If everything goes to plan, a new DCCCA building providing various social services in Lawrence could be finished just in time to celebrate the agency’s 50th anniversary. “If we actually open in 2024, it’s 50 years to the year,” DCCCA CEO Lori Alvarado told the Journal-World. “DCCCA started in a one-room office in downtown Lawrence in 1974.” DCCCA broke ground on a new facility last week — a $7 ...
As new, more transmissible COVID variants find their way to Douglas County, the county’s health officer says future variants will likely continue to become even more infectious. The omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are responsible for the latest surge, accounting for 80% of COVID cases across the United States. The subvariants are identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “variants of ...
Starting this weekend, dialing 988 from any phone line will connect Kansans with a crisis call center staffed by counselors prepared to help them navigate any mental health concern. The new three-digit dialing code will route callers across the United States to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline starting Saturday. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly ...
Early voting for the Aug. 2 primary election is off to a busy start, and Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew said it’s “extremely clear” that the reason is the proposed constitutional amendment on abortion that’s on the ballot. Shew told the Journal-World Thursday afternoon that on Wednesday, the first day of early voting, 545 people voted in person at the Douglas County Election Office at 711 W. 23rd St. ...
When audiences attend Theatre Lawrence’s performance of "Shrek the Musical Jr." this Friday and Saturday, they’ll notice that each actor on stage has a "buddy" in a similar costume standing by their side. That’s because the show is the theater’s latest production as part of the Penguin Project, a nationwide theater program where youths with developmental disabilities play all of the acting roles. The ...
As the Aug. 2 primary election approaches, many voters are sounding off on whether the Kansas Constitution should continue to protect abortion rights — and churches are getting involved in the conversation, too. But when churches advocate for or against the abortion amendment that's on the primary election ballot, are they at risk of losing their tax-exempt status? According to the Internal Revenue Service, ...