A short documentary film by Lawrence High School students focusing on the life and resilience of dancer Alvin Ailey reached the national stage this week. Liliana Christensen and Zora Lotton-Barker, who will be seniors at LHS this coming fall, told the Journal-World Thursday they were excited that their film, “Alvin Ailey: Breaking Barriers in American Dance,” was one of 35 films from across the country ...
While the Douglas County Commission has recently challenged local criminal justice leaders to find ways to decrease their usage of the county jail, the commissioners on Wednesday said they need to also challenge state lawmakers. “This all starts in Topeka,” Commissioner Michelle Derusseau said. “Even the criminal justice folks here in Douglas County don’t make the laws. They are just working with what ...
The Douglas County Commission will continue discussing the viability of the planned expansion of its jail during its meeting on Wednesday. According to a memo in the meeting's agenda, the discussion will give the commissioners a chance to ask county staff questions about the project and discuss it among themselves. Commissioner Nancy Thellman told the Journal-World on Tuesday that the meeting will allow the ...
Five Democratic candidates running for two Douglas County Commission seats all expressed a level of opposition to the county’s controversial jail expansion project during a candidate forum hosted Tuesday by the local Democratic Party. Where the candidates differed was how they wanted to address the issue of overcrowding in the jail without the expansion. Three Democratic candidates — Shannon Reid, Sara ...
Douglas County will soon see an injection of federal cash to help address health issues and an economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. County Administrator Sarah Plinsky recently told the County Commission that the county would begin receiving between $21-$24 million of federal funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as CARES. But full details on how much ...
Despite calls across the country for changes in how law enforcement agencies operate, the Lawrence school district plans to continue using officers from the Lawrence Police Department in its schools. But school board leaders are asking whether there needs to be more oversight of the school resource officer program to ensure students are not subjected to issues like systemic racism. Superintendent Anthony Lewis ...