WRITER: Chad Lawhorn

Lawrence's Orscheln Farm & Home store to become a Bomgaars location after federal regulators step in on larger Tractor Supply merger

You know you are not exactly in the Wall Street fast lane if the big merger you have been wondering about involves tractors instead of tweets. While the fellows in the Teslas have been wondering about the future of Twitter, those of us who drive something with a granny gear have wondered if Lawrence may be set to lose one of its two farm and ranch supply stores. If you recall, the national chain Tractor Supply ...

Residents concerned LPD has 'hands-off' policy with homeless; police chief says that's not policy but he's concerned about rising tensions, talk of firearms

First, it was a man shouting a whole lot of expletives running from his vehicle parked near the Kansas River in downtown Lawrence. Next, it was the man sticking his head through the rolled-down car window of a woman who had stopped to have a conversation with another woman in the area. And finally, it was the spittle. Spittle spewed by one angry man. That was Sarah Hill-Nelson’s workday commute about ...

Red Lyon Tavern plans to expand downtown Lawrence space; latest project to take advantage of new city regulations

Soccer is played with your feet, but in my experience, it is watched with your hands — often with a cold, sudsy beverage in them. One of Lawrence’s most popular soccer bars has filed plans to expand, in part, to make sure it has plenty of room for soccer fans and other patrons. The Red Lyon Tavern, 944 Massachusetts St., has filed plans with City Hall to expand into the space adjacent to the tavern, which ...

Downtown Lawrence Inc. to no longer host Santa rescue, holiday lighting ceremony, but Central Rotary Club agrees to take over

There’s been a Santa Claus rumor floating around the community that is hotter than even the one about a nose so shiny you would even say it glows. There was speculation that the longtime downtown tradition of rescuing Santa from the top of Weaver’s Department Store was ending. Indeed, there was a time that was a possibility, as the nonprofit entity Downtown Lawrence Inc. decided it no longer wanted to ...

Plans filed for big self-storage project near Rock Chalk Park, but what happened to plan for 400 new homes?

Look for about 100,000 square feet of mini self-storage units to be built on vacant property north of Rock Chalk Park in the not-too-distant future. That project, though, raises an interesting question: Will there ever be any homes built north of Rock Chalk Park? The area north of the Rock Chalk Park sports complex, at Sixth Street and Kansas Highway 10, is one of the more interesting ones in Lawrence. The ...

With fresh cream cakes and a combination of French and Asian influences, new bakery plans to open in west Lawrence

Any bakery that is named “Everyday” gets off on the right foot with me because that is exactly how I like my sweets and carbs. West Lawrence indeed is getting such a bakery, although you may need to brush up on your French to know it. The bakery Tous les Jours — French for “everyday” — is in the process of opening in a portion of the former Blue Moose Bar & Grill at 525 Wakarusa Drive, which is ...