The Lawrence Times

Corinne Carr has about a half dozen seven parents the waiting list to enroll their children in her home day care business. Changes pending with state regulators would let her take in more children, but she’s not headed in that direction. “I don’t feel that it’s safe for the children,” she said. Currently, a child care operation with two workers can take in four children younger than 18 months. Now the state is looking at loosening the rules so that family child care providers with just one worker could look after up to four toddlers, or children under 12 months old, [...]

Proposed changes to city codes could open literal doors to many Lawrence community members in need of housing if a city advisory board’s recommendations become law. The Human Relations Commission voted Thursday to advance to the Lawrence City Commission recommendations that call for protections from discrimination that is based on source of income, survivor status or immigration status. The advisory board’s recommended language around source of income would prevent landlords from denying housing because someone’s money comes from housing assistance such as vouchers, settlements and more. In a survey of 115 available rental properties in Lawrence in May 2021, 80% did [...]

The Civic Engagement 101 lecture series at the Lawrence Public Library with wrap with a talk on the roles of city and county governments in Kansas and how they’re financed. Hannes Zacharias, professor of practice in public administration at the University of Kansas, will lead the discussion — “a timely topic, as ballot measures this November may reshape the governmental structures of both the City of Lawrence and Douglas County,” according to the library. “This presentation will explore how Kansas counties are different from cities, what each does, and how they are financed,” according to the event page. “Attendees will learn [...]

Hundreds of goblins and ghouls gathered Thursday at the South Park gazebo in anticipation of the 15th annual Lawrence Zombie Walk. The horde of zombies started their walk down Massachusetts Street at sunset. Spectators gathered on the sidewalk in folding lawn chairs and on restaurant patios, cheering and taking photos all the way to Seventh Street. Residents showed off their creative costume skills, with characters ranging from undead Girl Scouts to zombie killers. Source: The Lawrence Times

Medical marijuana has long been a controversial topic in Kansas, with many advocating for the drug as a pain relief substitute that is less addictive than opioids. Ahead of the 2023 legislative session, the committee is trying to address areas of concern about legislation to legalize medical marijuana. Kansas sheriffs and police officers have objected to legalizing medical marijuana, writing that they would never be “supportive or even neutral” about legalization in Oct. 12 testimony submitted to the committee. The testimony was submitted by the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, Kansas Sheriffs Association and Kansas Peace Officers Association. Source: The [...]

The Kansas Jayhawks football team is 5-0, ranked 19th in the Associated Press poll and angling for its first postseason bowl game appearance since 2008. And the team’s surprising success on the field is rippling through the community. From stadium ticket sellouts to packed bars, restaurants and parking lots, KU’s winning season is boosting the local economy in tangible ways. Just ask Willie Johnson, who has rented game-day parking spaces to KU football fans on his property in the 900 block of Mississippi Street for six years. In past seasons, Johnson offered parking for $10 per car and hoped to fill [...]

Enrollment at state universities, community colleges and technical colleges in Kansas this fall semester dwindled 1% to accentuate a five-year decline in student headcount of more than 9%, officials said Thursday. The Kansas Board of Regents, which has oversight roles among seven universities, 19 community colleges and seven technical colleges, reported 165,198 students enrolled at start of the 2022 academic year. Collectively, these higher education institutions lost 1,677 students from 2021. The report indicated headcount at the six state universities fell by 1,333 students or 1.5%; Washburn University in Topeka slipped by 283 or 4.1%; community colleges declined by 630 or [...]

The Lawrence school board on Monday heard a report including specific reasons why teachers are leaving the district, like low salaries and overflowing class sizes, as well as an update on the district’s efforts to better recruit and retain employees. Members of the district’s Human Resources team, including Executive Director Kristen Ryan, Director of Human Resources and Safety Ron May, Director Sarah Hamlin, and Facilitator of Recruitment and Retention Kaitlin Shulman, presented to the board their findings from last school year’s survey on exiting certified staff. As of May 2021, approximately 150 teachers were exiting the district for a variety of [...]

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will consider water, sewer, solid waste and stormwater rate increases, and assess possible ways to expand a program to help financially stressed residents pay their bills. ... Commissioners will discuss the options and obstacles attached to expanding its utility assistance program in light of probable utility rate increases. The city’s current “Low-Income Elderly Rate” program helps people ages 60 and older who are impoverished. To qualify, an older individual must make less than $14,168 from all income sources, or those with head-of-household status must have total household incomes of no more than $19,162, according to a [...]

A revised draft of a city ordinance would limit general public comment during Lawrence City Commission meetings to 30 minutes total and require advance signup, and it suggests that comments won’t be livestreamed. It also adds more specific language regarding decorum and restricts the public’s ability to request that items be removed from the consent agenda. The proposed changes come after commissioners, following the end of an executive (closed-door) session and before their regular meeting began on Aug. 9, voted unanimously to “Direct staff to return with proposals regarding operations of the City Commission meetings to enable the Commission to be [...]