The Lawrence Times

Now that Douglas County voters have called for an expansion to five county commission districts, new maps must be drawn and decided within one month. During a well-attended town hall meeting Thursday evening, Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew said that out of 114 precincts, 109 voted in favor of adding two commissioner districts. Two of the five precincts that voted “no” to the Nov. 8 ballot question were in the city and the other three were in the county; there was no “county versus city” split, or anything like that, Shew said. Source: The Lawrence Times

When Chris Sanders and Amanda Unruh bought their Lawrence home five years ago, they knew their historic property would need myriad renovations and repairs. They never imagined the long odyssey that would unfold in their quest to protect their family and home. The parents of two young children, the couple wouldn’t move into the nearly century-old, two-story home until a smoke detection system had been installed. In 2017, the family settled into their house with that new system, designed to automatically notify authorities when smoke or fire was detected. Source: The Lawrence Times

As the Lawrence community considers different strategies for a citywide response to the homelessness crisis, residents of a temporary campsite are living through the reality of the situation day to day. Lawrence city leaders have been getting heat from community members ranging from business owners to housing advocates to local residents, both housed and unhoused, sharing numerous concerns about safety issues within and surrounding the camp. Some are advocating for more resources to be put into the camp’s management, to help support Jenn Wolsey, homeless programs coordinator for the city’s Homeless Initiatives Division, who has been running the site. Others believe [...]

Douglas County leaders will hold a community meeting to discuss the process of moving to five commissioner districts. Voters in the Nov. 8 election voted roughly 61% to 39% to add two additional commissioner districts to the current three. During the meeting, “County Clerk Jamie Shew will provide an overview of the process for moving to five districts. There will be an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the districts during roundtable discussions at the meeting,” according to information from the county. “The Board of County Commissioners will adopt a resolution outlining the new districts before or on Jan. [...]

Douglas County leaders will hold a community meeting to discuss the process of moving to five commissioner districts. Voters in the Nov. 8 election voted roughly 61% to 39% to add two additional commissioner districts to the current three. During the meeting, “County Clerk Jamie Shew will provide an overview of the process for moving to five districts. There will be an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the districts during roundtable discussions at the meeting,” according to information from the county. “The Board of County Commissioners will adopt a resolution outlining the new districts before or on Jan. [...]

Following public outcry about censorship, the St. Marys City Commission decided to table a vote on renewing the Pottawatomie Wabaunsee Regional Library’s lease. The lease is under threat because the library refused to comply with the commission’s request to remove all LGBTQ, sexual, racial or otherwise “socially divisive” content from its shelves. But with the lease ending in December, the library is still in a precarious situation. Every chair in the commission meeting room was filled for Tuesday night’s discussion about the library, with residents lined up against the walls to listen to debate. The majority of residents who spoke said [...]

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday deferred an amendment to city code that would have allowed John Brown’s Underground to keep operating — but they want to look at ways to expand the opportunity to other businesses, too. A long-standing city rule requires establishments with liquor licenses to derive no more than 45% of their sales from liquor. Passed in 1994, the rule allowed exemptions for 29 existing locations. The code still exempts new bars that open in the same buildings as any of those original 29. JBUG had maintained compliance with the rule in recent years by factoring in food sales [...]

Business owners, housing advocates, and housed and unhoused community members filled Lawrence City Hall on Tuesday night to speak out about the city’s handling of homelessness and management of the camp behind Johnny’s.  Rick Renfro, owner of Johnny’s Tavern in North Lawrence, closed his restaurant as a form of protest Tuesday morning, saying he wouldn’t reopen until the city installed a fence around the camp adjacent to his property. He also asked the city to assign a staff member to oversee the camp from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m to manage the site and monitor who goes in and who goes [...]

A public survey is asking community members to share their input on how the Lawrence school district should make budget cuts, including potentially closing and consolidating schools. As discussed during Monday’s school board meeting, survey takers will be asked which of the three “bucket” items — or categories of budget expenditures — should take priority. Bucket 1 lists potential staffing cuts; Bucket 2 lists potential program or activity cuts; and Bucket 3 lists potential facility or utilization changes. The Community Engagement Survey is part of the district’s Futures Planning Committee work. It’s open for all members of the Lawrence community to [...]

John Brown’s Underground, a speakeasy-inspired craft cocktail lounge in downtown Lawrence, has made a creative addition to the local bar scene since it opened in 2014. But a city code that was designed to limit liquor sales downtown is now threatening the business’s future. This rule requires establishments with liquor licenses to derive no more than 45% of their sales from liquor. Passed in 1994, the rule allowed exemptions for 29 existing locations, including Louise’s and Harbour Lights. The code still exempts new bars that open in the same buildings as any of those original 29. Source: The Lawrence Times