WRITER: Josie Heimsoth

League of Women Voters of Lawrence-Douglas County's social media accounts have been suspended; they don't understand why

The League of Women Voters of Lawrence-Douglas County’s social media accounts have been suspended with election day less than two months away. Sonja Czarnecki, president of League of Women Voters of Lawrence-Douglas County, told the Journal-World that the organization received notification from Facebook that the nonprofit’s page had been "suspended" for "violating community standards," particularly, ...

Douglas County Courthouse is still under renovations and another exterior project is about to begin

The Douglas County Courthouse is still in the midst of several renovations. The meeting chambers are anticipated to be completed by January — after a decision is made about how to handle a discovery found behind the dais backboard — but new masonry restoration work on the exterior of the building will begin in the coming weeks. As the Journal-World reported, on Wednesday, Douglas County Commissioners signed ...

Douglas County Commission candidates weigh in on public safety services, climate change and other issues at forum

At a forum hosted by the NAACP and League of Women Voters, candidates for Douglas County Commission shared their views on public safety, climate change and which issues should be addressed in the county. All 10 candidates for the County Commission’s four open seats were in attendance Sunday at the Lawrence Public Library except for a candidate from District 5, Kirsten Kuhn, a Libertarian. The candidates ...

As a kid, Dustin Stumblingbear taught his peers in Lawrence schools about Native culture; now, he's turned it into a book

A year ago, at a pageant put on by the Lawrence school district's Native American Student Services, Dustin Stumblingbear watched a young woman stand up and talk about being disconnected from her culture and not knowing Native ways. For Stumblingbear, a Lawrence school district alumnus and member of the Oklahoma Kiowa tribe, that was a call to action. “That hit me, hit me in the heart,” Stumblingbear ...

Douglas County Extension partners with a community initiative aimed at revitalizing the county's entrepreneurial landscape

To enhance economic development and support entrepreneurship in Douglas County, K-State Research and Extension has joined forces with a community initiative aimed at revitalizing the county's entrepreneurial landscape. Douglas County CORE — an acronym that stands for Connections, Opportunities and Resources for Entrepreneurs — was developed to make entrepreneurship easier in the county, and it has partnered ...

Lawrence and Douglas County officials want more partners for emergency winter shelter plan; 'mental health first aid' also needed

As Lawrence and Douglas County develop a plan to provide around 200 beds of emergency shelter this winter, they're looking for more organizations to partner with, as well as people who can provide "mental health first aid" at the shelter sites. On Thursday, several community partners involved in the Extreme Weather Emergency Shelters initiative — established by the City of Lawrence and Douglas County — ...