Campsites on the Kansas River in Lawrence have damaged the levee slopes and must be removed to protect the integrity of the levee, which is a crucial structure for flood control. That’s according to the City of Lawrence’s engineering program manager, Kyle Gonterwitz, in reference to why homeless individuals have recently been put on notice to move their tents and belongings off the levee slope near the ...
Updated at 6:14 p.m. Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 The City of Lawrence is asking a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a resident who claims his First Amendment rights were violated when he was participating in public comment at City Commission meetings. The resident, Justin Spiehs, 42, an anti-mask protester who has also targeted the LGBTQ community, sued the city in November in the U.S. District Court of ...
The City of Lawrence is taking steps to remove campsites on the Kansas River levee near the city-supported campsite for homeless individuals. To this end, city workers have painted a bright orange line through a campsite indicating where campers can no longer be. The city-supported camp in North Lawrence behind Johnny's Tavern is a fenced area that has been at the site for over a year. Since October of 2022, ...
Updated at 7:21 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023 Suzanne Valdez’s conduct as district attorney has been “offensive,” “embarrassing” and unprofessional, and it has negatively impacted the administration of justice in Douglas County, two District Court judges testified on Wednesday at Valdez’s disciplinary hearing in Topeka. “We can’t believe this is happening. We can’t believe this is the world ...
A 50-year-old man whose body was found in September at a campsite near Clinton Lake died of natural causes, according to a recently released autopsy report. The man, Philando White, of Overland Park, was found by law enforcement around 10 a.m. Sept. 7 at a campsite in the 600 block of North 1415 Road at Clinton State Park, as the Journal-World reported. Law enforcement had responded to the area for a welfare ...
Recently unionized workers at the Lawrence Community Shelter have publicly announced their bargaining demands, including that they be paid $30 an hour, which represents about an 85% pay raise. Currently, the pay rate for hourly workers is $16.25 for day and evening staff and $17.25 for overnight staff, Bella Kurtz, a union member, told the Journal-World Monday. The workers say their demands will help improve ...