Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, overall property values in Douglas County increased in 2021. However, some areas saw significant declines, including the lodging industry and downtown businesses. According to a report from County Appraiser Steven Miles, the property values throughout Douglas County increased by roughly 4% over the last year. The County Commission during its meeting on Wednesday will ...
The Lawrence school district is working on a plan to bring students back to in-person learning five days a week by next month. Superintendent Anthony Lewis said Monday during a school board meeting that he is proposing that kindergarten through fifth grade students return to a full week of school on March 15 and students in sixth grade and up return on March 29. The school board was not required to vote on ...
When the Lawrence school district recently began a mandatory COVID-19 testing program for its middle and high school students and staff participating in “high-risk” athletics, Traci and David Marcum quickly grew frustrated. Their son, Matthew Marcum, a Free State High School wrestler who is currently ranked fifth in the state’s 6A 170-pound weight class, tested positive for the virus through the program, ...
A Lawrence school district report suggests the coronavirus pandemic is having a negative effect on students' academic performance, with students at every grade level receiving more D and F grades so far this year than in previous years. During its meeting on Monday, the Lawrence school board will hear a presentation on the report from Zach Conrad, the district’s director of research and evaluation. The report ...
Douglas County’s school virus guidance will remain the same for a third straight week, despite the number of cases for the coronavirus continuing to fall. Lawrence Douglas County Public Health announced Thursday its recommendation to schools would remain in the yellow tier, which calls for schools to use hybrid or fully in-person classes. The color-coded guidance is meant to help county school districts ...
Douglas County will move forward on a county jail maintenance project estimated to cost about $4 million after the County Commission on Wednesday signed off on the plan. The County Commissioners also explored an idea that would have paired the maintenance projects with a larger remodel of the facility, but ultimately decided to follow the county’s original proposal because of the immediate need for the ...