WRITER: Chad Lawhorn

Jane Bateman's interior store closing after 44 years; Lawrence Parade of Homes set for next two weekends

The idea didn’t take at first with Jane Bateman. She was happily handling fabrics all day, creating drapes, slip covers and other items that make an interior design complete. Then her boss at Bud Jennings Carpets in downtown Lawrence told her about plans to move the store to far south Lawrence as his sons were entering the business. With the move and expansion, they probably weren’t going to focus on ...

Longtime bar Conroy's closes, but Murf's Pub takes its place in west Lawrence

Paul Murrison traded in a job at private golf clubs in the Southwest, in part, for a Golden Tee machine on the back wall. No, this isn’t a story about video game addiction, but rather about a longtime bar and restaurant manager taking his shot at owning his own place. “I couldn’t go to my grave without owning my own joint,” Murrison said. So Murrison this month opened Murf’s Pub at 3115 W. Sixth ...

Affordable housing, rising utility bills among the topics discussed at downtown forum for City Commission candidates

There was talk of whether a dollar store should locate downtown. There was talk of whether affordable housing units should be built above the Community Building in downtown. And there was even a question about whether the city will be able to afford future spending in downtown, with so many other bills mounting. No matter the specific topic, the common theme was downtown and how candidates for the Lawrence ...

Developer of Warehouse Arts District signs deal to redevelop large Allen Press site in downtown Lawrence

Get ready for another round of debate about what the south end of Massachusetts Street ought to look like. Prominent Lawrence developer Tony Krsnich — the founder of the Warehouse Arts District — has signed a deal that gives him the development rights to the former Allen Press property near 11th and Massachusetts streets. Expect a big discussion because the property is big. The old Allen Press printing ...

Quick service oil center to take the place of old bank branch on Iowa Street

If you are keeping a running list, here’s another difference between New York’s Wall Street and Lawrence’s Iowa Street. On Wall Street, news of converging interests between banking and oil may completely change the direction of the market. On Iowa Street, it may well change the direction of my pickup truck. The big banking and oil convergence on Iowa Street is that plans have been filed for a vacant bank ...

LMH reports another COVID death; overall case numbers start to decline in Douglas County

LMH Health has reported the death of another COVID patient, but the county is starting to see signs of a slowdown in cases of the virus. Information about the death, which the hospital said occurred on Sunday, was scant. The death didn’t show up on the latest fatality county compiled by Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, which continues to list 94 total Douglas County deaths tied to COVID. LMH Health ...