WRITER: Kim Callahan

Gathering to support people who have lost someone to suicide; 'We just want people to not be alone with their grief'

Every day is difficult if you’ve lost a loved one to suicide, but the holiday season, with its emphasis on togetherness and communal good cheer, is well known to radically magnify the sense of loss. “Man, those dates are hard when this person was so much a part of them and they’re no longer alive to be there,” said Marcia Epstein, a longtime Lawrence resident and specialist in suicide grief support. ...

Giant flower paintings on new East Lawrence building are about 'celebrating the community'

A restaurant’s sprawling, colorful garden used to bloom where an apartment complex and parking lot now sit in East Lawrence — a fact that wasn’t lost on developer Tony Krsnich, who has paid tribute to that garden by commissioning a pair of enormous painted flowers to adorn the complex’s brick exterior. Krsnich, who has revitalized the Warehouse Arts District, is putting finishing touches on the $11.8 ...

Hundreds in Lawrence rally for reproductive rights as nationwide marches take place

Hundreds of people rallied Saturday in Lawrence in support of reproductive rights. The event, one of hundreds that took place across the U.S. this weekend, began in Watson Park with a series of speakers, including various legal experts and state politicians, and ended with a march up and down Massachusetts Street, where “My body, my choice!” and other chants reverberated. The event came in the wake of a ...

Lawrence grandma chosen for superfan episode of 'Talking Sopranos,' ahead of prequel's much-anticipated release

As the highly anticipated prequel to “The Sopranos” is set to be released on Friday, millions of fans have been reacquainting themselves with the HBO series, which ended its celebrated run 14 years ago.  Not Rose Foster. No need. The Lawrence grandma can recap all 86 episodes of her favorite TV show with ease, plus recount various stories about particular scenes and riff on theories about the show’s ...

Two Lawrence nonprofits team up to ensure pets are properly cared for when their owners can't afford it

Two Lawrence nonprofits dedicated to helping area families have joined forces to make sure all members of the family — including the four-legged ones — are properly cared for. Over the weekend, the Lawrence Humane Society teamed with Just Food to vaccinate and microchip the pets of dozens of food pantry customers free of charge. People experiencing food insecurity and who are having to make choices between ...

Longtime political science professor Burdett Loomis dies at 76; 'It’s hard to imagine the University of Kansas – past or present – without Bird'

Updated at 5:22 p.m. Monday Burdett Loomis, a longtime political science professor at the University of Kansas and a well-known supporter of local arts, has died. He was 76. Loomis, who had retired from KU, died Saturday at his home in Lawrence after recently being diagnosed with cancer. KU Chancellor Douglas Girod, in a message to the KU community Monday, said Loomis, known as "Bird," stood "among the giants ...