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August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
City budget would hike property taxes, seek to double 0.5% sales tax to support homelessness solutions
The Lawrence city manager’s proposed budget for 2025 would increase the property tax rate, and it proposes asking voters to double the .05% affordable housing sales tax to support homelessness initiatives. It would also cut some of Parks & Rec’s budget.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
City budget would hike property taxes, seek to double 0.5% sales tax to support homelessness solutions
The Lawrence city manager’s proposed budget for 2025 would increase the property tax rate, and it proposes asking voters to double the .05% affordable housing sales tax to support homelessness initiatives. It would also cut some of Parks & Rec’s budget.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
