Health | VIEW ALL

Childhood vaccine rates could get worse as demand for shots dips in Kansas City

Two of the Kansas City area’s largest public health departments are seeing a significant drop in demand for vaccinations. The Kansas City Health Department said vaccine traffic has fallen as much as 30% from a year ago, while the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment reports a ...

As e-bike and e-scooter injuries spike, what’s Kansas doing to help?

Ten-year-old Duke Ommert died after an electric scooter crash in Leawood last year when a car struck him as he crossed the street mid-block. Duke’s death, other e-scooter and electric bike injuries (a nearly 300% increase in emergency room visits from 2017 to 2024) and warnings from doctors ...

Pennsylvania reports first 2 measles deaths in the US this year

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Two unvaccinated Pennsylvania residents have died after being infected with measles, the first U.S. deaths this year related to the contagious virus. State health officials announced the deaths Tuesday. They did not reveal any details about the people who died, other ...

Home and Garden | VIEW ALL

These plants add color to gardens and pots when summer flowers fade

The hanging planter on my porch has seen better days. And by better days, I mean the summer annuals have dried to a brown crisp that likely has the neighbors wondering if the Addams Family has moved in. I like to believe the extreme heat did them in, but I know neglect has also played a ...

How to test your lawn for grubs and what to do if you find them

What does it mean when brown patches show up in a perfectly healthy lawn? The truth is, it could be anything from drought to dog urine, fungal diseases, pests or too much fertilizer. But many homeowners automatically blame grubs. The problem with this is that it's often not the case, and even ...

Starry symbol of the Alps makes an unusual addition to rock gardens

If you're looking to plant a rare flower with a storied past that's had a well-known song written about it, edelweiss will check all your boxes. My mother grew up in northeastern Italy, just over the Austrian border near the Alps, where edelweiss grow wild along steep rocky ledges. When I was ...

Food | VIEW ALL

Buffalo chicken tacos with an extra kick

These Crispy Baked Buffalo Chicken Tacos from my cookbook "The Protein Meal Prep Plan" are stuffed with a collard slaw made with a protein-packed ranch dressing (yes … protein ranch!) that, I have a feeling, will surprise you by how delicious it is. This protein ranch is so good, I make ...

A flavor-boosting soak takes lobster rolls to another level

I've never been to Maine for a lobster roll, but the ones I've had in other places have been so good that I knew I needed to make one myself. This version is from my cookbook "Home" and is made with perfectly cooked lobster meat that is plump, juicy, and tender but also firm, and slightly ...

A simple no-cook tomato sauce for peak summer heat

When tomatoes are at their peak — and it's too hot to turn on the oven — this simple, no-cook sauce from my cookbook "Pasta Every Day" is what I come back to time and again. It's often called pomodoro crudo and served with very thin spaghetti, though you'll find many variations, including ...

Arts and Entertainment | VIEW ALL

Go, See, Do: Final Friday Art Walk, markets, a block party and more

Friday, August 28 Happy Birthday Senator Elizabeth Dole Community Blood Drive, noon-4 p.m., Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive. See doleinstitute.org for details and donation sign-up. Clear the Shelter Event, noon-6 p.m., Lawrence Humane Society, 1805 E. 19th St. Adoption fees ...

Lifestyle Columns | VIEW ALL

Local History: Watson Park has long history as community venue

Whether you know it for its train or its swimming pool or its basketball court and playground equipment, the park running for two blocks between Kentucky and Tennessee streets has been through a lot. Often referred to as “Train Park” in reference to the No. 1073 locomotive on its grounds, ...

Local History: The many moves of Douglas County’s ‘No. 6’ school

Most of the rural schools in Douglas County are identified by a name as well as a number. An exception to this norm is “No. 6.” Goldie Piper Daniels, in her 1974 history of the educational buildings in our county, notes that the name “Crutchfield” was found attached to No. 6 on an ...

Local History: A Medal of Honor recipient who lived in Lawrence

On the east side of Iowa Street, between 19th and 23rd streets, stands the United States Army Reserve Training Center, which bears the name of Samuel J. Churchill. Churchill is one of two Medal of Honor recipients to have been Lawrence residents and to be buried here. Churchill was ...

Local History: After Quantrill’s Raid, a Lawrence church became a morgue

On the east side of the 700 block of Vermont Street, you can see a small bronze plaque on a brick building at about eye level. It tells of a First Methodist Church that once stood there, which was built in 1857 and was used as morgue following Quantrill’s Raid on Aug. 21, 1863. More than ...