WRITER: Chad Lawhorn

New boba tea shop with drinks from throughout Asia opens in west Lawrence; new cafe coming to Ninth Street

Maybe a concoction that combines noodles and ice cream is the recipe that will bring the world together. The drink — which also has rose-flavored milk, basil seeds, jelly and other ingredients — is called falooda, and the owner of the newly opened Boba & Beyond shop on West Sixth Street is betting that it will be the biggest surprise and one of the most popular items on the shop’s menu. “It is a ...

About 500 units of affordable housing may be added to proposed development at U.S. 59 and SLT

There’s a new idea for one of the most prominent intersections in Douglas County — about 500 units of affordable housing. Plans have been filed at Lawrence City Hall to change a portion of the 177-acre mixed-use development planned for the intersection of U.S. 59 and the South Lawrence Trafficway. Instead of building a couple of hotels and some medical office buildings along the southern edge of the ...

County denies allegations in lawsuit regarding proposed solar farm, says commissioner did not promise her vote

Allegations that a Douglas County commissioner sought favors for her husband and a co-worker in connection with a proposed 600-acre solar farm project are false, a county attorney said via a legal filing. County officials last week formally responded to a lawsuit challenging county approvals of the Kansas Sky Energy Center, a massive utility project that would place about 8 million square feet of solar panels ...

Redrawn Senate district adds eastern Douglas County, Tonganoxie to Johnson County district

A Kansas Senate district that once was confined to Johnson County now has a new look to it with large parts of eastern Douglas and southern Leavenworth counties added to the district through redistricting. Now, the Johnson County incumbent in the district is facing a challenger from the new territory. Sen. Beverly Gossage is squaring off against Bryan Zesiger, a retired Army pilot who owns a winery in ...

Francisco, Haswood face off for Kansas Senate seat in rare primary that includes two sitting lawmakers

The race to become the Democratic nominee to represent large parts of Lawrence in the Kansas Senate has a high-stakes element to it — one incumbent legislator is guaranteed to lose. That’s because two sitting legislators are running for Kansas Senate District No. 2, which covers nearly all of Lawrence except for portions of far west Lawrence and northwest Lawrence. Sen. Marci Francisco is the incumbent ...

Three Democrats seeking to win Lawrence seat of retired Rep. Boog Highberger

A retirement by a longtime Lawrence legislator has created a three-way race to take his place in the Kansas House. Brittany Hall, Brooklynne Mosley and Logan Ginavan are competing to become the Democratic nominee for Kansas House District No. 46. The seat has become open after Lawrence Democrat Boog Highberger chose not to seek reelection to the seat that he had held since 2015. The district includes most of ...