Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
City of Lawrence has hit goal for paid rec center memberships but might not reach projected revenue
Although the city has netted its goal of total paid rec center memberships, that doesn’t mean its revenue goal is a shoo-in.
Forty individuals, organizations object to Kansas Senate bill adding barriers to food and health aid
Melissa Sabin and dozens of others opposed a Kansas Senate bill that would aggressively expand the state’s process of verifying eligibility for Medicaid, SNAP and other public assistance programs.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
City of Lawrence has hit goal for paid rec center memberships but might not reach projected revenue
Although the city has netted its goal of total paid rec center memberships, that doesn’t mean its revenue goal is a shoo-in.
Forty individuals, organizations object to Kansas Senate bill adding barriers to food and health aid
Melissa Sabin and dozens of others opposed a Kansas Senate bill that would aggressively expand the state’s process of verifying eligibility for Medicaid, SNAP and other public assistance programs.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission selects artist for Vermont Street garage mural
The Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission on Wednesday selected a mural proposal from Tokeya Waci U Richardson, Oglala Lakota and Haliwa-Saponi, to adorn a wall of the Vermont Street parking garage.
Chloe Anderson/Lawrence Times
Lawrence Mardi Gras parade to jazz up Mass Street on Fat Tuesday
Laissez les bons temps rouler. Lawrencians can get a feel for Mardi Gras festivities at this year’s celebration downtown.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Courthouse, rec centers, city offices to close for Presidents Day
City rec centers, Douglas County District Court and more will be closed Monday for Presidents Day, but downtown parking will be free and trash pickup will occur as scheduled. Here are more notes and details for the holiday.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission selects artist for Vermont Street garage mural
The Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission on Wednesday selected a mural proposal from Tokeya Waci U Richardson, Oglala Lakota and Haliwa-Saponi, to adorn a wall of the Vermont Street parking garage.
Chloe Anderson/Lawrence Times
Lawrence Mardi Gras parade to jazz up Mass Street on Fat Tuesday
Laissez les bons temps rouler. Lawrencians can get a feel for Mardi Gras festivities at this year’s celebration downtown.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Courthouse, rec centers, city offices to close for Presidents Day
City rec centers, Douglas County District Court and more will be closed Monday for Presidents Day, but downtown parking will be free and trash pickup will occur as scheduled. Here are more notes and details for the holiday.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission selects artist for Vermont Street garage mural
The Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission on Wednesday selected a mural proposal from Tokeya Waci U Richardson, Oglala Lakota and Haliwa-Saponi, to adorn a wall of the Vermont Street parking garage.
Chloe Anderson/Lawrence Times
Lawrence Mardi Gras parade to jazz up Mass Street on Fat Tuesday
Laissez les bons temps rouler. Lawrencians can get a feel for Mardi Gras festivities at this year’s celebration downtown.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Courthouse, rec centers, city offices to close for Presidents Day
City rec centers, Douglas County District Court and more will be closed Monday for Presidents Day, but downtown parking will be free and trash pickup will occur as scheduled. Here are more notes and details for the holiday.
LAWRENCE NEWS
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
City, county World Cup prep team to host social media trainings for Douglas County businesses
The Lawrence area’s World Cup prep team will host social media workshops for Douglas County businesses to gain visibility and customers as the KC metro area experiences a flood of tourism.
Lawrence city commissioners approve historic markers to honor teens killed by police in 1970
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday approved historic markers to pay tribute to Rick “Tiger” Dowdell and Nick Rice, teens who were shot and killed by Lawrence police officers in 1970, despite objections from the police chief.
Expanding construction will close 9th Street from Indiana to Mississippi Street
Ninth Street is currently blocked to all through traffic from Louisiana to Indiana Streets, and the City of Lawrence plans to extend the closure west toward Mississippi Street starting next week.
‘Why not South Park?’ Lawrence Farmers Market gets tentative nod from city commission
A majority of Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday indicated they generally supported a plan for the Lawrence Farmers Market to build a permanent pavilion in South Park, though they took no formal vote.
MORE …
STATE NEWS
CoreCivic argues to overturn injunction keeping it from housing ICE detainees
CoreCivic argued Tuesday for the right to begin holding prisoners in its closed Leavenworth facility, even as the company is working through a local permit process that could make the court case irrelevant.
Kansas House committee reshapes proposed K-12 student cellphone ban into a mere suggestion
The House Education Committee sent the full House a bill recommending, rather than mandating, that public and private schools take cellphones and other devices away from students throughout the school day.
MORE …
COMMUNITY VOICES (OPINION)
Tom Harper/Lawrence Times
Tom Harper: Lawrence volunteers craft a story we need right now (Column)
Kim Brook brings the supplies and encouragement for Lawrence volunteers to come together and create hundreds of handmade valentines for Meals on Wheels recipients, Tom Harper writes in this column.
Letter to the Times: Lifting short-term rental cap could harm Lawrence residents
“The need for long-term rentals won’t decrease because the World Cup is coming and the need for short-term rentals is increasing,” Chris Flowers writes in this letter to the Times.
MORE …
LAWRENCE LIFE
Raven Book Store
The Raven Book Store’s bestsellers for Feb. 11, 2026 (Sponsored post)
“Readers have their fingers on the cultural pulse with … the classic ‘Wuthering Heights,’ whose (unfaithful) adaptation releases into theaters this week. (Seriously. You want to read the book for this one),” the Raven Book Store writes.
