There’s a new Senate district in Kansas, and it pairs up northwest Lawrence with large parts of east Topeka. It also has attracted a full field of candidates seeking to fill the new seat that was created as part of the once-per-decade redistricting process that state law requires. Kansas Senate District 19 has three Democrats vying for the seat, and two Republicans. In Lawrence, the district covers the area ...
Here’s a piece of Lawrence trivia for you: If city commissioners approve the 3.5 mill property tax increase that the city manager has recommended, it will be the largest such increase in Lawrence in at least 50 years. How trivial that is come tax bill time likely depends on the size of your wallet. The increase of 3.5 mills would raise the city tax bill on a $300,000 home by about $120 per year. That’s ...
The School of Hard Knocks — sometimes known as life— is good at teaching a multitude of lessons. It stinks, though, at issuing degrees. The University of Kansas, however, is undertaking a multimillion-dollar project that is creating new types of degree programs that indeed will give students actual college credit for life experiences, and may allow them to earn degrees in a fraction of the normal time. ...
On Wednesday I gave you information about Lawrence developer Tony Krsnich and his plans to tear down a couple of downtown buildings on the old Allen Press property near 11th and New Hampshire streets. But Krsnich — developer of the Warehouse Arts District in East Lawrence — is probably better known for keeping old buildings than tearing them down. And there is one old building in particular that he’s ...
One bit of change already has come for the property at and around the northeast corner of 11th and Massachusetts streets. Now, we’re waiting to see if another piece of change comes, this one via a bulldozer and wrecking ball. The first bit of change is that the property, for the first time in decades, is no longer owned by members of the Allen family, who long used the downtown property for their Allen Press ...
Updated at 4:03 p.m. Tuesday, July 2: Several smaller items related to the homeless situation in Lawrence have emerged recently, so here’s some news and notes on that topic: ••• You might recall in late May that the Journal-World reported on a potentially shocking situation at the city of Lawrence’s Village project that provides temporary housing for people who are otherwise homeless. When I say ...