WRITER: Chad Lawhorn

Lawrence finishes first quarter of 2024 with declining sales tax revenues, but still better than most

Maybe Lawrence City Hall forgot to order new calendars for 2024. Whatever the case, the city has collected almost exactly the same amount of sales tax revenue through the first quarter of 2024 as it did during the same period in 2023. On a balance of more than $7.7 million, the difference between the two years is just $295. While mathematically interesting, that’s not good for a city that has budgets that ...

Longtime Putin critic, former political prisoner, discusses democracy, Ukraine's fragility at KU event

Nadya Tolokonnikova, who spent nearly two years in a Russian prison for a 40-second song criticizing Vladimir Putin, had two messages for a University of Kansas crowd on Thursday evening. The founder of the Russian feminist, protest, art and music group Pussy Riot had a simple enough message for U.S. politicians and anyone else in a position of power to help Ukraine in its fight against the Russian military. ...

KU wins $22 million to build national security research center; FBI director on campus for cybersecurity conference

On a day when the nation’s top cybersecurity crime fighter was on the University of Kansas campus, leaders announced that KU has received $22 million in federal funding to build a new national security research center in Lawrence. U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., announced that a yearslong effort to secure federal funding for the center has been successful. Moran made the announcement while introducing FBI ...

Truity Credit Union to build branch along Iowa Street, becoming first tenant in new KU commercial development

A credit union with a historical connection to the University of Kansas will become the first business to locate in a new venture designed to bring commercial development to the edge of the KU campus. The president and CEO of Truity Credit Union was in Lawrence on Tuesday to announce that the company would build a new branch near 21st and Iowa streets on property owned by an entity controlled by the KU ...

KU drinking water system fell out of compliance with state regulators in July 2023; KU says water is safe

This story was updated at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 1, 2024. Nearly nine months ago regulators found the University of Kansas’ drinking water system was out of compliance with a key safety standard, but KU officials say it “did not pose a significant health risk.” The issues with the water system, though, are just now coming to light as KU posted a brief notice on its website on Friday. “The water ...

Research funding at KU jumped 20% in 2023; largest increase in at least 20 years

You might be tempted to look to the football field when identifying the biggest success story of 2023 at the University of Kansas. A new set of numbers suggests you might want to look to the laboratory instead. Research funding at KU increased by more than 20% last year, its largest increase in at least 20 years, KU announced on Thursday. Research spending — funded by everything from federal, state and ...