Chloe Anderson/Lawrence Times
Valentine’s Day events around Lawrence for kids, adults and everyone in between
From a romance-themed night of Slavic fortunetelling to sugar cookie decorating for kids, here’s a list of heart-fluttering events happening around Lawrence for Valentine’s Day and the week leading up to it.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Patrons invited to preserve, relive memories in Lawrence Public Library digitization lab
Tucked next to the local history room in the library’s basement, patrons can find a DIY Memory Lab dedicated to digitizing older media formats from MiniDV camcorder tapes to Super 8mm film to shellac 78 rpm records.
Raven Book Store
The Raven Book Store’s bestsellers for Feb. 11, 2026 (Sponsored post)
“Readers have their fingers on the cultural pulse with … the classic ‘Wuthering Heights,’ whose (unfaithful) adaptation releases into theaters this week. (Seriously. You want to read the book for this one),” the Raven Book Store writes.
Chloe Anderson/Lawrence Times
Valentine’s Day events around Lawrence for kids, adults and everyone in between
From a romance-themed night of Slavic fortunetelling to sugar cookie decorating for kids, here’s a list of heart-fluttering events happening around Lawrence for Valentine’s Day and the week leading up to it.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Patrons invited to preserve, relive memories in Lawrence Public Library digitization lab
Tucked next to the local history room in the library’s basement, patrons can find a DIY Memory Lab dedicated to digitizing older media formats from MiniDV camcorder tapes to Super 8mm film to shellac 78 rpm records.
MORE …
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT …
Cuyler Dunn/Lawrence Times
Prosecutors lay out evidence against teens charged in Hawk shooting; murder charge against one dropped
Bar employees, students and police testified Tuesday about what happened the night of a fatal shooting last month at the Hawk, a popular bar near KU’s campus.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Sanctuary Alliance asks people to call hotline if they spot possible ICE activity in Lawrence
A Lawrence-based collective advocating for immigrant rights is asking people to call their rapid response hotline if they spot any potential ICE activity around town.
Join our team: Lawrence Times seeks full-time staff reporter
The Lawrence Times is hiring for a full-time staff reporter to cover community news in Lawrence, Kansas.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Camp sweep near I-70 in Lawrence leaves people asking where else they can go
People living in tents and hand-built structures near Interstate 70 in Lawrence
were forced to vacate the property in the cold during a camp sweep Wednesday. Many had their possessions destroyed and don’t know where they can go next.
Cuyler Dunn/Lawrence Times
Prosecutors lay out evidence against teens charged in Hawk shooting; murder charge against one dropped
Bar employees, students and police testified Tuesday about what happened the night of a fatal shooting last month at the Hawk, a popular bar near KU’s campus.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Sanctuary Alliance asks people to call hotline if they spot possible ICE activity in Lawrence
A Lawrence-based collective advocating for immigrant rights is asking people to call their rapid response hotline if they spot any potential ICE activity around town.
Join our team: Lawrence Times seeks full-time staff reporter
The Lawrence Times is hiring for a full-time staff reporter to cover community news in Lawrence, Kansas.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Camp sweep near I-70 in Lawrence leaves people asking where else they can go
People living in tents and hand-built structures near Interstate 70 in Lawrence
were forced to vacate the property in the cold during a camp sweep Wednesday. Many had their possessions destroyed and don’t know where they can go next.
MORE …
MORE COMMUNITY VOICES
The opinion pieces in this section are generally written by members of the Lawrence community and those who have close ties. In addition, we’re offering some space for area organizations and organizers to provide updates and attempt to reach other folks who might share their mission.
Want to submit a letter to the Times? Great!
Click here to find out how.
Letter to the Times: A 3-point plan to achieve more accessible and affordable housing
“Local data … makes clear that Lawrence needs more housing that is both affordable and accessible,” members of the Accessibility in Affordable Housing Workgroup write in this letter to the Times.
Letter to the Times: Raise the age for free rec center access
“Lawrence city commissioners should increase the age limit for youths to be eligible for free access to recreation facilities from 17 to 26,” Irene Ratzlaff Soderstrom writes in this letter to the Times.
Contributed photo
Ken Lassman: Wakarusa River Valley is a key wildlife corridor (Column)
“It is important in the current conversations about developments along the South Lawrence Trafficway … to have a better appreciation of what the Wakarusa Valley represents to the larger community of wildlife,” Ken Lassman writes in this column.
The opinion pieces in this section are generally written by members of the Lawrence community and those who have close ties. In addition, we’re offering some space for area organizations and organizers to provide updates and attempt to reach other folks who might share their mission.
Want to submit a letter to the Times? Great!
Click here to find out how.
Letter to the Times: A 3-point plan to achieve more accessible and affordable housing
“Local data … makes clear that Lawrence needs more housing that is both affordable and accessible,” members of the Accessibility in Affordable Housing Workgroup write in this letter to the Times.
Letter to the Times: Raise the age for free rec center access
“Lawrence city commissioners should increase the age limit for youths to be eligible for free access to recreation facilities from 17 to 26,” Irene Ratzlaff Soderstrom writes in this letter to the Times.
Contributed photo
Ken Lassman: Wakarusa River Valley is a key wildlife corridor (Column)
“It is important in the current conversations about developments along the South Lawrence Trafficway … to have a better appreciation of what the Wakarusa Valley represents to the larger community of wildlife,” Ken Lassman writes in this column.
MORE …
