WRITER: Bremen Keasey

Lawrence commissioners select location for new fire station, anticipate future tax increases to fully staff it

City commissioners selected a location for a new fire station intended to close critical coverage gaps and improve emergency response times in Lawrence, while noting there would likely be a future mill levy increase to staff the station. On Tuesday, city commissioners voted unanimously to approve the location for Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical’s new fire station, also known as “Station 6,” at 555 ...

Lawrence commissioners vote to adopt 2026 budget featuring slight property tax increase

Lawrence commissioners voted to adopt a 2026 budget for next year that will feature an increase to property taxes to reduce cuts to public safety while adding new fees to the city’s parks and recreation centers. The commission voted 4-1 on the 2026 budget that will total $431 million across all its funds and include a mill levy rate of 33.674 mills — a 0.488 mill increase from the rate initially proposed ...

Lawrence commissioners to consider approving water, wastewater utility rate increase by 7.9% over next three years

Lawrence City Commissioners will consider approving increases to the water and wastewater rates by 7.9% over the next three years. The commissioners will receive a presentation from the Municipal Services and Operations department Tuesday night that would set those utility rates for 2026, 2027 and 2028 to increase by 7.9% year over year. The water and wastewater rates are typically set every three years. The ...

Once, it could be musty, earthy and weird, but Clinton Lake plant's water is now officially the best-tasting in the state

When you turn on your tap for water in Lawrence, you expect water to come out. That’s the biggest focus for Steven Craig, a water treatment division manager with the City of Lawrence’s Municipal Services and Operations department, and the others who work at the Clinton Lake Water Treatment Plant every day. The plant, at 2101 Wakarusa Drive, can process up to 25 million gallons of water each day, ensuring it ...

Lawrence teen gets 10 years for murdering 17-year-old; mother of victim calls sentence 'a slap in the face'

While sentencing a teen to 10 years in prison on Friday for murdering a 17-year-old boy last summer, Judge Stacey Donovan took a moment to note how many people in the courtroom had tears in their eyes. "It's a horrible day for everyone," Donovan told the assembled friends and loved ones of both teens: 19-year-old Cir Allen Keith Glover and 17-year-old Isaiah Neal. Glover, who will turn 20 on Saturday, pleaded ...

Lawrence city commissioners set to vote on 2026 budget; options include restoring some public safety cuts

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will vote on the city's final 2026 budget — and on whether to raise the property tax rate to reduce the impact of cuts to public safety, parks and recreation and other areas. As the Journal-World has reported, discussions about the budget have gone on since January, in part because of a need to close a $6.5 million budget hole. Now, the commission will have three main ...