WRITER: Sylas May

Sex offender accused of raping woman at mobile home park takes plea deal; judge says there's 'no guarantee' of probation

A registered sex offender who was accused of raping a woman at a Lawrence mobile home park took a plea deal on Friday — but the judge told him there's “no guarantee” that he'll get the probation sentence the attorneys agreed to recommend. Michael Ken Aller, 36, of Lawrence, pleaded no contest to two counts of aggravated sexual battery in Douglas County District Court. The parties only briefly touched on ...

City of Lawrence is providing less funding to economic development partners in 2026; here's a look at what they have planned

Story updated at 4:10 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31: As 2026 rolls in, the city's annual distributions to its economic development partners are rolling out — but they're smaller than last year's because of budget cuts. In December, the Lawrence City Commission approved the funding agreements with its six economic development partners: the Lawrence Chamber, KU Innovation Park, Peaslee Tech, Douglas County CORE, the ...

As Lawrence grows, Mayor Brad Finkeldei looks 'forward with expectations'

When Mayor Brad Finkeldei looks at Lawrence these days, he sees all kinds of growth – growth that has been a long time coming. He sees the University of Kansas partnering with the city on two big projects at once, The Crossing on West Campus and the Gateway project around the stadium. He sees long-vacant parts of downtown drawing new interest from developers. And of course, on the west side, he sees Costco ...

City staff recommends not reopening Ninth Street for World Cup; also, a nearly $5M change to a stormwater project

On Tuesday, Lawrence city commissioners will consider two big items related to stormwater improvements near downtown: one involving the calendar, and another involving a crack. The one involving the calendar is a recommendation from city staff about the Ninth Street reconstruction project’s timeline. Staff is going to recommend a schedule that would not reopen the street partway through its reconstruction for ...

Lawrence City Commission to receive search firm proposals for city manager hiring process

City commissioners will take a first step toward replacing outgoing City Manager Craig Owens when they receive three proposals from executive search firms at their meeting next week. Owens announced last month that he would be leaving his role in May 2026, and city staff has received proposals from three search firms to look for his replacement: Strategic Government Resources, MGT and CPS HR Consulting. The ...

In a new kind of debate, a circle of citizens asks whether Lawrence is doing enough on housing

It was called a debate, but there were no panelists or winners or losers – just a big circle of citizens at the school district offices, taking turns with the mic and answering this question: Is Lawrence doing enough to be a place where there is housing for all? For Trina Tinsley, the answer was personal: “For my family, they have been.” Tinsley was the first speaker to give her view at Thursday’s ...