Two K-10 ramps in west Lawrence are set to close next week through late May. lawrenceks.news/3ZuuzCh

A contingent of Kansas Republicans narrowly advanced a bill that would increase scrutiny of households that qualify for free and reduced lunch, but it fielded pushback from Democrats and fellow Republicans. Via @kansasreflector.com: lawrenceks.news/3MsO0IG

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. Via @kansasreflector.com: lawrenceks.news/46Niagz

The Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission tonight selected a mural proposal from Tokeya Waci U Richardson, Oglala Lakota and Haliwa-Saponi, to adorn a wall of the Vermont Street parking garage. lawrenceks.news/3OddZnU

Laissez les bons temps rouler. Lawrencians can get a feel for Mardi Gras festivities at this year’s celebration downtown. lawrenceks.news/4tOO46z

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. lawrenceks.news/4aLzc0X

Although the city has netted its goal of total paid rec center memberships, that doesn’t mean its revenue goal is a shoo-in. lawrenceks.news/4aLutMI

"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 @ravenbookstore.bsky.social writes. lawrenceks.news/3OBnbT7

The Lawrence area’s World Cup prep team will host free social media workshops for Douglas County businesses to gain visibility and customers as the KC metro area experiences a flood of tourism. lawrenceks.news/3Zstnzh

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. Via @kansasreflector.com: lawrenceks.news/4tuwbJV

Lawrence city commissioners tonight 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. lawrenceks.news/4rIdYqq

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. lawrenceks.news/3ZtSmlS

A majority of Lawrence city commissioners tonight 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. lawrenceks.news/3OzsAtT

Two KU debate teams have earned automatic bids to this year's national tournament after finishing the regular season as top-16 teams. lawrenceks.news/4qv3XMi

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. Via @kansasreflector.com: lawrenceks.news/4kqUcgM

Bar employees, students and police testified today about what happened the night of a fatal shooting last month at the Hawk, a popular bar near KU’s campus. lawrenceks.news/45YhtRg

City of Lawrence staff members will soon publish a report recommending that the city add Watson Park to the Lawrence Register of Historic Places. lawrenceks.news/4aEwavn

Lawrence school board members approved calendars for 2026-2028 that include Indigenous Peoples Day as a paid holiday the same evening that they received a report on Native American Student Services. lawrenceks.news/4aoTsV1

Parents, first responders and educators are urging lawmakers to require schools to stock naloxone and provide fentanyl prevention education to prevent overdoses and deaths. Via @kansasreflector.com: lawrenceks.news/4coCl86

The team working on the Lawrence Farmers Market's search for a permanent site is now recommending South Park. Lawrence city commissioners will hear a report on Tuesday. lawrenceks.news/3Zngruz

This yellow crocus began blooming at the end of last week in Douglas County. The ornamental snow drops are also likely blooming, with daffodil leaves beginning to poke up. Latest @kvalmanac.bsky.social: lawrenceks.news/4amMgJ2

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. lawrenceks.news/4aaYK68

A new Waldorf-inspired high school will open in August, starting with one class of freshmen that will be taught at the Lawrence Arts Center. lawrenceks.news/4rx1925

Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City is using community land trusts to build entire neighborhoods that aim to help address the state’s affordable housing shortage. Via Kansas News Service: lawrenceks.news/4a6IhkY

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. lawrenceks.news/3LZ6tMS

For many trans Kansans and allied activists, today's "pee-in" wasn’t their first time in the state Capitol building in Topeka. Years of commitment to the cause led to the day’s event. Via @kansasreflector.com: lawrenceks.news/4ti98SF

Tucked next to the local history room in the Lawrence 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. lawrenceks.news/46CPmr1

The Lawrence school board on Monday will hear an annual report on Native American Student Services. Also, for the fourth meeting in a row, there will be no general public comment. lawrenceks.news/4a35wfz

Three people recounted traumatic nursing regulatory experiences in Kansas House testimony supporting a bill written to force administrative changes at the Kansas State Board of Nursing and void some of the board's disciplinary actions. Via @kansasreflector.com: lawrenceks.news/4rAUbt4

