WRITER: Bremen Keasey

Early voter turnout ahead of Lawrence City Commission primary is 'fairly normal,' county clerk says; here's how you can still vote

Just a few days out from Tuesday's primary election in the Lawrence City Commission race, the Douglas County clerk says the current turnout for early voting is "fairly normal" for an off-year primary at around 2%. County Clerk Jamie Shew said that as of Friday morning, 734 people had cast early votes in person and the county had received 446 mail ballots. Lawrence has about 61,000 eligible voters, Shew said, so ...

Lawrence City Commission to consider approving property tax abatement for affordable senior housing development in west Lawrence

The Lawrence City Commission at its meeting next week will consider a property tax abatement for a proposed senior housing development that would add affordable housing in west Lawrence. On Tuesday, the commission will hold a public hearing and consider whether to provide Resource Housing Group Inc. a 10-year, 65% property tax abatement for the Peaks of Lawrence development — a 42-unit, mixed-income housing ...

A Lawrence Transit supporter uses his carpentry skills to build a bus bench near Ninth and Iowa, and other people could do the same

Two things Lawrence resident Gary Webber is a big supporter of are the Sunset Hill neighborhood and Lawrence Transit. Webber said he read an article two years ago about the Self Engineering Leadership Fellows Program, or SELF, at the University of Kansas, which created a design for a bus bench. As a carpenter, he thought building a new bench using that design could be a way to give back to Lawrence Transit and ...

Driver who led car chase through Lawrence in March sentenced to 2 years of probation after plea agreement

A Kansas City, Kansas, woman who led law enforcement on a chase through west Lawrence in March received a suspended sentence of 18 months in prison and will be on probation for 24 months. Judge Amy Hanley handed down the sentence Wednesday afternoon to Danna Marie Priest based on a plea agreement that Priest had entered on May 5. As the Journal-World reported, Priest was charged with two felonies in Douglas ...

Under an idea from city-appointed environmental board, some property owners would have to report annual energy usage

Lawrence’s Environmental Sustainability Advisory Board plans to develop a proposal to create a local policy that would require some Lawrence property owners to collect and report their building's total energy use to the city each year. The board discussed during its meeting Thursday exploring a policy which could improve energy use transparency and enable “informed decision-making among tenants and ...

Judge delays decision on whether to modify bond for speech pathologist accused of molesting kids at Lawrence elementary school

This story was updated at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, July 28, 2025. A Douglas County judge on Monday delayed a decision on whether to lower the $1.5 million bond of a speech pathologist accused of molesting multiple children last winter at a Lawrence elementary school. After a hearing Monday afternoon, Judge Amy Hanley said she will take the new bond request under advisement and likely issue an order on Aug. 4. ...