From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for July 22, 1975:

• Lawrence drivers were needing to learn some new habits as a fifth lane on 23rd Street neared completion. The new lane, running down the middle of the street, was marked for left turns only. “That means drivers heading east and west will be using the lane simultaneously,” an article explained today, “but it does not necessarily mean there will be an increase in head-on collisions.” A photo of the newly painted lanes in the next day’s Journal-World noted in the caption that police had “expressed consternation at the number of drivers using a newly-created left turn lane on 23rd Street as if it were a brand new lane for through traffic.” Robert Dark, city engineering supervisor, was quoted as saying that new signs would be installed to make the traffic patterns easier to understand.
• Violent crime was down in Lawrence, but non-violent crime was up — the opposite of the national trend for cities with a similar population. First-quarter statistics also showed that overall, crime in Lawrence was up 21.3 percent from the same period in 1974, outpacing the nationwide increase of 18 percent. Lawrence Mayor Barkley Clark said he would bring up the subject of the rising crime rate tonight at the city commission meeting. “I don’t know the answer except to continue beefing up our law enforcement. Since this is budget time, we might discuss it tonight and see whether the city manager thinks we are adequately staffed in law enforcement,” Clark said.