Douglas County will soon begin crafting a tool to collect data on the local homeless community that will be used to fight chronic homelessness in the area. On Wednesday, the County Commission approved an agreement with Community Solutions to take part in the Built For Zero initiative. ...
Douglas County on Wednesday may take a step to begin tracking data on the local homeless population, with the goal of addressing chronic homelessness in the community. The County Commission will consider entering an agreement with Community Solutions, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ...
The future Douglas County crisis center has the necessary funding for planning and construction costs. State lawmakers approved the county’s request for $750,000 to finish the center as part of the state budget for fiscal years 2020 and 2021, which Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law ...
Douglas County leaders have decided to provide paid leave for county employees not working because of the coronavirus outbreak, saying it was the right thing to do even if it would impact the county's budget. As part of its meeting Wednesday, the Douglas County Commission voted 3-0 to approve ...
Douglas County leaders will soon consider approving paid leave for county employees who will not be working because of the coronavirus outbreak. As part of its meeting Wednesday, the Douglas County Commission will consider a proposal to pay employees regardless of whether they must report to ...
Story updated at 8:47 p.m. Monday The local health department said Monday that it is basing its work on a model that shows the number of COVID-19 cases in Douglas County peaking in about 30 days with the potential for about 300 hospitalizations. Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health Director ...
The Douglas County Commission ordered most of the county’s facilities to be closed to the public during its meeting on Wednesday amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. County Administrator Sarah Plinsky said the approved closure of facilities will bar the public from most of the county’s ...
The Douglas County Commission will hold a pared-down meeting Wednesday after deferring several items originally scheduled to be taken up this week. One item that remains, however, is the commission’s consideration of selecting a construction manager at risk for its proposed behavioral health ...
Douglas County has postponed the closure of a rural bridge until the end of the month because of the coronavirus pandemic. The bridge carrying East 1400 Road over the Wakarusa River was set to be closed for a rehabilitation project starting Monday. But the county announced in a Monday news ...
A legal action filed Monday alleges that Douglas County commissioners are not allowing citizens to vote or petition against a plan to fund an expansion of the local jail, despite an obligation to do so under state law. The action is the latest in activists' yearslong efforts to stop the county ...
Story updated at 6:01 p.m. Monday. Offices of local governments are encouraging residents to avoid conducting business in person. Some offices of the Douglas County government are remaining open as many other organizations are closing as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. But the ...
The bridge carrying East 1400 Road over the Wakarusa River will be closed for a rehabilitation project starting Monday, according to a news release from Douglas County. The bridge is the old Louisiana Street alignment, about 3/4 of a mile north of North 1100 Road, according to the release. ...
The counting of all U.S. residents is set to begin. Douglas County households will begin receiving notices for residents to participate in the 2020 Census on Thursday. Karrey Britt, a spokeswoman for the county, said the notices will explain how residents can respond to the census either ...
A county official with six years of experience in the Douglas County Treasurer’s Office has filed to fill its top position. Adam Rains, the current deputy county treasurer, filed Wednesday as a Democrat to run for treasurer, according to the Douglas County elections office. He is the first ...
The Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council needs to do a better job informing its members and the public on the work it is doing to address issues related to race and ethnicity, a member of the council said Tuesday. Shaye Downing, a criminal defense attorney serving on the ...
The Douglas County Commission will not meet on Wednesday as previously scheduled. The County Commission’s meeting this week was canceled because of an unexpected scheduling conflict among the commissioners, Douglas County spokeswoman Karrey Britt said. The commissioners were also scheduled ...
While advocates have been working with Lawrence City Hall on policies to make it less likely that immigrants will be detained solely for immigration violations, there are signs their sights soon may shift to the Douglas County Jail. A review by the Journal-World found the jail follows a ...
Fire Chief Mike Baxter likes to refer to a proposal to consolidate four rural Douglas County fire departments by another term — unification. That’s because he believes a “consolidation” implies that services will be reduced, he said. But the plan his Wakarusa Township Fire Department ...
Douglas County is one of eight finalists for a national prize that rewards communities for their health initiatives. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize honors communities advancing health, opportunity and equity. Winning communities receive a $25,000 cash prize and a ...
Several rural fire departments in Douglas County are proposing a plan to consolidate into a single county fire district to streamline their operations. Mike Baxter, chief of the Wakarusa Township Fire Department, told the Journal-World Tuesday that the Clinton Township, Eudora Township, ...