Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
When Natasha Neal embraces her late son Isaiah Neal’s child, familiar eyes look back at her. The 4-month-old baby never got to meet his father but carries his name and more. Isaiah would’ve turned 18 on Wednesday, but he was shot and killed in June 2024.
August Rudisell / Lawrence Times
When it comes to preventing violence in Douglas County, experts told a crowd of about 50 people on Thursday it takes a comprehensive community approach, and those efforts need to focus on youth as early as possible.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Local experts will share data and perspectives on homicides, suicides and gun violence in Douglas County during the upcoming Public Health After Dark panel.
An intense confrontation between a Republican and Democrat on the Kansas House floor Thursday during a gun debate forced the chamber into a two-hour recess as leadership worked to deescalate tensions.
Maya Hodison/Lawrence Times
A grieving aunt told a Kansas City teen during his sentencing Friday that he “robbed this family of generations” of her niece.
Natasha Neal, a prominent Lawrence activist, is channeling her grief into a renewed fight for justice and systemic change after her 17-year-old son, Isaiah Neal, was shot and killed June 13.
Natasha Torkzaban/Lawrence Times
Family members remember Brianna Higgins, a 15-year-old Lawrence girl who was recently shot and killed, as loving, loyal and “a force to be reckoned with.”
Following the shooting deaths of three local teens within 15 months, Lawrence school district Superintendent Anthony Lewis is calling a community meeting to discuss safety.
State officials warned that fentanyl has become a significant threat to Kansas adolescents, though numbers for child homicide and suicide still far outstrip child drug-related deaths.
The Douglas County chapter of Moms Demand Action will observe the 8th National Gun Violence Awareness Day by wearing orange and collecting donations for survivors of domestic violence.
