Douglas County voters will soon decide many local political races, but registered Republicans will have no voice in many outcomes. That’s because all but one of the county seats that are up for election this year will likely be decided through Democratic primary elections, and the deadline ...
Douglas County may keep its property tax rate flat for its 2021 budget while also focusing on flexibility amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. County Administrator Sarah Plinsky recently told the Journal-World she has proposed a 2021 budget with a flat mill levy of 46.430, which would ...
The Douglas County Commission will wait a week before considering a company’s request to expand a quarry near Eudora. The commissioners heard a request on Wednesday to amend a conditional use permit for Hamm Quarry, located at 2364 North 1200 Road, which wants to expand its extraction ...
Leaders at the local homeless shelter say that although they are once again accepting new residents, the pandemic continues to limit the shelter’s ability to house the homeless. The Lawrence Community Shelter, 3655 E. 25th St., stopped accepting new residents in March because of the ...
A Douglas County quarry just outside of Eudora is looking to expand its operation. The County Commission on Wednesday will consider amendments to a conditional use permit that would allow Hamm Quarry, 2364 North 1200 Road, to expand into 51 acres west of the property. The amended permit would ...
Three Democratic candidates for Douglas County positions announced on Monday they have formed a coordinated campaign focusing on issues related to criminal justice, housing and climate change. The “Douglas County Justice Ticket” includes District Attorney candidate Cooper Overstreet, ...
Story updated at 5 p.m. Monday: After more than 30 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed over the weekend, Douglas County will soon require everyone in public spaces to wear a mask when social distancing is not possible. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, masks will be required throughout ...
Three Lawrence residents have been selected to serve on a state commission focused on issues of racial equity in justice. Gov. Laura Kelly announced in a news release on Wednesday that she signed an executive order to create the commission, which will first work on community relations of ...
Updated at 3:44 p.m. Thursday Information detailing the location of COVID-19 outbreaks both in Douglas County and in the state of Kansas continues to be shielded from the public eye. Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment in recent days have ...
To help address a looming inmate population crisis at the Douglas County Jail, criminal justice leaders are working to make the local court system more efficient, said Criminal Justice Coordinator Mike Brouwer. During the County Commission meeting on Wednesday, Brouwer reported to the ...
Updated at 4:20 p.m. A local activist group and others do not have legal standing to challenge Douglas County’s plan to expand its jail, a judge has ruled. In a Tuesday court filing, Judge James Fleetwood dismissed a lawsuit in Douglas County District Court filed by faith-based activist ...
Two challengers for the seat of Douglas County district attorney spoke of their ideas for change and prodded the incumbent about cases his office has handled as he touted his experience and filled in other sides of the stories Tuesday evening. The Douglas County Democrats hosted an online ...
The Douglas County Commission will again consider solutions to a possible looming population crisis at the county jail. Criminal Justice Coordinator Mike Brouwer said in a memo to the commissioners that he continued to meet with local criminal justice leaders to discuss how to decrease jail ...
The three candidates for district attorney will participate in an online forum beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Newcomers Cooper Overstreet and Suzanne Valdez and incumbent DA Charles Branson have all filed as Democrats. No Republicans have filed, so the next DA will likely be chosen in the ...
None of the three candidates for Douglas County sheriff spoke firmly in favor of expanding the Douglas County Jail during an online forum Thursday afternoon, and one said he opposes it. Rob Hulse, executive vice president of the Lawrence Board of Realtors, and Danielle Davey, governmental ...
While the Douglas County Commission has recently challenged local criminal justice leaders to find ways to decrease their usage of the county jail, the commissioners on Wednesday said they need to also challenge state lawmakers. “This all starts in Topeka,” Commissioner Michelle Derusseau ...
Five Democratic candidates running for two Douglas County Commission seats all expressed a level of opposition to the county’s controversial jail expansion project during a candidate forum hosted Tuesday by the local Democratic Party. Where the candidates differed was how they wanted to ...
The Douglas County Commission will continue discussing the viability of the planned expansion of its jail during its meeting on Wednesday. According to a memo in the meeting's agenda, the discussion will give the commissioners a chance to ask county staff questions about the project and ...
Updated at 2:14 p.m. Tuesday The three candidates for Douglas County sheriff will participate in an online forum hosted by the Lawrence Board of Realtors Thursday afternoon. Lt. Jay Armbrister, Deputy Dale Flory and Capt. Doug Woods, all longtime employees of the sheriff’s office, have all ...
Douglas County will soon see an injection of federal cash to help address health issues and an economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. County Administrator Sarah Plinsky recently told the County Commission that the county would begin receiving between $21-$24 million of federal ...