News and notes from around town:

• The beginning of 2010 wasn’t the beginning of a jobs rebound in Douglas County, new numbers from the federal government show. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the number of jobs located in Douglas County declined by about 700 positions during the first quarter of 2010 compared with the first quarter of 2009. The county averaged 46,023 jobs during the first three months of the year, which was down 1.4 percent from the first three quarters of 2009.

Douglas County, though, fared better than Johnson County. The same report shows the number of jobs in Johnson County fell by 4.3 percent, or about 12,7000 positions. Shawnee and Riley counties fared a bit better than Douglas County. Shawnee County had a decline of 0.5 percent or about 500 jobs, while Riley County added a handful of jobs — about 20.

• One other interesting fact from the latest job report: Employment totals in Douglas County now are almost exactly where they were in 2001. In the first quarter of 2001, there were 46,020 jobs in the county. In the first quarter of 2010 there were 46,023. In case you are wondering, the county’s population has grown by about 16,000 people in that time period.

Douglas County is not alone. Johnson County has now fallen slightly below 2001 employment totals. And Shawnee County is far below its 2001 totals. The Topeka area has lost 7,600 jobs since 2001, a decline of about 7.5 percent.

There has been at least one big winner in the area — swallow hard, Jayhawks — the Manhattan area. Riley County has nearly 4,500 jobs since 2001, a growth rate of 18.5 percent.

A proposed mural for the north wall of the Lawrence Arts Center.

• Downtown Lawrence may get a big new mural. Leaders of the Lawrence Arts Center have proposed a mural for the north wall of their building at 940 N.H. Originally, the arts center wanted to use the blank wall for a large sign that read “Lawrence Arts Center/Find Yourself Inside.” But city planners expressed concerns that the plan could be in violation of the city’s sign code. The proposal now is for a multicolored mural that is an “abstract evocation of architectural elements of the Arts Center,” Susan Tate, the center’s director, said in a letter to city officials. The city’s Historic Resources Commission will consider approving the project at its 6:30 p.m. meeting Thursday at City Hall.

• Applications for neighborhood groups or nonprofits seeking money through the city’s Community Development Block Grant Program are now available. Proposals must address one or more of these goals: neighborhood improvement; emergency rent, utility or other assistance; projects to increase the availability of affordable housing; housing counseling services; projects to address blighted areas; and projects that promote sustainability. More information from the city is available here.

What town talk are you hearing? Send me at tip at clawhorn@ljworld.com