WRITER: Chad Lawhorn

Hazing incidents at KU may have been an actual crime, but university doesn't plan to turn findings over to law enforcement

One University of Kansas student had his head slammed against a fraternity room locker enough times that he received a concussion severe enough that he was ill for a week. Another KU student received harassing text messages, had beer bottles thrown at him, and ultimately left KU with a diagnosis that harassment from fellow fraternity members had produced post-traumatic stress disorder. And, then, there is a ...

Girod expresses support for governor's recommended budget for higher ed; state waits on $53 million ruling

One year has made a big difference in how University of Kansas leaders feel about the governor’s attitude toward higher education funding. At this time last year, KU Chancellor Douglas Girod was lamenting Gov. Laura Kelly’s recommended budget for higher education, calling the proposed 5.3% cut a disappointment and a concern. But on Thursday, Girod joined a growing chorus of higher education leaders who ...

Governor's budget would add $100M to higher education; pay raises, tuition freeze part of plan

Kansas’ higher education system would get about $100 million in new state money under the governor’s recommended budget unveiled Wednesday, funding everything from a tuition freeze to wage increases at the University of Kansas and other universities. “We think it is a great day for higher education,” Cheryl Harrison-Lee, chair of the Kansas Board of Regents, told the Journal-World. Well, preliminarily ...

Mask mandate back at Allen Fieldhouse; chancellor warns crowd size may be limited if compliance wanes

Updated at 11:13 a.m. Friday The University of Kansas’ chancellor is warning fans that KU may limit attendance at basketball games at Allen Fieldhouse if fans don’t start doing a better job of wearing masks. Chancellor Douglas Girod on Friday sent a message to the campus community reiterating that Douglas County’s new mask mandate does include Allen Fieldhouse. The fieldhouse previously had been under a ...

Kansas Statehouse in Topeka

Local legislators express optimism on elimination of sales tax on groceries; medical marijuana, sports betting less certain

Debates on everything from medical marijuana to legalized sports betting to an old-fashioned fight on income tax rates are expected in Kansas’ upcoming legislative session, but local lawmakers said Friday that predicting their outcomes was difficult. The local legislative delegation, though, was more confident on one issue: removing the state sales tax on groceries. Several legislators said they expected ...

New owners at Clinton Lake Marina plan to open boat club this spring

If you have been a boater long enough, you’ve probably heard that the word “boat” actually is an acronym: Break Out Another Thousand. There are lots of things to go wrong on a boat that are expensive to fix and that usually happen at the wrong time. But, when it goes right, a day on the water can be tough to beat. A new set of owners at the Clinton Lake Marina are starting a new business venture that ...