Lawrence and Douglas County have a chance to do economic development and do right. One of the community’s greatest, unfulfilled opportunities is Haskell Indian Nations University. It already is a great institution in many ways. It has a sense of community and common purpose that many ...
In 1896, Emporia Gazette Editor William Allen White famously asked in an editorial “What’s the matter with Kansas?” Surely, one of the answers today is that not enough people want to live here. Kansas recently received its once-per-decade population figures from the U.S. Census. From ...
Kansas has not gone to hell in a hand basket since 2015 — at least not for reasons related to guns. It was in 2015 when the state passed a law that you no longer had to get a state permit to carry a concealed firearm. Instead, Kansas adopted the philosophy of “constitutional carry,” ...
Jayhawk fans and Lawrence residents ought to be excited to work with new University of Kansas Athletic Director Travis Goff. There is a lot to like about Goff’s basic story. The fact that he is a KU graduate is a plus, and his roots in Dodge City also are an attribute. Lawrence can seem a ...
Easter always has had a dichotomy at its heart. One of the holiday’s most powerful symbols is an empty tomb. One of its most powerful messages is that we are truly never empty. It is a particularly important message to remember during these times. In fact, regardless of whether you are ...
Kansas leaders spend a lot of energy on ideology. They ought to spend more energy on energy. A couple of recent pieces of Statehouse news related to energy are worth noting. The first involves a dispute between the City of Lawrence and Kansas legislators. The Legislature has approved a bill ...
Weeds are a real hassle everywhere, but they have the chance to turn into a true problem at the Douglas County Commission. County commissioners last week agreed to delay adoption of the county’s annual noxious weed plan for at least two weeks after environmentalists expressed concern about ...
It is probably not in the cards for Douglas Girod to ever be a very popular chancellor at the University of Kansas. Fate has put him in charge during a time when higher education faces enormous challenges, and the tasks of leadership require him to make some difficult and unpopular decisions. ...
It is hard to deny that the University of Kansas has become a perennial doormat in college football. But it is equally as obvious that KU can’t allow itself to be in the rug business. There are growing signs that current KU football coach Les Miles had extremely inappropriate conduct swept ...
Buying is almost always easier than getting buy-in. Lawrence City commissioners on Tuesday need to make sure they get the public’s buy-in before they agree to spend more than $1.3 million to add anywhere from 9.5 to 13.5 full-time positions to the city’s staff. At their meeting on ...
A majority of city commissioners are correct to walk slowly down this sidewalk. Three of five Lawrence city commissioners — Mayor Brad Finkeldei and Commissioners Stuart Boley and Lisa Larsen — all expressed reservations about an idea for the City of Lawrence to take over the financial ...
Editor’s Note: Views from Kansas is a regular feature that highlights editorials and other viewpoints from across the state. There have been attempts by state legislators over the years to remove the requirements for local government entities to publish legal notices in newspapers. For any ...
On Feb. 3, members of the Kansas Athletics Inc. board were told the sobering news: The University of Kansas’ athletic department is now expecting about a $30 million decline in revenues for its current fiscal year. But on Feb. 4, surely they were cheered up if they took the time to read the ...
Taxes are a necessity because government is a necessity. In today’s toxic political environment, there are some who refuse to concede either point, but they are clear nonetheless. But it also is clear that the power to tax can be used too easily, at times. The inner workings of government ...
Math can be an infuriating companion. It is obstinate, self-assured and unforgiving. We should all remember that as many Douglas County residents rightfully process their frustrations over the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in our community. As the county last week announced it would move ...
Think whatever you want about the fairness of Twitter banning Donald Trump from its platform, but reasonable people should quash this notion that Twitter’s decision somehow is a violation of the First Amendment. Instead, reasonable people — which hopefully still includes a few lawmakers ...
Insurrections — no matter their size or success — create substantial “to-do” lists for governments in their wake. Here’s a partial list that the world’s most recently damaged democracy should address. — Recognize that impeaching Donald Trump before his term ends on Jan 20 is ...
Douglas County and the surrounding area hold a very important place in American history. This is the place where beliefs turned to blood. It was the period leading up to the Civil War — a period known as Bleeding Kansas — where incredible tensions over slavery and state’s rights boiled ...
A wonderful sign of the human spirit was on display this holiday season as city officials, local nonprofits, a local business and community volunteers came together to fill an urgent need. On Dec. 23, the city finalized an agreement with Lawrence’s Days Inn hotel to serve as a temporary ...
We are still learning what can successfully fight the COVID-19 virus. There is great hope that a new set of vaccines will be a difference-maker, but we likely won’t know for sure until closer to spring. In the meantime, there is winter. There is no shot in the arm to protect us from that ...