Two statements of note have been made recently in Lawrence. One is big and fairly certain, while the other is small and still speculative. But the two of them together illustrate a problem that Lawrence and Douglas County need to address. Statement No. 1 came from Lawrence’s draft strategic ...

While we may have difficulty filling all the seats at our Thanksgiving table this year, we should have an easier time filling our list of items to be thankful for. It is no great revelation that tough times spur many of us to more easily remember what we’ve in the past taken for granted. ...

One of the many good things about wearing a mask is it allows us to mouth all types of surly statements and make all forms of menacing grimaces while no one else is the wiser. It is a good tip to remember as both COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 frustrations spike in Douglas County. Frustrations ...

The news came on a Saturday, which is appropriate. It is not the day that we gather to sing “Hallelujah,” but you can see it from here. In some ways, that is where America stands right now. The day is drawing closer to when the country begins to heal, but it is not yet here. ...

Perhaps the most beautiful lyric in music is this: “I once was lost but now I’m found.” It is a reminder of much, including that it is not only maps that help us find our way. So it is with democracy. There is no map pulled from a drawer that charts our course. Rather, it is a ballot ...

The dog’s bark is worse than its bite, the old saying goes. It is not always true, a three-fingered man can attest, but it still is advice worthy of consideration by the Lawrence City Commission these days. City commissioners are hearing lots of loud complaints from dog owners and other ...

The United States Constitution has not been amended since 1992. Perhaps you have forgotten the hoopla surrounding the 27th Amendment. Granted, it was a long time in building. The amendment — clarifying issues of pay raises for members of Congress — was approved 203 years after it was ...

Although there has been talk of a drained swamp, it still seems awful muddy as we wade through presidential election season. We are just 23 days away from election day, which means it is hard to find many pieces of truly pleasing news among the campaign commercials and rabid debates. But, we ...

We are fortunate to have the Lawrence Police Community Review Board. The Lawrence community needs more information about the Lawrence Police Department, and this city-appointed board seems to be one of the few governmental entities working to provide that information to the public. The board ...

Editor’s Note: Views from Kansas is a regular feature that highlights editorials and other viewpoints from across the state. Republican Roger Marshall and Democrat Barbara Bollier are two very different candidates, a fact sharply revealed in the state’s first, and perhaps only, Senate ...

It was a messy week in Lawrence. Follow this debris trail to assess the evidence for yourself. Images of raging house parties on the edge of the University of Kansas campus — full of unmasked young adults crammed together in violation of public health orders on large gatherings and social ...

Editor’s Note: Views from Kansas is a regular feature that highlights editorials and other viewpoints from across the state. Kansans who listened to any part of Friday’s meeting of the State Finance Council first would be amazed, then embarrassed, and finally outraged about the way their ...

Cancer is not much good for anything, but it can be useful today in helping understand the stain Donald Trump has left on the presidency. Unlike COVID-19 — a disease still in its infancy — almost all of us personally know someone who has died from cancer. So, it is easy enough to imagine ...

Editor’s Note: Views from Kansas is a regular feature that highlights editorials and other viewpoints from across the state. One ad paid for by the U.S. Senate campaign of Republican Rep. Roger Marshall superimposed the photo of his Democratic opponent, Kansas state Sen. Barbara Bollier, ...

At first glance, it would seem that President Trump is an expert on matters of fraud, if for no other reason than he listens to the table chatter at the company cafeteria. (Harsh? Yes, but the scorecard of Trump campaign officials convicted of or indicted on fraud is significant.) But, being ...

America basically has turned into an outrage machine, which makes it odd to say that there is one topic that is not producing enough outrage in American discourse. It is Facebook. The enormously profitable company has evolved from a dumpster fire to an all-out blaze with flames that are ...

Editor’s Note: Views from Kansas is a regular feature that highlights editorials and other viewpoints from across the state. President Donald Trump was out of line this week in calling for a boycott of Goodyear tires. The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., which has plants in Topeka and across ...

Here we go. The start to the most unusual school year in recent memory is scheduled to begin on Monday when the University of Kansas begins its fall semester. It will end the longest, most boring, most frightful spring break that many students and staff have ever endured. Remember, that is ...

It is time to do some election math in Douglas County. Thankfully this exercise doesn’t have anything to do with the actual counting of votes. That process is scheduled to end on Monday, when the last of about 600 provisional ballots are counted, and a “canvassing” process certifies the ...

Editor’s Note: Views from Kansas is a regular feature that highlights editorials and other viewpoints from across the state. Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman acted irresponsibly when he failed to fully inform colleagues and the state that he had been treated for COVID-19 in ...