From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Sept. 25, 1915:

• “Members of the city commission are considering a plan to help property owners who wish to get more light in the street in front of their premises. It has been suggested that the city might be willing to give away the old gas lamp standards to householders who will agree to place them in front of their residences and install lights in them. Trinity Lutheran church already has taken advantage of this inclination on the part of the authorities and has installed two of the posts in front of the church. The city of course undertakes no share in the upkeep of the light. That is all on the property owner. But it helps the property owners who must have lights to install them at an economical figure.”
• “There is much concern felt in Lawrence, Topeka and Abilene today over the possible fate of Miss Myrtle Shane, well known in the three cities, as it is possible she has been a victim in the anti-Christian massacre in Armenia. When last heart from Miss Shane was in Bitlis, a Turkish city of some 58,000 inhabitants, largely populated by Armenians, but with a preponderant population of Turkish Mohammedans. The last heard directly from Miss Shane was a letter to her sister, Mrs. A. E. Newby of this place. It was dated during the latter part of July…. Early today William Shane of Abilene received a telegram from Washington stating that the latest reports from Bitlis, where there have been recent uprisings of the Moslem population against Christians of all classes, were to the effect that Miss Shane, his niece, with many others, is ‘missing.’… It is but natural that the relatives and friends give the report the most sinister construction…. Miss Shane was a gifted linguist, and her prominence in the affairs of the Congregational college and mission is said to be largely due to her knowledge of the various Armenian and Turkish languages and dialects of that region…. Miss Shane was born in Lawrence, and was one of the finest women the town has ever produced, in every sense of the word. She graduated in turn from the city high school and the University, and entered upon her chosen life work of teaching with an enthusiasm and consecration that could hardly be excelled. The entire community is shocked at the possibility that Miss Shane has met with an untimely end, and hopes that first reports will be effectively dispelled by later and more reliable news.”
• “Douglas county has in a proposition made by residents along West Ninth street an opportunity to make an advance in the direction of a system of rock roads. The imperative need of improving the extension of Ninth street which connects with the California road has caused a number of residents to enter into an agreement whereby they will pay a part of the cost of a half mile of rock road. The extension of Ninth street is one part of the Y which connects the city with the California road, the other entrance being on Fourth street and it is a well populated and progressive neighborhood…. It is almost certain to mean that another half mile leading to the south from the California road will be constructed, as the property owners along that road are equally anxious for a permanent roadway. This would connect the town’s paving system with a part of the community that has a good population and would join the city with a populous farming community farther out which does an immense amount of trading with the town.”
• “The Douglas county fair ended last night with a big crowd at Woodland Park, a crowd which enjoyed the horse show and all the events of the closing night. If the large attendance last night had been preceded by a sufficient number of other large crowds, the fair would have resulted in a financial success instead of winding up with a deficit. The fair this year failed to pay expenses…. Even with a fairly large crowd yesterday afternoon, the races of the afternoon program cost a great deal more money than was taken in at the gate, and the same was true of other days of the fair.”