When Kellen Gaston’s oldest child was entering kindergarten a little more than 10 years ago, she was happy to send her to the rural elementary school just a little more than a mile north of their home.
Wakarusa Valley School — located at 1104 East 1000 Road, just southeast of Clinton Lake — served as a Lawrence elementary school for many rural students. But Gaston’s daughter, who is now in high school, ...
After taking a full week off during the week of Thanksgiving this school year, the Lawrence school district may keep the weeklong break next school year as well.
The school board on Monday will consider adopting a district calendar for the 2022-23 school year featuring a full week off for Thanksgiving.
That would be a change from the district’s traditional calendar, which included two school days on Monday ...
University of Kansas basketball player Jalen Wilson has been granted diversion in a case where he is charged with a DUI in Douglas County District Court, his attorney said.
Wilson, 21, of Denton, Texas, had been accused of unlawfully operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, which is a misdemeanor, according to a charging document previously provided to the Journal-World.
Hatem Chahine, ...
A Lawrence man has been formally charged with attempted murder for a shooting that occurred outside of a nightclub in rural Douglas County on New Year’s Day.
Daequan Jermaine Rayton, 24, was recently charged with attempted first-degree murder, a level-one felony, for allegedly shooting a man with intent to murder, according to a charging document provided to the Journal-World on Thursday.
If convicted, ...
A scenario that would close Hillcrest Elementary School — as opposed to closing other elementary schools — would not make much sense, the Lawrence school district's data director told a district committee Wednesday.
If the district chooses to close Hillcrest, students in its districtwide English language learning program could be sent to several other schools. However, doing so may not save the district as ...
Three Lawrence teens allegedly shot toy projectiles at anti-mask protesters on Sunday, resulting in a police response.
Lt. David Ernst of the Lawrence Police Department said that around 5 p.m. officers responded to a report of the teens shooting what the alleged victims believed to be projectiles from a paintball gun while they were demonstrating at the intersection of McDonald Drive and Second Street, which is ...
The newest leader of the Lawrence Police Department officially put on his badge on Tuesday.
The City of Lawrence swore in Rich Lockhart, 53, as the chief during a ceremony with his family. He took over a department that had been led by interim leaders for nearly two years after the former chief, Gregory Burns Jr., stepped down.
Lockhart’s wife, Laura, placed his badge on his uniform for him. He was also ...
In the past year, Lynn Stansberry and her family moved to an eastern Lawrence neighborhood so her two children could attend Broken Arrow Elementary, a school near and dear to her heart because she also attended the school when she was a child.
But on Monday, Stansberry said that dream appeared to be threatened, as the Lawrence school district is considering closing the elementary school as a way to save money ...
The Lawrence school district’s absence rate among students this winter is much higher than what the district has seen in the past around the same time frame.
But because of the way the district collects data related to COVID-19, it’s not entirely clear that the increase is due solely to the global pandemic. However, it may provide a better glimpse of just how many students are being affected by the virus, ...
A Lawrence man has been arrested in connection with a shooting that occurred outside of a nightclub in rural Douglas County on New Year’s Day.
Daequan Jermaine Rayton, 24, was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service early Friday morning, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Rayton was transferred to the Douglas County Jail, where he was booked around 12:45 a.m. on suspicion of ...
A Lawrence school district committee is exploring new options for closing elementary and middle schools to help the district address a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall, and it's focusing on several buildings in the eastern and central parts of town — particularly Broken Arrow Elementary and Liberty Memorial Central Middle School.
The scenarios would involve more far-reaching actions than those that were ...
A Lawrence man on Tuesday was sentenced to probation for child pornography charges he was recently convicted of in Douglas County District Court.
Judge Kay Huff sentenced Justin E. Lewis, 25, for his conviction on two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a child. Lewis was convicted of the charges in November after he agreed to a plea deal.
Jill Jess, a spokeswoman for the Douglas County District ...
The mother of Rontarus Washington Jr., who recently saw a murder charge against him dropped in Douglas County District Court, called on the City of Lawrence to hold the local police accountable for what she called “inhumane actions.”
Kenisha Clark made the demand during the Lawrence City Commission meeting on Tuesday. She said her son, who faced a murder charge for several years until the case was dismissed ...
Since returning from winter break last week, the Lawrence school district has been facing a significant number of student and teaching absences.
Nearly 2,000 students have been absent from school each day since Thursday because of a recent COVID-19 surge, said Superintendent Anthony Lewis on Monday during a school board meeting. Those students make up almost about 19%, or nearly one-fifth, of the district’s ...
On a recent freezing-cold morning in western Missouri, Warrensburg Police Chief Rich Lockhart drove across the small community he has called home for the last five years.
He was on his way to the local radio station, 1450 KOKO-AM, to provide his monthly update to the faithful listeners of Marion “Woody” Woods’ weekly show. But unlike previous appearances on the show — where Lockhart had spoken with ...
Two new faces will soon be part of the Lawrence school board.
Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew on Monday will swear in new board members Kay Emerson and Andrew Nussbaum during the board’s meeting on Monday. Incumbent board member Kelly Jones will also be sworn in for a second term.
Along with Jones, Emerson and Nussbaum were elected to the board in November. They will fill the seats of former board members ...
Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez has expressed concern about continuing in-person court hearings as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
While the DA’s office does not have the authority to suspend in-person hearings, Valdez said in a news release this week that she was working to gather input from the public on whether they felt comfortable participating in in-person hearings amid the current ...
The talents of Lawrence students will again be on display during the annual "Ovation!" show this month.
The Lied Center of Kansas announced Thursday that the sixth annual talent show, which features Lawrence high school and middle school students, will return on Jan. 16. The show will be back on the main stage, after it was held virtually in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The featured acts will include ...
A Lawrence man was recently convicted of child pornography charges in Douglas County District Court after he agreed to a plea deal.
Justin E. Lewis, 25, pleaded no contest to two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a child on Nov. 29, according to court records.
In both counts he was accused of conducting an internet search between January and May 2019 for a visual depiction of a child under the age of ...
A Lawrence man who recently asked to represent himself in court against significant child sex crime charges will now pursue mediation in the cases, which could result in him taking a plea deal.
Judge Sally Pokorny on Tuesday allowed Dustyn Polk, 46, to pursue mediation in a case where he is charged with two counts of rape, three counts of aggravated criminal sodomy and one count of aggravated indecent liberties ...
