A motorist who was shot by police after a traffic stop turned violent has filed a lawsuit claiming that police used excessive force against him and that the city failed to properly train its officers.
Akira S. Lewis filed the lawsuit in Douglas County District Court against the City of Lawrence, the Lawrence Police Department, the police chief and the two officers involved in the traffic stop. The lawsuit, ...
Though the Lawrence City Commission has declined to consider a proposal to ban the sale of tobacco and vaping products to people under 21, that doesn’t necessarily mean the idea won’t get its day at City Hall.
A court ruling this summer indicated that local governments have the authority to ban tobacco sales to those under 21, but because of a lack of support among Lawrence city commissioners, the ...
Having grown up in Lawrence, Courtney Shipley says she knows there are people who have left the city only because they couldn’t afford to stay.
“Their parents are here, and they love it here and they wish they could raise their kids here, but it’s really expensive and there are no jobs,” Shipley said. “So, I feel like we’ve failed all of those people who wish they could stay here, but there’s ...
As a planning commissioner, Rob Sands understands that there will be disagreements at City Hall and that sometimes emotions will run high. Sands said what makes those situations easier was reminding himself what everyone agreed on.
“We all love Lawrence and we want it to stay the way it was when we fell in love with it, and we want to improve where we can,” Sands said. “And so sometimes we just have ...
Though Joey Hentzler has an active interest in politics, he didn’t necessarily plan to run for office. However, as he was trying to motivate others to run, many suggested that he would make a good candidate himself.
“I had been searching for candidates who I thought would be committed to progressive policy issues and to communities that don’t often have their voices considered at City Hall,” Hentzler ...
As a longtime volunteer with local social service organizations, Brad Finkeldei has seen the struggles of Lawrence residents firsthand, and he doesn’t think he’s alone in wanting the city to do more to help.
“Certainly the city has to fund its core services, but, beyond that, where does this city fall in helping those in need and raising people up?” Finkeldei said. “And I think when you look at the ...
