he’s planning a big celebration for the Fourth of July.

KU to start using windshield-blocking device for repeat parking violators
Parking officials at the University of Kansas now have a new way of taking action against repeat violators. Called “The Barnacle,” the bright yellow device completely obscures the driver’s view and demands payment in order to be removed.

New breakfast concept planned for west Lawrence site
A brand new “fast-casual” breakfast concept is headed to west Lawrence: flip’d by IHOP. The menu includes pancake bowls, egg sandwiches, burritos and bowls, steakburgers and fries, chicken sandwiches and more.

Lawrence school board member to sit on panel discussing use of Native American mascots
A panel for the Kansas Leadership Center, which will include a Lawrence school board member, will address the issue of Native American mascots on Wednesday.

Biden-Harris administration taps KU alumnus for role in Department of Energy
A 2013 graduate of a University of Kansas doctoral program has been appointed by the Biden-Harris administration to serve as a senior adviser in the Department of Energy.

The Lawrence Juice is back – and partnering with the Times
The Lawrence Juice has returned! The Times is excited to welcome them back — and even more excited to work with them.

Free State speech and debate students earn prestigious award as a top 10 school nationwide
A debate duo and a speech student competed as national finalists, and Free State High School earned the School of Outstanding Distinction Award, given only to the top 10 programs nationwide, their coach said Saturday.

Panel at Lawrence Juneteenth celebration calls to dismantle the ‘so-called justice system’
Jerome Edwards said during a panel Saturday that Juneteenth is a celebration of the abolition of slavery — but the penal system is part of slavery. He and other panelists said the “so-called justice system” needs to be dismantled.

Lawrence’s Grover Barn tapped for federal grant preserving Underground Railroad sites
A federal grant will help the city of Lawrence conduct a drone study of Grover Barn’s structural integrity. The barn was a site on the Underground Railroad, and a local group has big hopes for its future potential.

Coroner’s findings skewered in appeal of murder conviction in Eudora baby’s death
An attorney argued Thursday that his client was convicted based on a coroner’s junk science, aided by a natural human desire to hold someone accountable for the tragic death of a 9-month-old baby.

Free State High School debate team takes 3rd place at nationals
The Free State High School debate team of Ethan Harris and Aiden Basore took third place in the National Speech and Debate Association’s national tournament Thursday night.

Missing Ottawa girl found safe, police say
Ottawa Police announced Thursday evening in a Facebook post that Aliyah Hardridge, a 15-year-old girl who had been missing for several days, has been located safe.

Fire that damaged East Lawrence garage was set on purpose, investigators say
Investigators have reportedly determined that the cause of an overnight fire early last week in East Lawrence was incendiary, meaning it was set on purpose.

Lawrence teacher turns ‘magical’ classroom event into inspirational book
Jessica Brown, a teacher at Sunflower Elementary School in Lawrence, has turned a “magical” moment in her classroom into a self-published picture book to help kids with social-emotional learning.

KU says it won’t use controversial faculty termination policy; 18-year-olds can now conceal-carry firearms
After months of deliberation, the University of Kansas has decided not to adopt a Kansas Board of Regents policy that would have made it easier to terminate tenured faculty members for financial reasons in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.