WRITER: Chad Lawhorn

More than 200 people per month using local Treatment & Recovery Center for mental health crisis, according to latest statistics

More than 200 people per month are coming into Douglas County’s Treatment & Recovery Center for mental health crisis, and most are voluntarily seeking treatment or arriving with a friend or family member, city commissioners were told Tuesday. Just a handful of patients per week are being brought in by local law enforcement agencies, but the impact the center has on the work of police officers goes far ...

Francisco, other Democrats win inside Lawrence, but Republicans notch legislative victories outside the city

In the center of Lawrence, Democrats maintained their dominance in races for the Kansas Legislature. But on the edge of the city and in the rural areas around it, Republicans landed several legislative victories on Tuesday. Incumbent Marci Francisco easily kept her Lawrence seat in the Kansas Senate, and a Topeka Democrat handily won a seat in a new Senate district that includes northwest Lawrence and east ...

Kansas City attorney, lobbyist behind mystery postcards in County Commission races; leader won't say who is financially backing the effort

A mysterious group that has a lot of interest in energy and electricity is sending out postcards praising two incumbent Douglas County commissioners, both supporters of a controversial solar project. But who is behind that group is largely unknown, and the chair of the group wants to keep it that way. The group is called Kansans for an Affordable Future, and some voters in Douglas County have received ...

New Japanese toy store in downtown Lawrence lets you buy, but also gives you a chance to win its merchandise

A wise pool hall philosopher once said “Money won is twice as sweet as money earned.” So it is with money — and evidently with Hello Kitty, too. Yes, everybody from toddlers to college sorority groups are flocking to the new downtown Lawrence shop Momoko Gift Boutique, 714 Massachusetts St., to win them some Hello Kitty. The shop, which used to house a Lululemon, is full of everything from water bottles ...

Douglas County commissioners have violated their own policy about the size of rainy day funds the last two years

Each of the last two years, Douglas County commissioners have approved budgets that violate — by millions of dollars — their own policy that places a cap on how much money the county’s “rainy day funds” can hold. The county has a policy in place that limits the amount of money key operating funds can hold in a type of account called a “fund balance,” which operates like a savings account designed ...

Latest campaign finance reports show one County Commission incumbent trailing challenger; Loomis has $50K lead in DA race

The latest campaign finance reports are out, and they show one incumbent county commissioner trailing in the fundraising race, while the gulf between the two candidates for Douglas County District Attorney is more than $50,000. Douglas County Commissioner Shannon Reid trails in campaign contributions to her opponent in the race for Douglas County District 2. Reid collected $2,910 in donations during the ...