WRITER: Chad Lawhorn

Construction workers lift the wall of a home under construction on Silver Rain Road in this file photo from April 2016.

Realtor group begins to worry about Lawrence's growth policies; home sales forecast to decline slightly in 2020

Don’t expect Lawrence’s real estate market to regain its bounce in 2020, a Wichita State economist told Lawrence Realtors on Thursday. A slight decline is more likely for the number of home sales next year. Stanley Longhofer, director of the WSU Center for Real Estate, is forecasting that home sales in 2020 will be down about 3.5% from this year’s totals. Longhofer is projecting 2019 will finish with ...

Old liquor store on Massachusetts Street set to become jiujitsu studio

After spending 3 1/2 years in a motor home as a “nomad jiujitsu instructor,” maybe it is not surprising that Robert Riley ended up at a Lawrence liquor store. But no, this is not one of those types of stories. Riley actually is turning the old liquor store building into a jiujitsu studio, with the help of a business partner who also has his own story of a winding journey. Riley and business partner Charlie ...

Mexican restaurant Tortas Jalisco reopens; plans also filed for a laundromat and a pawn shop

A longtime Mexican restaurant is back from a nine-month break, and it has reopened in a spot that may remind you of its beginnings. Tortas Jalisco has opened in the back room of Empire Bar & Billiards near Ninth and Iowa streets. Being in a pool hall is a new experience for Tortas, but operating a restaurant in a small space isn’t. If you remember, Tortas Jalisco got its start in the corner of a gas ...

With both funk and vintage, antique shop opens in East Lawrence

The hoopla in Washington, D.C. is about an impeachment inquiry. The Hoopla in East Lawrence is, oddly, about paper dolls of Richard Nixon. If you are confused, I can’t really explain presidential paper dolls, but I can tell you that Hoopla is the name of a new East Lawrence boutique. Indeed, Hoopla, 840 Connecticut St., is a vintage furniture and antique shop that specializes in items from the 1950s, 1960s ...

Another all-you-can-eat buffet waves the white flag; an update on old Montana Mike's space

When it comes to all-you-can-eat buffets, a question hangs over such establishments: What will break first, my belt or the will of the buffet owner? For one of Lawrence’s largest buffets, it looks like it is the latter. The CiCi’s pizza restaurant, and its buffet, at 23rd and Iowa streets seemingly has closed. While there is no sign on the door, the restaurant was locked up on Thursday. A peek through the ...

Lawrence sales tax collections post their best month of the year; rest of state also soars

That boom you heard in July wasn’t a firework after all. Apparently it was the Kansas economy exploding with new energy. The state has released its latest sales tax report, and it shows the vast majority of cities and counties in the state posted big increases in sales tax collections in July. Remarkably, the report shows that more than 80% of the 381 counties and cities that have a local sales tax posted an ...

Local baker files plans to open doughnut shop across the street from Lawrence High

As construction work continues at Lawrence High, I have news that may cause leaders there to consider adding one more project to the list: A warehouse to store nothing but Wet Wipes. Plans have been filed for a doughnut shop to locate directly across the street from LHS — and yes, it will have plenty of sticky glazed doughnuts. For weeks, people have been noticing activity at the old laundromat just north of ...

District attorney's office completes training in spotting, preventing biases that may creep into its work

When you see that someone is always late to important events — work, doctor’s appointments, court-ordered appearances — you may become worried that person doesn’t understand responsibility. When you are a criminal prosecutor, that worry may cause you to recommend a certain bond amount for a defendant or influence any number of other choices about what type, if any, plea deal you are going to offer the ...

Longtime Pyramid Pizza owner shares memories of the now closed restaurant; manufacturer files plans for expansion in East Hills

As the guy who got to deliver a Pyramid Pizza to comedian Bob Hope, Mark McKee is a bit more bummed about the closing of the longtime Lawrence pizza restaurant than the rest of us. He’s also the guy who might be able to do something about it. As we reported earlier this week, Pyramid Pizza at 1029 Massachusetts St. seemingly has closed after more than 30 years in business. A sign on the door says the ...

