WRITER: Chad Lawhorn

Former U.S. defense secretary tells Lawrence crowd views on battles ranging from higher education to China conflict

Robert Gates — the former U.S. Secretary of Defense — was in Lawrence Wednesday to speak at a conference examining the prospect of war with China, which he says is very preventable, by the way. But to a capacity crowd at the Dole Institute of Politics, Gates caught the attention of the crowd with talk of a different front line that creates plenty of skirmishes in Lawrence and other college towns like it. ...

Lawrence retail sales fall for the month, but city is still outpacing most other retail markets in the state

Whether it was an impact from tariffs or a tournament, retail sales in Lawrence took a tumble in March, according to the latest report from the state. The state’s April sales tax report — which primarily measures sales that occurred in March — shows taxable sales in Lawrence dropped by 5.5% compared to the same period a year ago. That was a much greater decline than the state as a whole experienced, with ...

Obama may say otherwise, but university leaders say it's naive to think endowment funds will rescue schools

In a better-to-laugh-than-cry sort of way, University of Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod often jokes during his updates of higher education that they’ll likely be out-of-date before he’s done talking. After all, you could argue that nothing is in greater supply in today’s world of higher education than new threats. The commodity that may be in second place, though, also is notable: Unsolicited advice. ...

Governor signs bill to cut affordable housing tax credit; developer predicts 80% reduction in future projects

Kansas will see about 80% fewer affordable housing projects in the coming year, a top Lawrence builder predicted after Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill that limits tax credits for the developments. “What I can tell you is we are (expletive,)" Tony Krsnich, developer of multiple affordable housing projects in East Lawrence and downtown, told the Journal-World shortly after Kelly announced on Friday that she had ...

Lawrence City Commission candidate Gary Rexroad drops out of race due to health issue

A Lawrence-Douglas County planning commissioner who announced last month that he was running for the Lawrence City Commission is withdrawing from the race due to a health issue. Gary Rexroad told the Journal-World on Thursday that he is withdrawing from the race to win one of two seats up for election on the Lawrence City Commission. “Due to a recently developed health issue, I am withdrawing as a ...

Lawrence Parade of Homes set for next two weekends; due to shortage of lots, half of entries are outside the city

The Lawrence Home Builders Association’s Spring Parade of Homes is set to begin its first of two weekends. If you aren’t in the market to buy a home but want to go anyway, feel free to think of it as a live performance of HGTV. Turn off the TV and take in the Broadway version, so to speak. (I’ve long argued the whirr of a Skill saw would improve almost any musical.) “It is fun to go out and look at ...