The Lawrence city commission in a special meeting Thursday passed an ordinance cracking down people who violate COVID-19 health orders banning mass gatherings, the city announced in a release. City commissioners took up the issue to address community health concerns after recent videos showed crowded parties on weekends near the University of Kansas in violation of the emergency order issued earlier this month. That order, an attempt to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, in part banned gatherings of more than 45 individuals. Those guilty of violating the order will face a fine of $500 and up to a month in jail. Cases will be prosecuted in municipal court.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

A plan to tax businesses along Wichita’s most important downtown street appears to be doomed after eight months of controversy and a chaotic petition process. Opponents of a Business Improvement District for the Douglas Design District are within two validated signatures of overturning a City Council decision to levy a special tax on all businesses in the area to pay for promoting the commercial avenue from Washington to Oliver. They’re expected to get confirmation of the signatures they need sometime before an Oct. 15 deadline, when the Planning Department plans to wrap up a process of verifying that the people who signed the protest petition against the tax district are either the business owners or the authorized representatives of owners.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle