From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for May 24, 1973:

• The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission this week voted unanimously to urge the Lawrence City Commission to begin enforcing a “non-conforming use” provision of the city zoning ordinance. At issue was section 20-1004 of the zoning ordinance, passed in 1966, which called for discontinuing “non-conforming uses of open land” — for example, salvage yards, contractor yards, and storage yards. Assistant City Manager Dennis Kallsen said that the provision had been invoked several times, but no city-wide survey had been conducted to find violations. However, Richard McClanathan, city-county planning director, said that the provision had never been enforced, adding “I know of about four [non-conforming uses] personally, and I’m sure there are others.” He declined to give specifics.
• A man posing as a representative of the Corps of Engineers had been attempting to scam several residents in the area of the new Clinton Reservoir. He was reported to have attempted to collect rents illegally from persons who had leased property from the Corps. Douglas County sheriff Rex Johnson urged that anyone approached by a rent collector to obtain a description of the person and his vehicle and tag number, and to report to the sheriff’s office as quickly as possible.