WRITER: Austin Hornbostel

Topeka homeless task force will provide cues for clearing local homeless camps, Lawrence leader says

The City of Lawrence will be taking some cues from nearby Topeka as city leaders consider their next steps in shuttering unsanctioned homeless camps. Misty Bosch-Hastings, the director of the City of Lawrence’s Homeless Solutions Division, spoke with the Journal-World about the city’s plan for shutting down such campsites, noting that doing so won’t be a process that happens immediately. “As far as ...

As homeless deaths mount, city and Bert Nash officials say it’ll take significant resources to provide 'upstream' solutions

While deaths among people experiencing homelessness are mounting in Lawrence, some strategies for getting people into safe and stable housing are still months — or even years — from fruition. It’s a challenging dichotomy that leaders with the City of Lawrence and Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center explained to the Journal-World Thursday, the day after the latest in a recent string of homicides ...

Pilot night-court program in Lawrence Municipal Court discontinued after 6 months of low turnout

After about six months, a pilot night-court program in the Lawrence Municipal Court is being discontinued after failing to draw enough participants outside of the court’s regular hours. City Manager Craig Owens announced the move during the Lawrence City Commission meeting earlier this week. Since last summer, the court has remained open on the third Wednesday of each month for an additional hour and a half ...

Lawrence school district announces plan to make up for lost instructional time due to inclement weather; plan nixes early dismissal on Wednesdays

The Lawrence school district on Thursday announced its plan for making up lost instructional time due to multiple inclement weather days in January, with changes specifically affecting the district’s middle and high schools through the end of the school year. According to a communication from district spokesperson Julie Boyle sent to school families, all middle and high schools, beginning March 18 when ...

Lawrence police chief identifies victim in shooting outside library, provides other updates on this week's homicides

Story updated at 4:12 p.m. Thursday, March 7, 2024: After two homicides in less than 24 hours in Lawrence, Police Chief Rich Lockhart on Thursday identified one of the victims and sought to address the community's concerns about violent crime in the city. In a news conference at police headquarters, Lockhart said that Vincent Lee Walker, 39, of Lawrence, was the man fatally shot across the street from the ...

Trial for lawsuit between church and City of Lawrence begins in Douglas County District Court

The question of just how many duplexes are allowed on one lot under Lawrence’s city code was front and center as the two-day bench trial for a church’s lawsuit against the City of Lawrence began Wednesday morning. As the Journal-World has reported, First Presbyterian Church is suing the city and Dallas-based Fountain Residential Partners to halt a project that would combine two lots at 2300 Crestline Drive ...