WRITER: Sylas May

Scaffolding comes down at Liberty Hall in downtown Lawrence after months of repair work

The repairs are almost done and the scaffolding is all gone outside of Liberty Hall, and co-owner Joshua Millstein is glad that its historic facade is back to normal. “We’re happy to have shed all of our scaffolding, all of our exoskeleton, you know?” Millstein said Friday outside of Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St. Millstein said the scaffolding had been in place for four to five months, but the ...

STAR Bond project is proposing $1.3B of development in Lawrence, including an arena geared toward 'international cycling competitions'

With his STAR Bond project proposed for Lawrence’s southern and western edges, developer Phil Bundy thinks he’s found something that could be “a win all around.” It’s a win for the city, the Wichita businessman said, because it would get new attractions, like an arena with a velodrome that could host major cycling races; new homes; and new property tax revenue. It’s a win for his group because it ...

City leaders approve incentive for 131-unit housing development near Wakarusa and Queens

Lawrence city leaders have approved an incentive for a development of more than 100 units of housing on the city’s west side, although that housing won’t qualify as affordable. The City Commission voted 3-1 on Tuesday to approve a request from Nebraska developer Metonic for $35.3 million of Industrial Revenue Bonds for a sales tax exemption on construction materials. Vice Mayor Mike Courtney was the lone ...

City to keep Community Building open through end of 2026; leaders want more data before deciding on 2027

The Community Building in downtown Lawrence will stay open for free use through the end of 2026, but city leaders say they need more data before they make decisions about 2027. On Tuesday, the City Commission voted 3-1, with Commissioner Mike Dever opposed and Commissioner Kristine Polian absent, to keep the downtown rec facility open through the end of the year using fund balance. It will cost $39,000 to pay ...

Anonymous donation lets Lawrence Community Shelter order 50 new Step Up beds; leader says it's 'just the start'

When James Chiselom heard the news that an anonymous donor wanted to provide $100,000 for new Step Up beds at the Lawrence Community Shelter, he couldn’t help getting emotional. “That $100,000, it is so phenomenal,” Chiselom, the shelter’s executive director, told the Journal-World on Monday. “I was moved to tears, because this community is validating the hard work my staff are putting into the ...

'If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it': Retired Judge Sally Pokorny tells residents why she opposes electing Supreme Court justices

When the Kansas Bureau of Investigation began its inquiry into Sally Pokorny, she was perfectly cooperative. The KBI agent wanted to talk to her neighbors. She gave him a few names, but the agent, thinking those ones would just say positive things about her, told her he “went and talked to all the other neighbors, too.” She asked if he called her ex-husband. He said, “Oh, no, I pulled your divorce file, ...