WRITER: Chad Lawhorn

Plan for large annexation west of SLT shrinks by more than 300 acres; less land set aside for housing

A massive annexation request touted as the first step to adding more than 1,000 single family homes west of the South Lawrence Trafficway has changed. It is less massive and less about single family housing — at least temporarily. We’ve been reporting for months that a group led by a Wichita businessman is pursuing the annexation of 650 acres west of the SLT in an area that generally is north and west of ...

With half the year done, Lawrence again on pace to set record low for single family home construction

Lawrence home builders haven’t yet found their “limbo moment.” After setting a new record low for single family housing starts last year, builders in 2026 haven’t yet found the answer to “how low can you go,” according to the latest set of statistics. With half a year in the books, Lawrence home builders have taken out 15 single family building permits thus far in 2026. That’s down from 19 single ...

Kansas City development company seeking to build $100M worth of housing at KU's West Campus district

The Crossing — KU’s West Campus development near the northwest corner of Clinton Parkway and Iowa Street — long has been envisioned to be a “live, work, play” district that elevates KU’s standing in the region. Well, the work part is solidly in place. The West Campus area is buzzing with hundreds of employees each day, ranging from start-up companies at KU-affiliated incubator buildings to ...

Lawrence home sales down for the year, despite an uptick in number of homes for sale

More homes for sale in Lawrence did not lead to more homes actually being bought in the city last month, according to the latest report from the Lawrence Board of Realtors. For years, local real estate agents have said the biggest obstacle to boosting the city’s home sales has been a lack of homes on the market. The Lawrence market in June, however, saw a more than 20% increase in the number of homes for ...

K.C. company plans to start program for Lawrence residents to recycle food waste, create area compost facility

You sure can recycle food, and I’m not just talking about taking a chance on the meatloaf a week after it was served. For a long time, gardeners in the know have been saving their food scraps in buckets or bins to allow those scraps to break down into a nutrient-rich compost to feed their plants. But what if you are not a gardener but like the recycling idea known as “food composting” nonetheless? Soon, ...

'Honor of my life': Retiring Regents leader reflects on higher education and the challenges it faces

There were only a few ticks left on the clock until retirement officially began. Blake Flanders, president and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents, had agreed to do a 2 p.m. interview with the Journal-World on June 30, the last day of the state’s fiscal year. That also meant it was the last day — the last couple of hours — of his more than 20-year career with the state agency responsible for overseeing ...