Employees at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center voted Tuesday night to form a union that will represent over 300 workers at the Lawrence nonprofit. In the election, held by the National Labor Relations Board, 180 votes were cast, with 168 voting yes to form a union, according to Jason Ianacone, the business manager with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 304, the union that ...
As the city of Lawrence stares down a projected $6.5 million budget hole for 2026, city commissioners say they want to recharge the city's savings account, and they haven't yet ruled out raising the mill levy. City commissioners provided some early feedback at their meeting on Tuesday about the 2026 budget process, and they agreed they wanted to set aside $2 million in the city's reserve fund. They also wanted ...
The city and county will soon have to craft a new agreement for Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical, and Lawrence city commissioners will give some initial input on what they'd like to see at their meeting on Tuesday. LDCFM, which provides fire services in Lawrence and EMS services throughout Douglas County, operates on an inter-government agreement between the city and county. That agreement was originally ...
When COVID scrambled the economy in March of 2020, one profession in particular was flipped upside down: Those who made a living feeding others in restaurants now needed help to feed their families and pay their bills after the industry practically shut down overnight. Here in Lawrence, it was the Lawrence Restaurant Association that stepped up to serve the servers — even just a month after COVID struck. As ...
Early numbers show Lawrence will face a $6.5 million budget shortfall in 2026, and City Hall budget-makers say it is not too early to ask city commissioners a couple of questions. What would you cut, and would you consider raising property taxes? Commissioners at their Tuesday evening meeting will discuss multiple options for bringing down the budget gap, including whether to commit to keeping market rate ...
For decades, the City of Lawrence's biggest building projects, including its police headquarters and bus station, have set aside a portion of their funding for public art, and now a new proposal could make this tradition stronger by permanently enshrining it as a city ordinance. The program is called Percent for Art, and it's been around since the City Commission initially approved a resolution on it in 1986. ...