News and notes from around town:

• With all the restaurants in downtown, there is a new one betting that it has found an untapped food niche: Fried chicken.

Oh Boy! Chicken opened Friday at 125 E. 10th St. in the space immediately west of India Palace. The restaurant serves traditional fried chicken, Cajun fried chicken, fried catfish, country fried steak, along with sides such as mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, braised greens, dumplings and sweet potato fries. The restaurant also has an Asian flair, which comes from its owners who also own The Orient, 1006 Mass., and Anglers Seafood House, 1004 Mass.

Manager Kevin Nguyen said the restaurant plans to begin offering evening delivery within the next few weeks.

“We just figured everybody loves fried chicken, and we think we’ll be pretty unique offering delivery,” Nguyen said.

But the restaurant does have odd hours, as the Nguyen family tries to operate three restaurants at once. The restaurant is open from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday the restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. It is closed on Tuesdays.

• A major project to improve the Lake Alvamar Dam will be discussed at an upcoming meeting. State and watershed officials will host a meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the Douglas County Courthouse. The meeting will spell out proposed improvements to the dam, which is near Clinton Parkway and the Sport 2 Sport recreation facility. The proposed improvements include replacing the dam’s spillway, increasing the height of the dam, reconstructing the stilling basin and other improvements that are expected to add 100 years to the life of the dam.

The 1974 dam recently was found to be in need of improvement as development both upstream and downstream has increased. Details on the plan can be found here.

• Speculation is starting to heat up around the upcoming Lawrence City Commission election. There’s word that City Commissioner Mike Dever has begun to show signs of putting together a group of campaign volunteers for a re-election bid. Dever has not yet said whether he plans to seek re-election.

News of this week’s cabinet appointments by Gov.-elect Sam Brownback also has prompted speculation that City Commissioner Rob Chestnut also may run again. Chestnut was a candidate to serve as Brownback’s budget director, but now that the position has been filled it reopens the possibility that Chestnut may seek re-election. Chestnut hasn’t yet commented on his plans. Lance Johnson is the third commissioner up for election. He hasn’t yet offered any comments indicating that he plans to run again.

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