Sara Shepherd Lawrence Journal-World reporter
Sara Shepherd is the Lawrence Journal-World's features reporter, covering food, arts, lifestyle and culture. Prior to joining the Journal-World staff, Sara was the news editor and city reporter for The Shawnee Dispatch. She also was a reporter at The Kansas City Star, covering primarily crime and courts, as well as Johnson County schools and city government. Sara is an Emporia, Kan., native and — proud! — fourth-generation Kansas University graduate. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/KCSSara.
Recent stories
- Food: Edible heirlooms: Favorite recipes help remember loved ones
- May 23, 2012
- Some of the most valuable family treasures may not be expensive or breakable. And it’s unlikely you’ll find them itemized in anyone’s will (in fact, they may not be written down at all).
- Food: Treat mom to a kid-and-dad-proof Mother’s Day breakfast
- May 9, 2012
- Here’s an at-home breakfast menu that features simple extras such as fresh herbs — not fancy techniques or hard-to-find ingredients — to make the dishes elegant enough to make mom feel special but easy enough for dad and the kids to whip up.
- First details emerge in sealed Shawnee murder case
- Related federal investigation is ongoing
- May 1, 2012
- More than a year after a 16-year-old girl discovered a bullet-pierced body on a desolate Shawnee road, details of the city’s only homicide of 2011 have begun to emerge.
- A look inside the landfill
- Variety of activity — even wildlife — abounds inside the nearly 1,000-acre site
- April 25, 2012
- Behind the steep berms hiding it from public view, the Johnson County Landfill is home to both arid moon-like landscapes and lush green pockets teeming with wildlife. The Dispatch takes you on a photo tour of the largest landfill of its kind in the Midwest.
- No Easter egg drop this year as church’s focus is closer to ground
- 03:24 p.m., March 30, 2012 Updated 12:00 a.m.
- At this time last year, Shawnee’s Gracepoint Church — along with about 6,000 children and parents — had its eye on the sky. However, with other efforts drawing its attention closer to the ground, the church is taking a hiatus from the helicopter Easter Egg Drop it offered the public for the past two years.
- Wind fuels 3-alarm fire at Shawnee apartment complex
- 09:13 p.m., February 23, 2012 Updated 11:25 p.m.
- High winds quickly fueled a Shawnee apartment fire from a small flame to a blaze that engulfed an entire building and threatened others Thursday evening.
- Food left on stove caused fatal apartment fire in Shawnee
- Unit’s smoke alarm had no battery
- 10:02 a.m., February 17, 2012 Updated 12:00 a.m.
- Food left in a pan on the stove caused the fire that killed a young man and woman inside their Shawnee apartment Friday morning.
- Shawnee laying groundwork for riverfront ‘Eco-Commerce Center’
- 01:00 p.m., December 14, 2011 Updated 12:00 a.m.
- At a tract of empty land flanked by the Kansas River and Kansas Highway 7, there’s more going on than meets the eye.
- Jeweler has offered to mount 100-year-old diamond found in Salvation Army kettle
- Unusual donation turned up at Shawnee Walmart
- 12:50 p.m., December 8, 2011 Updated 12:00 a.m.
- A Salvation Army kettle from Shawnee turned up a sparkly surprise when workers opened it to count the day’s donations.
- Same suspect described in Shawnee, KCK abduction attempts
- 09:17 p.m., November 17, 2011 Updated 12:00 a.m.
- Shawnee police this week continued to pursue leads and beef up patrols around school bus stops after a man tried to kidnap a girl at gunpoint Thursday afternoon.
Recent photos
Stella Bolin
Phil Minkin, Lawrence, has several of his grandmother's recipes, including her version of traditional Jewish flodin. His grandmother didn't use written recipes, but years ago Minkin's mother wrote them down and passed them on to Minkin.
Herbed Baked Eggs, Buttermilk Spice Muffins and Blueberry Soup make for a simple, family-friendly Mother's Day breakfast. Fresh herbs and garnishes make the dishes elegant enough to feel special, but recipes are simple enough for anyone to make.
The 4300 block of Lakecrest Drive was the scene of Shawnee’s only homicide of 2011. A teenage girl on her way home just after midnight Feb. 6 found the body of Oswaldo Conde-Gamboa lying in the roadway near the intersection of 43rd Street and Lakecrest Drive, at the north edge of the city limits not far from the Kansas River.
Firefighters battle a massive fire — fueled by high winds — at the Hampton Woods apartment complex, near 67th Street and Renner Road. The fire was reported about 7:15 p.m. Thursday. Shawnee Fire Chief John Mattox said everyone got out of the building safely, but “it’s only getting worse with this wind.” At 9 p.m., firefighters continued to pump water on a neighboring building to prevent it from catching fire, too. Jared Thornburg, who lives in the second building, came outside when the fire was reported. “It was a tiny, little fire in the bottom apartment over there,” he said. “… and it went up.”
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Point of View
The postal service is cutting back hours at some rural post offices. How often do you go to the post office?
“For my own personal use, I only go a couple times a year to mail gifts, usually around Christmas and family birthdays. At that time I usually buy a couple books of stamps that last for most of the year! For professional use, I go a couple times a month to check our PO Box.”