Taco restaurant to replace upscale grill in downtown; Lawrence's longtime Pyramid Pizza restaurant closes

An upscale restaurant in downtown Lawrence soon will be replaced by one with a comfy couch and a good 7-layer bean dip. Those are the kinds of twists and turns you get when you put a veteran food truck chef in charge of opening a new restaurant. In November, Ta Co. will be opening in the space at Eighth and Massachusetts streets currently occupied by RND Corner Grille. Jay Draskovich — the chef behind ...

Analysis: Understanding what matters and what doesn't in the NCAA's case against KU

Read the message boards or chat rooms and it has been apparent for a while that KU basketball fans were in for a rude awakening. The alarm began blaring on Monday when the NCAA document came in the mail. That document — a Notice of Allegations, which is the NCAA’s equivalent of an indictment — claims the men’s basketball program was involved in some shady recruiting practices and could face some of the ...

Beauty academy to locate in downtown; retail shop owner buys vacant Buckle building

This is the time of year where I sometimes do have luck finding a cheap facial. It is called a Halloween mask. But soon, cheap facials and a whole lot of other spa services, will become a year-round offering at Ninth and Massachusetts streets. Elegant Design Beauty Academy is hoping to make the center of downtown the center for beauty and spa education in Lawrence. The business is opening a full-service beauty ...

Grinders reopens in downtown with local music and what it hopes is more of a Lawrence vibe

I can assure you that Olive Garden does not fly its all-you-can eat breadsticks in from Italy. If it did, my table alone would need its own FAA tower. Maybe a flight control tower will be the newest addition to downtown’s skyline, though, because there is a restaurant touting it flies rolls for its Philly cheesesteaks in from Philadelphia. The restaurant isn’t exactly new. Rather it is revamped and ...

LMH leaders say rumors of 'wholesale layoffs' are untrue, but financial losses continue; eastern Lawrence clinic to open

Amid continuing financial losses, leaders of LMH Health are now combating — and denying — rumors that the nonprofit hospital will turn to large-scale layoffs to improve the business’s bottom line. At a Wednesday evening meeting of the hospital’s board of trustees, board member Bob Moody said he had become aware that some hospital staff members were under the impression that “wholesale layoffs” ...

Lawrence home sales soar, but so do home prices, as Fed cuts interest rates, latest report shows

This seems backward to me, but August was both the time for back to school and back to looking for a new house. That’s odd because I’ve found that when my kids go back to school, my current house becomes much more livable. Regardless, Lawrence home sales soared in August. Home sales through much of 2019 have been stagnant or declining in Lawrence. But in August, they were robust. Real estate agents sold ...

KC auto dealer officially takes over at 2 south Iowa dealerships; as grocery market changes, Walmart gets more aggressive in delivery business

A few news and notes from around town: • I don’t know if you ever wonder what causes a Kansas City company to decide to expand into Lawrence, but I do occasionally. Most of the time, the answer is college kids. But every once in awhile, it is Goldilocks. At least that is what I’ve found as it relates to some of the big changes happening in the local auto market. The change is now official at one of ...

Company seeking tax break likely to produce jobs near $70K; questions emerge why commissioners got information that public didn't

The Journal-World has learned a company seeking tax breaks and free land to locate in a Lawrence industrial park will provide jobs near $70,000 a year at its high-skilled manufacturing plant. While that news is likely to be cheered by community members seeking better-paying jobs, the information also is creating questions about whether the city’s program to provide tax breaks and other incentives to ...

Auto repair shop moves near Warehouse Arts District; a reason for people to hope Old Navy will return to Lawrence

An auto repair shop in an arts district makes a lot of sense. Anytime I’ve created art, critics have said they would love to drive a truck through it. A longtime Lawrence auto shop indeed has made a move off of 23rd Street and now finds itself down the street from art and other such culture. Slimmer's Automotive Services opened at Ninth and Delaware earlier this month. The shop may not technically be in the ...