Lawrence news
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New executive director of Family Promise of Lawrence resigns
Monique Wahba, recently named director of Family Promise of Lawrence, has resigned from her position because the role does not “align as well with (her) career goals” as she had anticipated, the organization announced Friday.
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Lawrence, KS WeatherMORE LAWRENCE NEWS
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More than 200 new COVID-19 cases reported in Douglas County since Monday
Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health has received 210 reports of new COVID-19 cases since Monday, according to the department’s Wednesday update, bringing the total of known active cases to 908.
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Free State High School teacher honored with Dedication to Education Award for ‘never giving up on students’
Erin McDaneld-Campbell, a Free State High School special education teacher, was selected to receive the 2021 Dedication to Education Award and the $5,000 check that goes with it.
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Lawrence’s winter emergency shelter ‘in danger of closing’ without volunteer support, city says; paid positions available
The city’s winter emergency shelter is in dire need of volunteers to staff the Community Building on nights when the temperature drops below 35°. Part-time positions paying $18 per hour are also available.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.