Just how long has Lawrence’s city staff been working toward its 2027 budget proposal? The answer to that question might be a year, a few years – or even, in Acting City Manager Casey Toomay’s case, a whole career. “More than 25 years ago, as I mentioned, I was a graduate student interning in the city manager’s office, and I worked on the city’s budget for the year 2001” Toomay told the Lawrence ...
Asher loves Theatre Lawrence's Penguin Project shows. So much, she says, that she dropped another play she was going to be in to take part in this year's Penguin Project performance of “Alice in Wonderland Jr.” Theatre Lawrence is one of more than 50 organizations across the country that participate in The Penguin Project, a theater program for young people with special needs. This year's show is this week, ...
Right after a parade of department heads presented their 2027 budget plans to the City Commission, Acting City Manager Casey Toomay told commissioners the budget was “more than just a collection of numbers.” Instead, she said, it was a collection of priorities. And among the top priorities for city staff are fire and medical expansion, a raise for city workers and more funding for transit. The roughly ...
Friends of the Kaw is known for paddling out onto the Kansas River and cleaning up trash. But its newest project this summer is all about stopping that trash from getting into the river in the first place. It’s called the Lawrence Watershed Cleanup Project, and it will be providing free supply kits, maps and instructions for volunteers who want to pick up that trash in their own neighborhoods. “All the ...
Halfway through 2026, a couple of construction projects on Lawrence roads are getting ready to begin, and one that's closed Ninth Street to traffic for months is going to wrap up soon. The projects about to start include maintenance on the north end of Iowa Street and a reconfiguration of Massachusetts Street. And, on Ninth, the roadway is expected to reopen in time for the University of Kansas' football season ...
The senior soccer game at Sports Pavilion Lawrence may be called “walking soccer,” but that doesn’t mean it’s not a workout. “We had about 5,000 steps in one hour,” says Paula, one of the more experienced soccer players in the group of about 12 seniors, as she checks the Fitbit on her wrist. She plays in the parks and rec outdoor soccer league, too, “but I’m 57, and I can’t compete against ...