WRITER: Chad Lawhorn

Casey's opens its first store in Lawrence; plans for second store still moving forward

Beginning on this rainy Thursday, Lawrence residents looking for a tank of gas for their car — or maybe their ark — have a new national chain to choose from. The convenience store chain Casey’s officially opened its Lawrence location today. We’ve been reporting for months that Casey’s had decided to break into the Lawrence market. The store at 1703 W. Sixth St. — where the College Motel used to be ...

A guitar shop with a '400-pound iPod shuffle' coming to downtown Lawrence

Whether your dream is to be a rock star or simply to imitate The Fonz, there soon will be a downtown shop designed to appeal to you. A lifelong Lawrence resident has struck a deal to open a Massachusetts Street guitar shop that also will have lots of other music memorabilia. “This shop has been a dream of mine since I came to terms that I wasn’t going to be a rock star,” said Casey Green. He plans to ...

LMH finances take a turn for the worse as drug and labor costs mount; $3 million profit shifts to $4 million loss

At the halfway point of 2018, Lawrence Memorial Hospital had posted an operating profit of $3.3 million. By the midpoint of this year, LMH had an operating loss of $4.2 million. Yes, the hospital is a nonprofit business, but this type of performance isn’t what it expects. The hospital always seeks to have its revenues outpace its expenses so it can invest in new equipment and services — and ensure that it ...

A look at what Lawrence's new city manager has learned so far, and a peek at a possible debate to come

With about one month on the job, City Manager Craig Owens already has made some observations about his new community. For one thing, we have plenty to say in public meetings. Owens has been to three City Commission meetings, and booked about 12 hours as part of them. The long meetings haven’t scared him away. “You care and you should,” said Owens, who previously served as city manager for Clayton, Mo., ...

New reasons to question whether major shopping center at SLT and U.S. 59 will ever get built

Plans to build one of the largest shopping centers in Lawrence are now in doubt after a local judge this week dismissed a lawsuit against the city. At issue is a proposed shopping center at the interchange of U.S. Highway 59 and the South Lawrence Trafficway in south Lawrence. The shopping center would add about 600,000 square feet — at least eight new stores and that many additional restaurants, plus a ...

Home sales continue to slump in Lawrence, although home prices not yet going down

We’ve heated up, evidenced by the fact that I expect to be doused with a Gatorade bath even for minor victories like getting out of my chair without pulling a muscle. But with half of the year in the books, Lawrence’s real estate market still hasn’t even warmed. We’ve been reporting all year that Lawrence’s real estate market is off to its slowest start — at least in terms of sales — in a long ...