WRITER: Bremen Keasey

Lawrence Public Library to celebrate 10 year 'reno-versary' with live music, movie screening

One of downtown Lawrence's most eye-catching buildings is celebrating its 10th anniversary this week, and while there might not be cake, there will be popcorn. The Lawrence Public Library is throwing a party on Friday with live music, dance performances, food trucks and a movie screening to celebrate not only the end of its summer reading program, but also the 10-year anniversary, to the day, of the opening of ...

Historic Resources Commission asks for more expansive policy to protect Lawrence's brick sidewalks

As Lawrence looks to update its sidewalks and infrastructure, a commission is asking the city to expand protections for brick sidewalks as part of a new city policy. Efforts to create a policy for preserving and maintaining brick streets and sidewalks have been in the works since 2013. The initial draft of a brick streets and sidewalks policy was presented to the Historic Resources Commission for the first time ...

New $103 million ADA Transition Plan aims to fix the worst sidewalks to make Lawrence more accessible

Evan Korynta thinks about sidewalks all the time. In 2007, Korynta was diagnosed with a rare soft tissue cancer. Unsuccessful chemotherapy treatments led to his left leg, hip and the left side of his pelvis being amputated. Although Korynta has been cancer-free since June 2007, he has used a left leg prosthetic and a wheelchair since then. That limits his ability to navigate through all parts of town. Minor ...

Historic Resources Commission recommends approval of demolition request for vacant Allen Press properties downtown

The Historic Resources Commission is recommending the approval of a demolition request for a long-vacant building in the heart of downtown Lawrence, clearing a hurdle for development, but it’s still not known what might be developed on the property. On Thursday night, the HRC voted to recommend that the city approve the demolition request for the former Allen Press properties on the northwest corner of 11th ...

Lawrence mayor signs historic sister city agreement with Chilean city focused on clean energy partnership

Mayor Bart Littlejohn signed a historic proclamation Thursday morning formally establishing Tocopilla, Chile, and Lawrence as sister cities with a focus on a commitment to transitioning away from fossil fuels. The agreement between Lawrence and Tocopilla, a city of about 25,000 along the coast of northern Chile, was officially approved in March. The relationship was created in partnership with the U.S. ...

Planning for open alcohol consumption area on Massachusetts Street will continue, despite mixed reaction from businesses and city leaders

A plan to create an open alcohol consumption area on Massachusetts Street has been drawing mixed reactions — both from downtown Lawrence stakeholders and from Lawrence city commissioners. At its meeting on Tuesday, the City Commission had its first in-depth conversation with city staff about the plans for the common consumption area, or CCA, and what the city has learned from outreach to downtown businesses. ...