The Lawrence Times is hiring for a full-time staff reporter to cover community news in Lawrence, Kansas. lawrenceks.news/ltsr26

Republican legislators abruptly cut off debate on a bill that stops people living in the country unlawfully from getting public benefits, passing it out of the House with an amendment the Senate already defeated and angering Democrats. Via @kansasreflector.com: lawrenceks.news/3Mte869

A Kansas House committee recommended a budget that cuts grants to KU, reduces need-based student aid, ties funding to elimination of DEI, offers faculty 1 year instead of 2 to fix their academic shortcomings before they are potentially fired & more. Via @kansasreflector.com: lawrenceks.news/4rcea1e

Classic Kansas poet William Stafford and Lawrence writer and advocate Ronda J. Miller will be remembered during an event Saturday at the Watkins Museum of History. lawrenceks.news/4afZXsS

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 today. Many had their possessions destroyed and don’t know where they can go next. lawrenceks.news/3NXGPsr

Lawrence community organizations and vendors will host opportunities the next two weekends to grow your seed collection and learn more about gardening. lawrenceks.news/4cc3MC1

Contract negotiations between KU’s administration and faculty union remain stalled after more than 600 days of bargaining, and a Lawrence city commissioner has joined those urging KU to end the delays. lawrenceks.news/4rCyLvP

Kansas House Republicans stirred an academic hornet’s nest Tuesday with a bill imposing a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion as well as critical race theory in most classes counted toward degree requirements at the state’s public universities. Via @kansasreflector.com: lawrenceks.news/3O6DK9k

A majority of Lawrence city commissioners tonight pledged their support for tax breaks to offset development costs of an affordable housing project planned for the far western edge of town. lawrenceks.news/4ahU8vh

As football fans gear up for the 60th Super Bowl, Lawrencians are readying their utensils for an annual soup and ceramics jubilee. The Lawrence Arts Center's Souper Bowl is set for Saturday. lawrenceks.news/4tfwNTD

CoreCivic is a step closer to reopening its private prison in Leavenworth as a lucrative immigration detention center after the city planning commission approved a special use permit over objections from local advocates. Via @kansasreflector.com: lawrenceks.news/4aaZjwN

A former KU professor will give a talk this week on his new book, a biography on the trailblazing Black performer George “Nash” Walker, who spent formative years in Lawrence. lawrenceks.news/3ZPHaQo

Panasonic’s Kansas battery plant will ramp up to 50% of its production capacity in the next few months, a company executive said Monday. Via @kansasreflector.com: lawrenceks.news/4qZa9NQ

A dual exhibition will celebrate two new student-curated collections at KU Libraries focused on contemporary Indigenous literature and human connection to the flora and fauna of China and Japan. lawrenceks.news/4atNi72

Lawrence High School students are celebrating success in a prestigious regional art competition, and many of their works will advance to the national level. lawrenceks.news/3NS2CSi

City contractors are blocking some traffic and closing part of a sidewalk for a storm sewer replacement project along 24th Street in southeastern Lawrence. lawrenceks.news/3ZMkArT

A Senate bill would end advance voting by mail if a court strikes down state law requiring election officials to verify a voter’s signature. The prospect of such a ruling is playing out in Shawnee County. Via @kansasreflector.com: lawrenceks.news/3LO7eZ7

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will hold a public hearing and consider tax breaks for a 121-unit permanently affordable housing project that's slated for K-10 and Bob Billings. lawrenceks.news/4tefFNT

House Democrats heckled Leavenworth Republican Rep. Pat Proctor’s latest idea to undermine advance voting after he forced a hearing on a bill that nobody was willing to support. Via @kansasreflector.com: lawrenceks.news/3LLLKMr

These geese are flying over a cottonwood. This time of year, it's easy to hear the honking flocks of geese, particularly in the morning and evening skies, and to spot many other birds such as ducks, hawks, eagles, gulls, doves and more. Latest @kvalmanac.bsky.social: lawrenceks.news/4qTlwGS

Community members gathered this evening for the 10th annual Ovation! talent show, spotlighting the showmanship of Lawrence Public Schools students. lawrenceks.news/4qUz6tR