WRITER: Chad Lawhorn

Islamic Center at 19th and Naismith to increase visibility with new worship space; historic fraternity files expansion plans

On many a basketball game day in Lawrence, the building at the southwest corner of 19th Street and Naismith Drive has been recognized as a great parking spot for busy Allen Fieldhouse, just a couple of blocks away. But it is not always recognized for what it is — the Islamic Center of Lawrence. After all, the building is a fairly standard red brick structure that doesn’t have many hints of an Islamic ...

KU wins $26M grant to create new research center that aims to make refrigerants more environmentally friendly

Story updated at 5:12 p.m. Aug. 21: The University of Kansas has won a $26 million federal grant — one of its largest in history — to help develop new technologies that will make everything from air conditioners to refrigerators more environmentally friendly. The National Science Foundation has awarded KU $26 million to develop an Environmentally Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub. The cutting edge ...

Big move-in days at KU dorms set for Thursday, Friday, with traffic jams likely; key KU dates, including two big downtown parties

Summer doesn’t end with a bang in Lawrence — but, maybe, a honk or two. You know summer is over when the long line of vehicles — pillows crammed against the back window, a lamp dangling out the passenger door and a bundle of nerves and tears emanating from the cab — begin to accumulate around University of Kansas dormitories. Those days are now upon us. Thursday and Friday are the big move-in days ...

New micro-grocery store in downtown Lawrence overcoming the challenges, enjoying the benefits of being small

A bit has changed in the world of corner grocery stores. Finding one, of course, is the biggest change. A popular pastime for certain retiree groups is to try to recite all the locations that used to be a grocery store in Lawrence. Based on group tellings, they are numerous (and you had to walk uphill both ways to get to them.) Maybe that last part is not entirely accurate. Most of them, in fact, were in ...

Three questions as the City of Lawrence considers 2025 budget and tax increases

When Lawrence city commissioners conduct the city’s 2025 budget hearing on Tuesday, most casual observers likely will have a single question: What’s it going to do to my taxes? Observers who are slightly more engaged might also have a question about the future of the city’s fire and medical department. The proposed budget would reduce the number of firefighters staffing a truck from four to three, in ...

Home sales bounce back in July after big drop in June; total sales now up nearly 4% for the year

Even a small drop in mortgage interest rates helped fuel an increase in Lawrence home sales in July, according to the latest report from the Lawrence Board of Realtors. That may be a sign that the local home market may have a strong second half of the year, as mortgage rates have fallen even further recently and as national real estate observers expect lower rates still as the year winds down. Lawrence home ...