WRITER: Bremen Keasey

As city faces $6.5M hole, Lawrence's parks department is exploring entry fees for rec centers; will the public support the change?

The list of what to bring when using one of the City of Lawrence's recreation centers has been pretty straightforward. Headphones to rock out with a curated workout playlist? Check. Good shoes for a run on an indoor track or treadmill? Check. A few fancy moves for a pickup basketball game? Check, kind of. But people who use Lawrence’s recreation centers have not needed to remember their wallet, as all ...

Lawrence City Commission to consider more construction agreements for first phase of Municipal Services and Operations campus

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will consider two more agreements with a construction company for work on the city’s $130 million Municipal Services and Operations campus. The first phase of construction on the campus, located at VenturePark in eastern Lawrence, has been ongoing since December, and the City Commission has already allocated tens of millions of dollars to construction company ...

Haskell University celebrates graduates after a trying semester, with speakers reminding how the community 'will not be silenced'

While speakers reflected on the resilience required of Haskell Indian Nations University students as they endured a tough semester, the main focus of Friday morning’s graduation was celebration and a reminder of the university's fortitude and durability. In an overflowing Coffin Sports Complex, 178 graduates crossed the stage and received their degrees. Frank Arpan, Haskell’s president, noted that the ...

Proposal to build row houses on vacant parking lot in downtown Lawrence to go in front of Historic Resources Commission for third time

A plan to build row houses on a vacant parking lot in downtown Lawrence will go in front of the Historic Resources Commission for a third time next week with more adjustments to its design. The developer is seeking approval next Thursday from the HRC on the design for the three-story row house complex in the parking lot at 700 New Hampshire St. The building would include 15 2,353-square-foot units, which would ...

Lawrence Public Library Foundation gets $5,000 donation from KU sorority to help expand summer reading program

The Lawrence Public Library Foundation received a $5,000 donation Wednesday afternoon from the University of Kansas chapter of the Pi Beta Phi sorority that will support the library’s summer reading program for children. Kathleen Morgan, the director for the LPL Foundation, and Joan Golden, the foundation’s treasurer, were joined by library Executive Director Brad Allen to receive the donation from Pi Beta ...

Lawrence city commissioners give initial approval on tax districts for KU's Gateway project; more votes will be needed later this year

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday approved another key step to allow the second phase of an approximately $300 million redevelopment project around KU’s football stadium to move forward. The commission voted to create two taxing districts, a STAR Bond district and a tax increment financing district, for the second phase of KU's Gateway project, which calls for a 162-room hotel, 443 beds of student ...