Douglas County staff has been eyeing the now-vacant space that, until late February, housed Lawrence Municipal Court. On Wednesday, interim County Administrator Sarah Plinsky will seek the County Commission’s approval to negotiate a lease for the space at 1006 New Hampshire St. Plinsky wrote in a memo to commissioners that a 2017 space-needs study on the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, 111 E. 11th ...
After dipping out of the top 10 for the first time — to 23rd in 2018 — Douglas County has climbed back to the 17th healthiest county in Kansas this year. Since the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps began in 2011, Douglas County had never ranked below ninth prior to its drop in 2018. It’s bounced back a bit in 2019, but the report still notes significant racial and ethnic disparities, as well as ...
As part of efforts to pare down the numbers of people in the Douglas County Jail in recent years, the county has launched a few new programs. One of them has grown by 67 percent in just a year. Douglas County’s pretrial release, house arrest and behavioral health court are three of the key alternatives to incarceration. "At any given time, with the programs in place, about 150 people who could otherwise be ...
I already know what you’re thinking — either you saw this one coming, or you think I’ve lost my marbles. If you’ve ever read this column, you’ve probably seen mention of some app or device or trick or nifty online service. After all, I’ve written about fitness trackers, apps for New Year’s resolutions, putting your iPhone to work to help you sleep better, heart rate variability and a chest strap ...
Tragedy on the other side of the world compelled the Islamic Center of Lawrence to open its doors to the community on Sunday afternoon. Despite the somber occasion for the event, members of the center engaged in stimulating conversations with more than 50 visitors representing many different faith groups, including several denominations of Christianity and Judaism. Last week, a white supremacist attacked two ...
Story updated at 9:13 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, 2019: An "unusually severe" winter — including this week's rain — has Douglas County's townships struggling to repair roads, and state law says there's not much the county can do to help. Townships aim to keep property taxes low by operating with few employees and pieces of equipment, according to an online statement from the county’s director of public ...