WRITER: Chad Lawhorn

Winter natural gas bills to be about $40 per month higher than last year, Black Hills Energy predicts

Lawrence’s largest natural gas utility is now warning that winter heating bills will increase by about 57%, on average, as predicted cold weather and high gas prices team up to produce pain on pocketbooks. Black Hills Energy said on Tuesday that an average home is likely to see a monthly natural gas bill of about $120 this winter, compared to about $78 last year. If you are a natural gas customer, you may ...

State regulators express concern about possible electric rate increases by Evergy

State regulators on Tuesday expressed concerns about whether billions of dollars in planned energy projects by Evergy would ultimately produce unnecessary increases in electric rates. The Kansas Corporation Commission issued an order requiring Evergy — the state’s largest electric utility — to better explain $10.4 billion worth of future capital expenditures the public utility has planned between now and ...

Rumblings about an expansion of The Bottleneck, plus a code change that could produce bigger downtown bars

Maybe you have heard rumblings that the popular downtown bar and music venue The Bottleneck is expanding. I know I certainly have. Well, its owner tells me he’s looking at expansion options but doesn’t currently have any definitive plans to grow. Yet, the mere rumblings of an expansion for The Bottleneck have produced a change that may shake up the downtown bar scene. How’s that? Three words: Revised ...

KU employees to receive new round of diversity, equity, inclusion training

Many KU employees soon will be expected to take at least an hour’s worth of online training in diversity, equity and inclusion, according to a pair of recent memos from KU leaders. University of Kansas Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer on Friday sent a memo to faculty and staff at the Lawrence and Edwards campuses inviting them to take a one-hour online course titled “Diversity and Inclusion.” Upon further ...

Seeking the next big idea: KU spending $12 million in search of new research ideas that could spur state, local economies

You couldn’t blame the world of scientific researchers if the only thing its members wanted to do was talk about what just happened. After all, they’ve got a pretty good claim that they just produced one of the greatest scientific achievements in all of history. A lightning-quick development of vaccines has saved millions of lives from COVID-19, and it was researchers — including Barney Graham who did ...

Big sportswear store set for 23rd and Iowa; final voter turnout numbers; KU housing update

Some news and notes from around town: — Plans have been filed for a sportswear retailer to take over the large, vacant space at 23rd and Iowa streets where the Cork & Barrel liquor store previously was located before it moved to 23rd and Ousdahl. Rally House has filed plans with City Hall to occupy the 11,000-square-foot space at 2000 W. 23rd St. So, one type of game-day store is taking the spot of a ...