WRITER: Josie Heimsoth

Lecompton's Aunt Netters Cafe ranks as 4th best pie shop in America on USA Today's reader's choice list

A Lecompton cafe has made its way into the Top 5 on USA Today’s reader's choice list of the best pie shops in America. Aunt Netters Cafe, a family-owned eatery offering homestyle meals to the Lecompton area, ranked fourth on USA Today's list. Many of the community’s favorites include coconut cream, peanut butter chocolate and caramel apple pecan. Annette Nally, co-owner and baker, said all of the pies are ...

Douglas County's annual budget hearings will commence next week; proposed budget totals $206 million and holds mill levy flat

Douglas County’s budget hearings are starting next week, and County Administrator Sarah Plinsky along with her staff are proposing a $206 million budget and a plan to keep the property tax rate flat for 2025. As the Journal-World reported, last year, commissioners adopted a $190.7 million budget for 2024. The proposed plan increases the 2025 budget by $15.3 million. The proposed mill levy — one mill is one ...

Lawrence school board won't name interim superintendent until mid-August; search for permanent replacement expected to last into 2025

The Lawrence school board won't be naming an interim replacement for departing Superintendent Anthony Lewis until mid-August, and it doesn't expect to begin the search for a permanent replacement until this fall. That's what the board discussed at a special meeting on Tuesday, just a few days after it was announced that Lewis was leaving for a job in Durham, North Carolina. School board President Kelly Jones ...

Area optometrists travel to Honduras to provide eye care to rural residents, some of whom have never had glasses before

After an organization providing eye care services had not visited Honduras in five years, a brigade of optometrists and volunteers decided they were up for the challenge — and their visit resulted in some people getting their very first pair of glasses and seeing things they had not seen clearly before. Dr. Laurie White, the crew’s leader and an optometrist in Oskaloosa, said residents in the rural area ...

Douglas County and architecture firm host open house on JLEC renovation plans and construction of 'public safety building'

Douglas County and representatives from an architecture firm hosted an open house for two construction projects – the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center renovation and addition and the development of a new building next to the county jail. The community event began on the second floor of the JLEC, 111 E. 11th St., in the Division 4 courtroom with a presentation given by Douglas County, District Court staff ...

County Commission candidates call housing affordability a significant issue in Douglas County

Six of the 13 candidates running for Douglas County Commission appeared at a candidate forum on Saturday, and a majority said affordable housing is a significant challenge still needing to be addressed. The candidates – Mike Kelso, Gene Dorsey, Shannon Reid, Lisa Larsen, Erica Anderson and Pam McDermott – appeared at a Douglas County Commission candidate forum hosted by The NAACP and League of Women Voters ...