WRITER: Rochelle Valverde

City of Lawrence plans to hire more staff to support campsite for those experiencing homelessness

Lawrence business owners, residents, social service providers and people experiencing homelessness spoke to city leaders Tuesday evening about the city’s response to homelessness and the management of a camp in North Lawrence. During the public comment portion of the Lawrence City Commission’s meeting Tuesday, commissioners heard from about 20 people, with a few times that number gathered in the lobby of ...

Lawrence school board discusses priorities for upcoming budget discussion, potential school closures

With some opposing viewpoints expressed, Lawrence school board members struggled to formulate their direction to the committee tasked with coming up with budget and potential school closure recommendations for the school district. RSP & Associates, the consultant the district hired to facilitate the process, provided an update on the committee’s work to the board as part of a special meeting on Monday. ...

Lawrence has seen sharp increase of behavior issues at middle schools, with over 500 incidents in the first quarter

The Lawrence school district has seen a 60% increase in behavior issues at the middle school level compared to the beginning of last school year, with more than 500 incidents reported the first quarter. About 85% of the incidents occurred at two schools, Liberty Memorial Central Middle School and Billy Mills Middle School. One parent at Central, who didn’t want to include her name for privacy reasons, said ...

Lawrence school board to hear update on work of budget committee as part of special meeting

Lawrence school board leaders will soon get an update on the work of the committee tasked with coming up with budget recommendations and potential school closures for the school district. RSP & Associates, the consultant the district hired to facilitate the process, will provide the update to the board as part of a special meeting on Monday. RSP consultants will then ask whether the board has questions, ...

City leaders to consider process to reduce number of advisory boards, improve their functionality

Lawrence city leaders will soon consider setting up a committee to study potential changes to the city's many advisory boards and commissions, including a recommendation to significantly reduce their overall number. The city has 45 boards, commissions, steering committees, governing boards or other related bodies, according to the city’s website. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission ...

City of Lawrence plans to invest $10M over next five years to complete the Lawrence Loop

The paved trail known as the Lawrence Loop — which goes past Clinton Lake, the Kansas River, and the wetlands on its route around the city — is nearing completion, with only four segments left to construct. The city has been adding segments to the loop, which will ultimately provide a continuous 22-mile concrete path around the city, for about 20 years, and only about 3.5 miles remain incomplete. The city ...