DEVELOPING STORY: One Person Killed Following Altercation at Lawrence City Hall
LAWRENCE, Kan. (Lawrence Times) — An armed city employee shot and killed an alleged intruder Monday at Lawrence City Hall, according to Lawrence police. The Lawrence Times reports that Police Chief Rich Lockhart said an “intruder,” a 28-year-old man, had entered City Hall Monday morning. Details remain vague, but Lockhart said the man had gone up a stairwell to the fourth floor and had broken a window. A fight ensued, and an armed city employee shot and killed the man.
Lockhart said it was not yet clear as of the 10:45 a.m. press conference whether the man who was shot had also been armed. He said the man was known to police but was not a Lawrence resident.
Lockhart said he could not yet provide more information about the employee, such as their title, but that they were doing “as well as could be expected.” Lockhart said surveillance cameras captured the incident, but no footage would be released during the investigation. City Hall would be closed Monday, and people should avoid the area.
“All City Hall-based services will be unavailable today, including Planning & Development Services, Municipal Court, and Utility Billing. All court dockets are cancelled today,” according to a social media post from the city. “We will confirm operations plans for tomorrow before the end of the day.”
UPDATE: Lawrence City Hall will be closed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Officials plan to reopen the facility to the public on Thursday, January 8. However, a spokesperson for the city confirmed to the Lawrence Times that the Lawrence City Commission meeting will continue as planned at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, and that City Hall would be open to the public for the meeting. Zoom attendance is an option for commission meetings.
More information on the investigation and on how other city services could be affected will be posted at the Lawrence Police Department Facebook page.
(Earlier reporting...)
DEVELOPING STORY: “Altercation” Forces Closure of Lawrence City Hall
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — In a message posted on social media Monday morning, the Lawrence Police Department said City Hall was closed due to “an altercation.” A large number of police and first responders were said to be in the area. The statement said, “We are not able to confirm details yet but are on scene and have controlled the situation.” The public was being advised to avoid the area. Police said they would provide an update when more information became available. The city has released a statement saying City Hall will remain closed all day Monday. All court dockets are also cancelled.
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Kansas Governor Urges Fiscal Caution After Lower-than-Expected Tax Collections in December
UNDATED (KNS) — Democratic Governor Laura Kelly is advising caution after Kansas tax collections came in lower than expected in December. The state collected just over $1 billion in taxes last month. That’s about 5% lower than anticipated. Both corporate and individual income taxes fell short. Sales taxes were slightly above estimate. Monthly tax revenue exceeded expectations throughout much of last year. But after the latest report, Governor Kelly says lawmakers should be careful to keep the state’s budget balanced. Republicans in Topeka say the state is in good financial health. They will likely pursue further cuts to spending and taxes in the coming legislative session.
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New Data Details Number of Women Receiving Abortions in Kansas in 2024
UNDATED (KNS) — Nearly 20,000 women got an abortion in Kansas in 2024, according to recent data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The Kansas News Service reports that after the fall of Roe V. Wade in 2022, abortions in Kansas more than doubled. In 2024, more than 15,000 of the abortions in the state were for non-residents. Emily Wales with Planned Parenthood Great Plains says the influx of patients might be the new normal as states in the South and Midwest have restricted or banned abortion. She says Kansas providers are overwhelmed. “It has felt in recent years a little bit like drinking from a fire hose. And we've tried to be really transparent with Kansans that care can take longer to access,” Wales explained. Anti-abortion advocates, including the organization Kansans for Life, say the influx of patients could create unsafe conditions, but Planned Parenthood says they provide safe, high-quality care.
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iPhone Alerted Police to Olathe Crash that Killed Two
OLATHE, Kan. (WIBW-TV) — Two people were killed when a vehicle crashed into a tree and caught fire in Olathe Saturday night. It happened around 10:40 at Northgate Street and East Harold Street. First responders were alerted to the crash by an automated message from a victim’s iPhone. Crash Detection is an iPhone safety feature that uses sensors to detect severe car crashes, then automatically alerts emergency services. WIBW-TV reports the crash remains under investigation.
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KBI Investigating Officer-Involved Shooting in Manhattan
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KSNT) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation continues to look into an officer-involved shooting in Manhattan on Saturday. Pottawatomie County deputies shot Brian J. Lovgren, 38, after he allegedly confronted them with a gun. KSNT reports Lovgren was taken to a Kansas City hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. No deputies were injured. The incident began when deputies responded to a report of gunfire in the area.
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Wichita Woman Charged with Attacking Concordia McDonald’s Employees
CONCORDIA, Kan. (KWCH) — A woman has been arrested after attacking employees at a McDonald’s in Concordia with hot grease. It happened around 3 p.m. on Sunday. Police say the woman also punched employees. No word on what led up to the alleged attack. The suspect is identified as Christina Messerschmidt of Wichita. KWCH reports she has been booked on two counts of aggravated battery, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct, and criminal trespass. The condition of the victims has not been released.
