WRITER: Josie Heimsoth

A majority of properties in Douglas County to see 1% to 8% value increases for 2026; commissioners briefed on county's property tax system

Most residential and commercial properties in Douglas County will see their 2026 values rise between 1% and 8%, the county’s Appraiser’s Office said in a memo to commissioners. "These value increases are typically due to year-over-year price increases, supply-demand imbalances, renovations or additions to existing structures, or changes in property use," the memo said. Change of value notices will be sent ...

Douglas County commissioners to discuss local property tax system, impacts of state proposals

Douglas County commissioners will hear about several pending Kansas legislative proposals that could reshape property taxes on Wednesday. In addition to hearing more about what’s going on in the Kansas Legislature, county commissioners will be briefed on the county’s own property tax system and tax incentive programs during a work session. No action will be taken following the session, as it is for ...

Lawrence school board approves bid for improvements to middle school theaters

Lawrence school board members at their meeting on Monday approved a construction bid for updates to the district’s middle school theaters. The bid came from BHS Construction Inc. in the amount of $522,100 along with a 10% contingency not to exceed $52,210. The updates are a result of findings from a study of the performing arts centers in the district’s secondary schools, which identified many safety ...

Students suing the school district over Gaggle seek court order for district to respond to unanswered KORA requests

In a lawsuit filed over the school district’s use of the monitoring software Gaggle, students are seeking a court ruling for the district to respond to open-records requests about the new ManagedMethods software. The plaintiffs alleged that the Lawrence school district failed to timely and lawfully respond to Kansas Open Records Act requests from The Budget, Lawrence High School’s student newspaper, and ...

Lawrence school board to consider bid for remodeling Free State High School's athletic field press box

Lawrence school board members will consider a construction bid for a remodeling project for Free State High School’s outdoor athletic field press box on Monday. Board members will consider the bid from Mammoth Sports Construction LLC in the amount of $390,500 with a 10% contingency fund up to $39,050, resulting in a total project cost of $429,550. The costs will be paid from the facilities and operations ...

Cardinal Housing Network hosts ribbon-cutting for new apartments for women in recovery and their children

The Cardinal Housing Network has opened its second supportive housing location in Lawrence for women in recovery and their children. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Hannah Bolton, founder and program director of the Cardinal Housing Network, told a small crowd that the house’s name was Lil’ Blue and it was managed by her grandfather for over 30 years. The house, 1128 Ohio St., was built in 1896 ...