County leaders will soon consider their list of legislative priorities, including issues related to state support for crisis services, psychiatric care and the expansion of the South Lawrence Trafficway. As part of its meeting Wednesday, the Douglas County Commission will consider approving its 2022 Legislative Statement, which it will send to the state legislative delegation. The proposed statement comprises ...
The Lawrence City Commission had to postpone its meeting Tuesday because of technical difficulties. The commission returned to meeting in person last week, but as part of a hybrid option it is still allowing staff and members of the public to participate in the meeting online using Zoom. The audio function on Zoom was not working, causing the commission to adjourn the meeting without beginning its regular ...
Lawrence city leaders will soon discuss how to proceed after an outside consultant recommended the city halt the current process to improve the community board meant to provide oversight of complaints against police. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will receive a letter from the Community Police Review Board regarding the board’s ongoing work to draft a new version of its ...
As the City of Lawrence’s first ever director of equity and inclusion, Farris Muhammad began by listening. Muhammad, who recently completed his first year with the city, said that listening to the voices of those who are marginalized in the community was one way he sought to understand the landscape. He said when he asked people about their experiences and their history, a lot of them were candid, saying ...
The cement is almost dry on an expansion of the Centennial Skate Park that local skaters hope will lead to even more improvements. The approximately $50,000 Parks and Recreation project expands the overall size of the skate park, adding about a dozen new features to replace an aging ramp that has to be removed. The project was done in coordination with the Lawrence Skaters Association, which gave input on the ...
Representation was a main issue among those who turned out Thursday for a listening session about whether the Douglas County Commission should expand from three members to five. The commission tabled the topic this summer because few residents had expressed interest in the idea, but Commission Chair Shannon Portillo said that after media coverage of that decision, the commission heard from “quite a few ...