On Wednesday, the Douglas County Commission had a chance to hear success stories directly from graduates of the county’s two specialty court programs. During a work session at Wednesday’s County Commission meeting, commissioners received a presentation on the Behavioral Health Court and Drug Court programs, designed as alternatives to the traditional court system. The programs are presided over by Judge ...
The Lawrence City Commission has approved an ordinance that will soon implement a number of changes to how complaints against police are reviewed, including one significant modification that substantially broadens the types of complaints that could be subject to review. At Tuesday’s City Commission meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to adopt Ordinance No. 10046, which is based on the consensus ...
With no items on the regular agenda for this week’s Douglas County Commission meeting, county leaders will be focusing on learning more about the county’s specialty courts. At Wednesday’s meeting, commissioners will receive a presentation on the two courts — the Behavioral Health Court first launched as a pilot in June 2016 and the Drug Court launched in January 2020 — from Criminal Justice Services ...
In a special election on Tuesday, voters in Baldwin City approved $17 million in bond issue projects for the Baldwin City school district that will expand and update classroom spaces on the high school campus and address safety and security concerns at the junior high and high school. All nine of the city's election precincts were reporting as of 9:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to unofficial results from the ...
Late Tuesday night, the Lawrence City Commission signed off on a pair of funding agreements related to the launch of a new multidisciplinary homeless outreach team. At Tuesday’s City Commission meeting, the group voted 3-1 — with Commissioner Amber Sellers opposed after citing concerns regarding reporting and execution on the scope of the group's work, and Commissioner Brad Finkeldei abstaining because one ...
Rich Lorenzo, a rural Douglas County resident, has announced his candidacy for one of two new seats on the newly expanded five member Douglas County Commission. In a press release shared with the Journal-World, Lorenzo said he intends to run for election in District 5, which includes a small portion of south Lawrence, southern Wakarusa Township, Baldwin City and Palmyra Township. Lorenzo, a Republican, has ...