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Ken Lassman's Kaw Valley Almanac runs in the Times this week with a nature update saying fall prairie colors are muting and trees are losing leaves, and he will post weekly observations at kawvalleyalmanac.com.

A Lawrence man is urging faster wheelchair repairs after battery failure left him using an unreliable backup chair for weeks, and he plans to work with lawmakers alongside another resident to push repair companies to speed service.

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark will step down from his post (effective Jan.

31, 2027), the conference announced Friday, Oct. 30. The Big 12 Board of Directors, chaired by KU Chancellor Douglas A. Girod, will launch a national search for his successor.

Compost Collective KC will launch curbside pickup for food scraps including meat, bones, and dairy on Tuesday, Nov.

3, with service starting at $20+ and the group will seek a conditional use permit for a compost site north of town at 1701 East 1500 Road on Monday, Nov. 16.

Americana Music Academy will release WELCOME WiNTER, a local artist album whose net proceeds will support its $24,000 year scholarship fund.

The academy hosts a celebration Saturday, Nov. 7, 4 to 7:30 p.m. at 1419 Massachusetts St., with $15 USB C cassette + 3D printed ornament and 7:30 p.m. concert.

Lawrence’s Environmental Sustainability Advisory Board finalized a set of priorities Thursday and will send the edited document to the city commission to try to embed the goals in the Vision 2030 strategic plan.

The priorities include exploring food-waste composting, boosting commercial and apartment recycling, expanding public outreach, and tracking sustainability spending.

KU assistant professor Cheng Huang won a five-year, $875,000 DOE Early Career Research Program grant to develop an adaptive computational framework for faster, more accurate simulations of high-speed flows affecting reentry capsules and detonation engines; the award was announced Friday, Oct. 30.

Officials are warning drivers & trick-or-treaters to use extra caution today as Halloween brings more people to neighborhood streets, urging slower speeds, visible costumes or lights, and attention at intersections.