From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for May 13, 1916:

• “The people of Lawrence and the city officials of Lawrence were surprised this morning when a gang of twenty workmen started tearing up the pavement along the middle of the 600 block on Massachusetts street. They were preparing a way for the interurban track which will be laid from the present car line at Seventh street to the interurban track which will cross the bridge. No notice that the work was to be started today was given to the city officials.”
• “The Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroads are experiencing some difficulty in getting men for track work both on regular section crews and extra steel gangs. Of late years Mexicans have been the chief standby of these railroads in this kind of work. The Santa Fe has been planning to change rails on the track from Noria to Topeka for several months. Also to change the rails on the branch line which goes from Lawrence to Ottawa…. One reason for the shortage of Mexican track hands is the present Mexican trouble. Men who are in touch with the situation are of the opinion that a large number of the section hands have returned to Mexico to become colonels or generals in the Mexican army. Even as early as last summer Mexican track hands told American acquaintances that they would work a few more weeks and return to Mexico because a big war was going to be fought…. Another probable reason for the shortage in hands is the fact that many large improvements have been planned by the Santa Fe and other large systems which are requiring a greater amount of men than usual.”
• “The Douglas county Progressive party is for Theodore Roosevelt and preparedness without militarism according to the resolutions adopted at the meeting of the party…. The meeting of the party was small. Only about a dozen members were present. A delegation from Baldwin was unable to come, while a party expected from Lecompton missed a train and arrived too late for the meeting. Several of the party who were present were in favor of trying to organize with the Republican party in order to insure the defeat of a Democratic candidate for the presidency this year. ‘Anything to beat a Democrat?’ one member was asked. ‘Anything would be better than a Democrat at this time,’ he answered.”
• “The completion of grading the papers of the pupils who took the diploma examinations shows that eighty children of the Douglas county rural schools will graduate this year. The graduation exercises will be held May 20 in Lawrence…. The number of graduates is slightly less than it was last year. Superintendent Hawley charges this against the epidemic of grippe prevalent last winter.”
• “Notices were prepared today by the county commissioners to send to the road overseers in the county telling them to desist from road dragging until further notice. The reason given was the lack of funds.”