Lawrence school board members have adopted the budget for 2026-2027, and it includes a property tax rate decrease. Following a public hearing on Monday, board members approved an approximately $267.6 million budget for 2026-2027 budget with a mill levy – or property tax rate – of 52.204 mills. One mill is equal to one dollar of property taxes for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. The mill ...
Douglas County’s homelessness dashboard offers a closer look at who is experiencing homelessness locally, but understanding what its numbers mean requires a closer look at how the data is collected and who is counted. The Douglas County Homelessness Dashboard is a public online tool displaying monthly data on homelessness in the county. The dashboard is intended to give the public, policymakers and service ...
Demand for psychiatric care at Heartland Community Health Center is growing – especially among children – as the clinic works to address gaps in staffing while keeping the people it already has. Since 2022, Heartland’s staff has fluctuated with hiring additional staff and losing other providers, according to a presentation shared with Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday. In 2025 and 2026, the ...
Following a public hearing on Wednesday, Douglas County commissioners will consider adopting the new Solid Waste Management Plan. Douglas and Jefferson counties have prepared a joint, regional Solid Waste Management Plan – which guides the management of solid waste generated within the two-county region as population trends, service expectations, and market conditions continue to evolve. The Kansas ...
Updated at 4:33 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. LMH Health has become one of five Kansas health systems joining together to form a new regional healthcare alliance designed to improve patient care and create more affordable healthcare options for communities. The healthcare collaboration was dubbed Astra Health, and it includes LMH Health, Amberwell Health, Salina Regional Health Center, Newman Regional Health ...
As Lawrence’s number of tobacco retailers continues to grow, health officials hope to discuss a potential temporary moratorium on new licenses – along with other changes to retailer rules – with city leaders. Vicki Collie-Akers, an associate professor in the Department of Population Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center and a representative with Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, said ...