WRITER: Bremen Keasey

To be greener and help the city save more green, official reminds Lawrence residents what items can go in recycling bins

To be greener and help the city save a little green, a City of Lawrence official is asking residents to “recycle right” by making sure their recyclables are prepared properly and not contaminated. A recent audit of Lawrence’s recycling done by the city’s recycling processor, Hamm, found the “contamination rate” of the recycling collected was more than 16%. That's the percentage of materials that ...

Lawrence city commissioners vote to increase guest tax on hotel stays ahead of 2026 World Cup

City commissioners voted Tuesday night to increase the guest tax on hotel or short-term overnight stays in Lawrence by 2 percentage points to capitalize on an increase in visitors expected next summer for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The commission voted 4-1 to increase the transient guest tax from 6% to 8%. The item needed a supermajority of at least four commissioners to pass; Commissioner Amber Sellers was the ...

Clear the Shelter day set for Lawrence Humane Society for Aug. 23; select dogs have their adoption fees already waived

The Lawrence Humane Society’s annual Clear the Shelter Day is scheduled for Aug. 23, when all adoption fees will be waived. Over the last several years, Lawrence Humane has had anywhere from 70 to nearly 200 animals adopted on Clear the Shelter Day — part of a nationwide pet adoption campaign that is spearheaded by NBCUniversal in partnership with Hill’s Pet Nutrition. On Saturday, adoptions for all ...

Historians in Kansas highlight their effort to restore Civil War flags and the human stories behind them

When he works to help preserve old and tattered battle flags from the Civil War, Tom Schmidt is doing what a Union soldier, in his final moments, exhorted his fellow Kansans to do: "Keep the flag to the front." Schmidt, a Civil War reenactor from Eudora, has been hard at work with the Kansas Historical Society trying to re-energize a state program that helps restore historic flags. It's important to do this, he ...

Lawrence city commissioners to consider increasing guest tax on hotel stays ahead of 2026 World Cup

City commissioners next week will consider increasing the guest tax on hotel or short-term overnight stays in Lawrence by 2% to capitalize on an increase in visitors expected next summer for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. On Tuesday night, commissioners will be asked to vote on potentially raising the transient guest tax from 6% to 8%. According to a city memo, the last time the city increased the guest tax rate was ...

In his murals honoring Lawrence's La Yarda community, artist Javy Ortiz sees reflections of his own immigrant story

The vibrant murals that will soon celebrate the story of La Yarda, the early 20th century Mexican American housing complex in Lawrence, remind artist Javy Ortiz of his own immigrant story. While he was planning the public art project that will soon adorn part of the Lawrence Loop trail at Eighth and Delaware streets, Ortiz, a Mexican-born artist based in Lawrence, got to sit down with some former residents of ...