WRITER: Bremen Keasey

Three new candidates file for Lawrence City Commission race, including a former commissioner

Three more people filed to be a candidate for the Lawrence City Commission, including a former commissioner. Michael Courtney, Amanda Nielsen and Courtney Shipley all filed to join the crowded field vying for one of two seats on the commission. Shipley served on the City Commission from 2019 to 2023, serving a term as mayor in 2022. She had run for a second term in 2023, but did not win re-election that ...

As city faces $6.5M hole, Lawrence's parks department is exploring entry fees for rec centers; will the public support the change?

The list of what to bring when using one of the City of Lawrence's recreation centers has been pretty straightforward. Headphones to rock out with a curated workout playlist? Check. Good shoes for a run on an indoor track or treadmill? Check. A few fancy moves for a pickup basketball game? Check, kind of. But people who use Lawrence’s recreation centers have not needed to remember their wallet, as all ...

Haskell University celebrates graduates after a trying semester, with speakers reminding how the community 'will not be silenced'

While speakers reflected on the resilience required of Haskell Indian Nations University students as they endured a tough semester, the main focus of Friday morning’s graduation was celebration and a reminder of the university's fortitude and durability. In an overflowing Coffin Sports Complex, 178 graduates crossed the stage and received their degrees. Frank Arpan, Haskell’s president, noted that the ...

Lawrence City Commission to consider more construction agreements for first phase of Municipal Services and Operations campus

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will consider two more agreements with a construction company for work on the city’s $130 million Municipal Services and Operations campus. The first phase of construction on the campus, located at VenturePark in eastern Lawrence, has been ongoing since December, and the City Commission has already allocated tens of millions of dollars to construction company ...

Proposal to build row houses on vacant parking lot in downtown Lawrence to go in front of Historic Resources Commission for third time

A plan to build row houses on a vacant parking lot in downtown Lawrence will go in front of the Historic Resources Commission for a third time next week with more adjustments to its design. The developer is seeking approval next Thursday from the HRC on the design for the three-story row house complex in the parking lot at 700 New Hampshire St. The building would include 15 2,353-square-foot units, which would ...

Lawrence Public Library Foundation gets $5,000 donation from KU sorority to help expand summer reading program

The Lawrence Public Library Foundation received a $5,000 donation Wednesday afternoon from the University of Kansas chapter of the Pi Beta Phi sorority that will support the library’s summer reading program for children. Kathleen Morgan, the director for the LPL Foundation, and Joan Golden, the foundation’s treasurer, were joined by library Executive Director Brad Allen to receive the donation from Pi Beta ...