WRITER: Bremen Keasey

Plan to develop 120 units of affordable housing on Lawrence's west side gets initial approval from Planning Commission

A plan to develop 120 units of affordable housing in west Lawrence passed one set of hurdles Wednesday night after the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission voted to approve multiple requests to move the development forward. The project, proposed by Tenants to Homeowners, a local community land trust that works to provide affordable housing, plans to develop over 14 acres of vacant land located at Floret ...

Lawrence City Commission approves more than $900,000 sidewalk project to fill gaps around Schwegler Elementary

Lawrence city commissioners approved a construction project Tuesday night that will fill in sidewalk gaps around Schwegler Elementary School as part of the city’s Safe Routes to Schools program. The commission approved a $922,489.50 bid to Kings Construction Co. Inc. for sidewalk and ADA ramp improvements along multiple routes around the Schwegler neighborhood. The improvements, which were identified back ...

Former Commissioner Bob Schumm files to run for Lawrence City Commission

Former three-time commissioner Bob Schumm announced Wednesday that he has filed to run for Lawrence City Commission. Schumm, a retired restaurant owner who still owns properties in downtown Lawrence, previously served stints on the commission from 1979 to 1981,1987 to 1993 and most recently from 2011 to 2015. Schumm is the first candidate in this election cycle to file who has experience on the commission. ...

City leaders approve $3.5M agreement with Lawrence Community Shelter; shelter says it will reduce its dependence on city funds

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday voted to approve a $3.5 million funding agreement with the Lawrence Community Shelter to provide supportive services for people experiencing homelessness, with the expectation that the shelter will rely less on city funding in the future. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the agreement, which lays out that LCS will provide emergency and winter sheltering services, ...

Plan to replace parking lot with six units of affordable housing in Lawrence gets initial approval from Historic Resources Commission

A proposal to add six more units of affordable housing near downtown Lawrence got initial approval from the Historic Resources Commission, moving it to the City Commission. The HRC unanimously approved several items to allow for the continued re-development of a parking lot at 909 Tennessee St., replacing it with a three-story residential building that will have six units for temporary supportive housing. The ...

One Lawrence man is using his experience as a double amputee to give hope to others in a limb loss support group

Rex Ellebracht has been doing social work across Kansas for nearly 30 years by his own estimate, but it became even more personal for him after he lost a leg. Ellebracht has diabetes, and around 10 or 12 years ago when he was facing complications from the disease, the doctors — after initially thinking they could potentially save his left leg — eventually decided it needed to be amputated. Ellebracht said ...