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Maintenance Needs of Kansas Universities Keep Rising
UNDATED (LJW) — A new assessment says Kansas’s six state universities have more than $1.6 billion in deferred maintenance. That’s up from $1.2 billion in 2020. The Lawrence Journal-World reports leaders at the six schools recently completed an end-of-year review of maintenance issues of all their facilities. They gave a C grade to the overall condition of critical buildings. Despite the growing need for repairs, spending on maintenance has actually gone up in recent years, from $107 million in 2023 to $203 million in 2025.
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Report: Kansas Ranks No. 4 in Lightning
UNDATED (Washington Post) — A new report listing the states with the most lightning last year says Kansas came in fourth place. The top 3 were Oklahoma, Florida, and Louisiana. The report by the environmental consulting firm AEM says there were more than 88 million lightning flashes nationwide last year, a 9.8% increase over 2024. The Washington Post reports that the most lightning-prone county in the U.S. was Kay County, Oklahoma, which borders Kansas along Interstate 35. The county averaged 123.4 lightning flashes per square mile last year.
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“Scooter” Ward, Longtime Kansas Athletics Administrator, Dies at 59
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — A longtime Kansas Athletics administrator has died. Scott “Scooter” Ward was 59. Ward was a faculty member in the KU School of Education before joining the Kansas Athletics staff in 2003. In a statement, Kansas Athletics said he most recently served as director of peak performance and leadership with the Kansas Athletics’ student-athlete development department. During his tenure, the KU men’s basketball team had 35 Academic All-Big 12 selections, more than any other school in the conference.
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Kansas Governor Hasn’t Formed an Opinion on Parsons Nuclear Reactor
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Democratic Kansas Governor Laura Kelly says she hasn’t formed an opinion on a nuclear reactor planned for Parsons, but says she’s open to all kinds of energy sources. A California startup plans to build what it says will be the world’s first ever mile-deep nuclear reactor. Kelly said she wasn’t involved in attracting the project to Kansas, but told the Kansas News Service, “How I’ve always approached energy issues here in the state of Kansas is that I’ve always taken a sort of all-of-the-above approach, and then let the markets sort of dictate.” The Trump administration is fast-tracking Deep Fission and ten other nuclear projects. It wants reactors installed and functioning in time for the nation's 250th anniversary this July 4.
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Flu Cases in Kansas Rising; Health Officials Worried
UNDATED (WDAF-TV) — Health officials in Kansas say there’s been a spike in flu cases. The University of Kansas Health System is reporting seven times more flu patients than it did two weeks ago. And the CDC currently lists Kansas as having high flu activity levels. WDAF-TV reports the sudden rise in flu cases worries health officials. The virus is considered very contagious. And many patients spread the virus before realizing they have it. If untreated, influenza can develop into more serious conditions, including pneumonia, which may require hospitalization.
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Suspect in 25-Year-old Cold Case Returns to Kansas to Face Child Sex Crime Charges
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KCTV) — The Missouri man that police say is connected to a pair of child sex crimes in Lawrence two decades ago has returned to Douglas County. KCTV reports that 58-year-old David James Zimbrick, of Raytown, Missouri, has waived extradition to Kansas and is now booked in the Douglas County jail. He's accused of sexually assaulting a child in 2000 and another child in 2003. Investigators say he lured both children into the woods at Naismith Valley Park where the crimes allegedly took place. Detectives say DNA - collected from a single cigarette butt - helped solve the case.
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Abortions in Kansas Rose to Record Level in 2024
UNDATED (KPR) — The number of abortions in Kansas reached a record high in 2024. That’s according to the latest annual vital statistics report from the state department of health and environment. There were 19,811 abortions reported in Kansas in 2024. That’s up 1.7% from the previous year and the most reported since 1973, when the US Supreme Court legalized abortion. That ruling has since been overturned. The report finds that 76% of the women who received abortions in Kansas in 2024 traveled from another state.
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Sports: Chiefs Get Ninth Draft Pick, Royals Extend Manager’s Contract
UNDATED (KPR) — The Kansas City Chiefs ended their season with a 14-12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. The Chiefs finished the season with a disappointing record of 6-11. But there’s a silver lining: The Chiefs will pick ninth in the 2026 draft, a rare spot near the top of the board for a franchise accustomed to drafting late in the first round. It’s the Chiefs’ highest draft position since 2013, when they held the No. 1 overall pick and selected Eric Fisher.
Meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals have signed manager Matt Quatraro to a contract extension. The extension will keep him in the Royals dugout through 2030. Quatraro is 52. He’s entering his fourth season in Kansas City. He led the team to 86 wins, a playoff berth, and a wild-card series victory in 2024. The Royals finished just above .500 last season at 82-80.
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