WRITER: Chad Lawhorn

Over-the-top Christmas-themed bar and restaurant back in Lawrence, with live reindeer and plans for a major Midwest expansion

The thrills are multiplying — and maybe the reindeer too. After starting Snow Globe, an over-the-top, Christmas-themed pop-up bar and restaurant in downtown Lawrence last year, local entrepreneur Ryan Robinson is on the way to expanding the idea across the Midwest. Snow Globe opened again in Lawrence earlier this month, although this year it is located at Dempsey’s, the bar and hamburger restaurant at ...

University of Kansas halts employee vaccine mandate after federal judge in Georgia issues injunction

Story updated at 4 p.m. Tuesday: The University of Kansas is pausing its employee vaccine mandate process, effective immediately, after a federal judge in Georgia issued an injunction halting implementation of the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal government contractors and subcontractors. KU employees do not need to take any further action related to the mandate at this time, Chancellor Douglas ...

Thanks to the pandemic, Douglas County's job totals are about where they were in 2012

Unless you are browsing through my wardrobe, it usually is difficult to travel back in time. But a new set of federal jobs numbers will give you a chance. For example, they show those of us in Douglas County are living a bit like it was 2012. That’s because the number of jobs that exist in Douglas County is only slightly higher than the number that existed in 2012, according to numbers released this past ...

Lawrence sales tax collections weaken in November report, but still strong for the year

As the year draws to a close, we are getting a better sense of how much bounce this bounce-back year has had in Lawrence. The answer: Slightly less than average. The city of Lawrence recently received its November sales tax check from the state, meaning it now has 11 of the 12 checks for the year in the books and in the bank. The November sales tax report mainly represents sales made in September, due to ...

School board members struggle to explain secrecy behind settlement agreement; district says it now intends to release documents

Questions about the conduct of the Lawrence school board mounted on Thursday as an attorney said the district’s efforts to keep a settlement agreement secret are improper, and school board members offered few reasons for the secrecy. On Monday evening, the Lawrence school board approved an agreement with Constellation New Energy’s gas division to settle a disputed natural gas bill resulting from the ...

Berry Plastics, one of Lawrence's largest employers, is under pressure from investor to sell

Plastic cups are big business in Lawrence, and I don’t just mean the ones that get filled at certain college parties. Berry Global makes and ships tons of plastic cups at its two Douglas County facilities. But now, a major investor of the company is saying Berry needs to make more money from its plastics business, or else it needs to sell the company to someone who will. Berry was recently the subject of a ...