When Benjamin Patterson stood at the grave of a 23-year-old World War II combat engineer from North Lawrence, he didn’t just see a name etched in white marble — he saw a life he had spent months uncovering.
Since January, Patterson, a rising senior, and Sonja Czarnecki, a social studies teacher at Bishop Seabury Academy, have been researching World War II veteran Carl Spitzer, and their research culminated ...
Douglas County commissioners will begin their budget hearings for the 2026 budget next week, reviewing dozens of additional funding requests from local agencies and departments.
County staff is proposing a $191.4 million budget for 2026 that holds the property tax rate flat at 41.298 mills — one mill is one dollar per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. A homeowner with a $600,000 property would pay ...
In a fire, when minutes matter, help in some parts of Douglas County may depend on whether a volunteer firefighter is available when you call 911.
That's because Consolidated Fire District #1, which serves much of rural Douglas County, relies heavily on its volunteer force, and a new report on the fire district that county commissioners reviewed on Wednesday is urging hiring more staff to ensure the department ...
Douglas County commissioners at their weekly meeting will be briefed on multi-year strategies to combat poverty in the county, with a particular focus on supporting low-income single mothers.
On Wednesday, county commissioners will hear a presentation about the anti-poverty focus area of the Community Health Improvement Plan – which is a strategic plan for the health and well-being of a community. The health ...
After tumbling off a truck on the highway, a young pig was rescued and is now on the road to recovery thanks to a dedicated network of rescuers and caregivers.
Gilbert — the pig who was rescued by someone driving close behind the truck and witnessed the fall — is known as a "jumper," or a pig that leaps or falls from transport trucks, typically while being moved from a breeding facility to a slaughterhouse. ...
With Independence Day just around the corner, here’s what to know about various events and how to celebrate safely and legally.
Fireworks have been prohibited in Lawrence for 23 years now, with the exception of novelty items like party poppers, sparklers and snappers, but folks who want to shoot off fireworks can do so in parts of Douglas County, as long as certain rules are followed.
The use of fireworks ...
