A new musical festival will be coming to Lawrence this summer, and its promoter has high hopes that it will become a signature event. In launching what will be known as the Kaw River Roots Festival, local entertainment promoter Mike Hannah said he wanted to make Lawrence the Midwestern capital of Americana, folk and bluegrass music. “That’s one of the main goals of this festival,” said Hannah, who owns ...
A recently released novel set in northeast Kansas has received high praise, including from a former U.S. president. Ben Lerner’s “The Topeka School,” which was released in October, was named as one of the best books of 2019 by both The New York Times and Barack Obama. The book places Lerner’s recurring character, a writer named Adam Gordon, into an environment reminiscent of Lerner's own high school ...
After his mother died in a car accident in 2010, Ehren Schwarz said he began to slip into a spiral of addiction that eventually led to homelessness. Instead of taking advantage of a scholarship to attend and play football at Washburn University in Topeka, Schwarz said he gave into the addiction and intermittently lived on the streets of Kansas City, Mo., for about five years. But Schwarz, who is originally ...
Seventeen organizations in Douglas County failed state health code inspections in December. Each month, I take a look at inspection results and list every place either listed out of compliance or with 10 or more code violations. Full reports are available online at agriculture.ks.gov. There, you can find details about specific violations, which can vary. Noncritical citations include unlabeled products, ...
Two Topeka teenagers charged with attempted first-degree murder stemming from a double shooting at a Lawrence park will be tried as adults. Chief Judge Peggy Kittel ruled Tuesday in Douglas County District Court that based on the evidence in their cases, Benson J. Edwards Jr., 18, and Sahavione K. Caraway, 17, should be tried as adults. Although Edwards is now an adult, he and Caraway were both minors at the ...
A new court focused on helping people overcome substance abuse is set to begin operating this week. Douglas County will launch its drug court on Thursday by taking referrals for the program, county officials told the Journal-World on Monday. Shannon Bruegge, who will serve as the drug court’s probation officer, said she was excited to get to work to help local residents. “It’s been the most rewarding for ...