WRITER: Sylas May

Lawrence City Commission votes to temporarily relax short-term rental rules for World Cup period

When students are gone this summer in Lawrence, landlords will have more latitude to lease out vacant units to an influx of FIFA World Cup guests, thanks to a set of temporary changes that the Lawrence City Commission approved on Tuesday night. At its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission unanimously approved several code changes to relax the restrictions on Airbnbs and other short-term rental ...

City leaders to consider relaxing Lawrence's short-term rental rules during the World Cup

To prepare for an expected surge in visitors during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Lawrence city leaders will consider temporarily relaxing regulations for Airbnbs and other short-term rentals. As part of its meeting on Tuesday, the City Commission will consider a set of changes to Lawrence's short-term rental property code that would be in effect during the World Cup this summer. Kansas City will be hosting six ...

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 ...