WRITER: Bremen Keasey

At Peaslee Tech's 10-year celebration, leaders reflect and hope for more growth in the future

As Peaslee Tech celebrated its 10th birthday on Thursday with a host of speakers reflecting on the founding of the school, leaders hope it can continue to grow and become more self-sufficient while providing new training opportunities for workers. The school, which first opened its doors to students back in 2015, was a part of a larger group effort of multiple government and other civic groups coming together ...

Neighborhood groups share concerns that code changes could create more student housing, parking problems

In in-person meetings with neighborhood groups this week, the team working to create Lawrence's new land development code heard concerns that it could cause a “perfect storm” of student housing. But planning leaders say they want to reassure the public that that scenario isn't likely to happen. During the Planning Commission's meeting on Wednesday, commissioners heard about the feedback gathered at the ...

Clinton Park playground closed after reported vandalism incident

The playground at Clinton Park is currently closed after someone apparently vandalized a play structure in a way that made it unsafe to use, according to a city official. Mark Hecker, assistant director of Parks and Recreation, said during a Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting Monday night that someone over the weekend had removed the caps from the tops of the poles holding up the play structure. The ...

Firefighters, dozens of commenters speak out against Lawrence city budget's proposal to cut fire-medical staffing

In an overflowing City Commission room Tuesday night, fire department staff and dozens of Lawrence residents expressed their concern over a budget proposal to cut daily staffing for the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical department. The proposed 2025 city budget, which was presented to the commission on Tuesday and would increase the city's property tax rate by 3.5 mills, would also decrease minimum staffing ...

City manager proposes ballot measure to double sales tax rate for affordable housing, homeless services

Updated at 4:43 p.m. Monday, July 8 As part of the proposal for next year’s city budget, Lawrence City Manager Craig Owens is asking for a measure to be put on the November ballot in which Lawrence residents would vote on whether to raise the affordable housing sales tax from 0.05% to 0.10%. A large amount of the new money would fund programs for homeless services, which the city created with temporary ...

Proposed plan for Outdoor Aquatic Center renovation includes lazy river, new splash pad

The major renovation proposed for the Outdoor Aquatic Center at 727 Kentucky St. gives the space a major facelift by gutting lots of the current pool area and replacing it with a lazy river, splash pad and shallow pool. The aquatic center was last renovated nearly 30 years ago, in 1995. The city allocated $6.1 million in its 2024-2028 Capital Improvements Program for design and construction of the new ...