59 minors, several local businesses, cited for alcohol violations in state regulator's patrols in May

The 21 drinking age has got to be changed for a number of reasons. Do under age kids drink? Yes. Is it easier for them to purchase beer or hard liquor? Both equally difficult.

When I came to Lawrence at age 18 I had already been able to purchase 3.2 percent beer for 8 months. Most of that was probably 1.2 percent beer! There was no reason for me to hassle about trying to buy whiskey or rum or vodka. Today's kids might as well be drinking hard liquor as beer given that it's all illegal to them. Learning to be a responsible drinker on 3.2 percent beer was much easier than drinking hard liquor (mainly because you were so busy peeing that you couldn't get drunk!).

Also, how is a kid supposed to magically become a responsible drinker on his 21st birthday? Oh, you say, they're more mature than an 18 year old. Give me a break! A kid just doesn't wake up on his 21st birthday and become a responsible drinker. That's why binge drinking has become such a problem in this country.

As for marijuana, Legalize, Regulate, and TAX! We've probably solved our national deficit issue if we could tax the amount of weed that is consumed in this country every year. It scares me to death seeing these kids smoke crap that they have no clue where it came from or what it might be laced with. Once again, since all drugs are equally difficult to acquire why stop at weed? It's time to do the sensible thing and make it accessible. Way too many resources are being spent chasing these kids around town trying to catch them with a joint!

May 25, 2013 at 7:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

KU student killed in crash on U.S. Highway 59

Absolutely! Much of it is floodplain so there would've been very minimal frontage road needs. I recently commented to a friend that that stretch of road was going to be a death trap. KDOT is making some very poor decisions for the sake of saving a few dollars. The 30 mile "official" detour around the 4 mile stretch of Highway 56 going to Baldwin is another example. It may save KDOT a little money not installing shoefly's around those bridges but its costing the public a TON.

May 18, 2013 at 6:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Bid for recreation center comes in about $10 million lower than expected; questions grow over other cost estimates

As I understand it, the City is committed to spend any remaining money on infrastructure. The last I heard Fritzel hasn't even given a price for the infrastructure work so you can bet a good chunk of the remainder will be spent on it. This is complete negligence on the part of the City Commission. They used such preliminary estimates to establish the project budget that they weren't even close. Then you agree to spend up to $25 M based on these preliminary estimates?

The City Managers head should roll over this one. The commissioners need to also be held accountable. I love my alma mater but with the endowment they have there is no reason the City tax payers should be picking up the entire price tag for the infrastructure costs at this facility. There should've been a cost sharing formula established based on percentage of actual costs not a guarantee to spend up to $25 million regardless of where it went.

I fully believe there have been laws broken regarding the procurement of services by a municipality among others. I believe this enough that it may be worth hiring an attorney to further review this entire smelly mess.

May 16, 2013 at 5:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Two KU students arrested in connection with break-in at Memorial Stadium

These guys may seem like typical college students pulling a harmless and humorous prank but they're actually a part of a sinister underground conspiracy to keep KU football at the bottom of the big 12. Just think about it, every time a chair is stolen from Memorial Stadium it decreases the seating capacity by uuuuuhhhhhh........one. If this happens 2000 times over the next ten weeks there won't be enough seats left to hold the throng of fans (at least in the first quarter)! By the way, what chair did they steal? Hope it wasn't mine!

May 11, 2013 at 3:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Lawrence cyclist seriously injured in collision with vehicle

This is (probably) the typical case of the cyclist running through red lights and stop signs because "he has a different set of rules" and a driver not heeding the turn signal laws. We've built millions of dollars worth of bicycle paths in Douglas County to get the recreational cyclist away from traffic. Yet where do you see them? Mostly where they have no business riding. I nearly hit one the other day when he made a sharp left turn from a sidewalk in front of me as I was turning right and looking for oncoming traffic from my left.

May 9, 2013 at 9:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Lawrence man, 53, punched by stranger on Massachusetts Street

Someone else that has some VISION! Thank you for sharing your experience. I've said that for years that downtown Lawrence could be really special if it were closed off to through traffic from about 6th to 9th or 10th and do exactly what you described. What we've always tried to pass off as "quaint" has turned into weird and violent.

April 30, 2013 at 4:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Project to build intergenerational retirement community in Lawrence moving ahead

This is goofy. I hope we don't spend much more than the $12,500 on it. So what does the "62 and Younger" group have to do with it? "The private sector would build those living units." So if I'm 40 and just have a desire to move into this "one of a kind" development I just build there? If the Wall Street Journal likes it maybe they should try it in New York first and see how it goes over, whatever it is......

Let's stop wasting time and money and start developing strategies to maintain or lower property taxes, slow down the runaway cost of utilities, and make this a community that attracts people. That's how we'll become a retirement mecca. We've got plenty of people getting old around here, the only problem is it's not affordable to live here once you retire.

April 30, 2013 at 3:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

City commissioners want to study whether Lawrence needs new plan to guide growth and development

This new study could be called Gloomy 2040. They can prepare it, revise it, revise it, revise it, and finally put it in place in 2028 and then say it has "Gray Hair" in about 2033 and start over. I'm not too sure the gray hair problem is with the study.....

April 24, 2013 at 2:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

KDOT bridge projects on U.S. 56 causing headaches

.Temporary detours should've been constructed around the three bridge sites and the road left open. Yes this saves KDOT money but in the big scheme it's costing the public much more than the detours would have. I can't believe the county didn't have some say in this matter and would've strongly recommended against this ridiculous detour system currently in place.

April 24, 2013 at 2:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Governor forms committee to increase recreational, tourism opportunities on Kansas River

Heard that Brownnose got ticketed for shooting two Turkey's and only having one tag. Apparently he was too lazy to tell his guide to walk 50 yards to see if the first one he shot was dead! Clown doesn't come close to describing this jack$#@.

April 14, 2013 at 4:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )