WRITER: Josie Heimsoth

KU medicinal garden to host tour on the summer solstice, highlighting research projects and native plants

The public can celebrate the summer solstice with a guided tour of KU's medicinal garden that will highlight ecological research, student projects and community partnerships. The tour will take place at 7 p.m. Friday. The garden is east of the Lawrence Municipal Airport next to Prairie Moon Waldorf School, 1865 East 1600 Road. It includes research plantings, a large native plant demonstration garden and the ...

HeadQuarters Kansas says it may need financial help from Douglas County after having to repay misspent grant funds

A Lawrence-based nonprofit that staffs the state’s suicide prevention crisis line may need financial help from Douglas County after it had to repay nearly $300,000 of misspent grant funds. A leader with HeadQuarters Kansas told Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday that the organization has made significant changes to its financial practices and operations following a turnover in leadership of the ...

Douglas County leaders to consider housing pilot program for specialty court participants and others in the justice system

To house people in the county's Behavioral Health Court and other specialty court programs in a more financially sustainable way, Douglas County is exploring a new, lower-cost supportive housing pilot that could launch next month. The pilot program, which county commissioners will consider redirecting $154,000 of existing funding toward on Wednesday, would involve leasing eight two-bedroom units to provide ...

Ballard Center to soon open new pantry building addition; local nonprofit to provide fresh produce moving forward

A new partnership between a local nonprofit and the Ballard Center will bring free, fresh produce to the center’s expanding pantry, making healthy food more accessible to North Lawrence. “We’re always trying to figure out the best way to maximize what we can do for the community,” Nancy O’Conner, executive director of Growing Food Growing Health, said. Will Averill, chief operating officer at the ...

Douglas County stands out in access to maternity care; meanwhile, care deserts expand across rural Kansas

Pregnant women in Douglas County have better access to maternity care than women in much of Kansas, statewide data indicates, especially as compared to rural areas — a growing concern for health officials in the state. Care for high-risk pregnancies is concentrated in three main urban centers: Kansas City, Topeka and Wichita, according to a report from the University of Kansas School of Nursing. Douglas ...

Community mourns 17-year-old Lawrence High School student who died at Olathe pool

Friends and family are mourning after a Lawrence High School student unexpectedly died last week at a neighborhood pool in Olathe. Isaiah Ferguson, 17, died on Saturday. Close friend Josh Lavin has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover expenses for a celebration of life service on June 21. As of Thursday morning, the fundraiser had surpassed its $10,000 goal, raising $11,042. “Following his unexpected ...