On Tuesday, Feb. 18, the Kansas Senate enacted Senate Bill 63, overriding Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto 85-34. Also known as the Help Not Harm Act, SB 63 seeks to prohibit the use of state funds to promote...
After four years of working as a Student Resource Officer, Corporal Kacey Wiltz is leaving at the end of this school year to work as Chief of College Police at Kansas City Kansas Community College.
For...
During the first semester, many students received tickets for one of three reasons: parking in a reserved area, parking without a visible permit or parking in an incorrect manner, such as pulling through....
Ember Klein, Online Editor-in-Chief
• March 11, 2025
On Feb. 14, Haskell cross country coach Clay Mayes walked into a meeting with Haskell athletic director Zach Wilkerson not knowing what to expect. He walked out of the meeting unemployed and worried about...
Editor's Note: The first protest took place on Feb. 23, and has continued weekly. There is no definite end date.
On March 2, approximately 200 individuals gathered at the intersection of Ninth and Massachusetts...
With the Advanced Placement testing season looming near, it is time for students to think about beginning their preparation. This process differs from student to student, as every AP class is different...
Lilly Wall, News Editor-in-Chief
• February 24, 2025
Tonight at a school board meeting, Interim Superintendent Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift announced the selection of Assistant Principal Tina Mitchell as the Director of Equity and Student and Family Engagement...
On Feb. 21 Jeanice Kerr Swift was named the permanent superintendent—pending official board approval—of USD 497 after over six months of serving as the interim superintendent, following Anthony Lewis’s...
Lilly Wall, News Editor-in-Chief
• February 17, 2025
On Tuesday, Jan. 7, a series of wildfires broke out across Los Angeles, California. The biggest of the seven, the Palisades Fire, began burning in the Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles County. Since...
Lilly Wall, News Editor-in-Chief
• February 17, 2025
President Donald J. Trump entered office on Jan. 20. Within the first week of his presidency, he signed 36 executive orders. Take a look at some of the most influential orders, what they imply and a breakdown...
Delaney Bayliss, Assistant Social Media Editor
• February 17, 2025
After competing at Garden City on Jan. 17 and 18, the varsity debate team returned home with a four-speaker state championship, successfully ending their 2024-2025 season by bringing down Washburn Rural,...
Phoebe Morris, News Editor-in-Chief
• February 13, 2025
On Feb. 8, Prairie Park Elementary School speech and language pathologist Mark Gridley was reported of possible sexual assault allegations by two elementary schoolers according to the Lawrence Police Department.
60...
![Monitoring the school, School Resource Officer Kasey Wiltz works in her office to help make Free State a safer place. Over the past four years as an SRO, Wiltz has discovered a passion for the work as well as the community. “Once I became a school resource officer, [I found my niche] and I didn't ever want to do anything different,” Wiltz said.](https://www.fsfreepressonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Butler_2_11_2025_Casey-Wiltz-2-copy-1200x801.jpg)
