As the county’s Food System Plan approaches its 10-year anniversary, Douglas County leaders are rethinking priorities around food access, land health and equity.
Much of the county’s food systems work is guided by the 2017 Douglas County Food System Plan, which centers on supporting agricultural producers and food entrepreneurs, conserving natural resources, ensuring food access and health, advancing ...
Douglas County ended 2025 with a $6.7 million budget surplus after revenues exceeded projections and spending came in below estimates.
About $1.9 million of the surplus came from revenues exceeding estimates and the remaining roughly $4.9 million resulted from expenditures coming in below budget, as departments spent less than projected or had costs that were delayed or did not materialize by year-end, ...
The Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center has received a $25,000 donation to help it build a new Youth Recovery Center, and designs for the facility at Clinton Parkway and Kasold Drive are progressing.
Leaders of Bert Nash and other stakeholders gathered Monday morning for the announcement that the Topeka-based financial services firm Security Benefit had agreed to donate $25,000 to the Judge Jean Shepherd ...
To help make child care more affordable for local families, Lawrence’s Ballard Center is trying a new approach — capping tuition at 7% of a household's income.
In a news release, the Ballard Center said that 1 in 4 families in the community live paycheck to paycheck, and the average Kansas family spends 20% of their income on child care. But with its new model, the Ballard Center will review each ...
Douglas County commissioners reviewed a proposed elementary and middle school truancy initiative set to launch as early as the 2026-2027 school year.
On Wednesday, county commissioners heard from the Douglas County Criminal Justice Services department during a work session to review “EveryDay Counts,” the proposed K-8 initiative designed to identify and address the root causes of chronic school ...
Lawrence school board members approved an increase to preschool programming tuition for the 2026-2027 school year on Tuesday.
The tuition cost for the next school year is $690 monthly for nine months for preschool students who do not meet the Kansas State Department of Education criteria for free attendance. The fee for 2025-2026 was $660, and the board approved the 4.5% increase to help cover the district’s ...
