At 9 years old, Tim Shoulderblade took his first sip of beer. At 13, he started to use meth after losing both his father and older brother in the span of months.

“I lost my father figures – my role models. I started following the wrong people,” Shoulderblade said. “After that, I just spiraled.”

Shoulderblade became addicted to alcohol and drugs, which led him to dropping out of school, participating in escalating criminal activity and homelessness. For 20 years, he lived a turbulent life.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is proud to offer its first Junior Deputy Academy July 7-11 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds where elementary students will learn about law enforcement, safety training and leadership skills in an interactive setting guided by deputies, corrections officers and civilian employees.

The academy is open to all Douglas County students entering third, fourth and fifth grades. Admission is free, and transportation options are available for families who need it.

About 50 community members gathered on May 28 to celebrate Cardinal Housing Network, a new nonprofit dedicated to providing safe, supportive housing for women in recovery in Douglas County. The organization offers educational programming, access to in-home and community-based recovery groups, and supplemental care coordination — creating a vital resource for women on their healing journey.

Douglas County has been selected as one of 15 local governments nationwide to participate in the International City/County Management Association’s (ICMA) 2025 Economic Mobility and Opportunity Peer Learning Cohort and Mini Grant Program. This initiative aims to equip local decision-makers with resources to identify and advance strategies that enhance economic mobility for residents in their communities.

During tonight’s meeting, the Board of County Commissioners approved a subgrant agreement with ICMA, which allows the county to participate in the program.

Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence is temporarily closed today, May 20, in front of the historic Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts Street, to repair an aging waterline. The closure extends from 11th Street to W North Park Street.

Douglas County is working with the City of Lawrence and has hired a contractor to complete the repairs. Efforts are being made to minimize disruption to traffic. After the workday, crews will place street plates so at least one lane each way can reopen overnight. The project is expected to take about 5-7 days to complete, weather permitting.

Kanwaka Township Road Superintendent Jeff Skinner was recognized Tuesday evening for his swift, decisive actions in helping to extinguish and contain a large grass fire on March 14 amid near hurricane-force winds.

Douglas County Consolidated Fire District No. 1 presented Skinner with a plaque at the beginning of the Kanwaka Township Board meeting, commending his proactive response.

Five community events will receive a total of $24,000 in funding from the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council’s new Heritage Events and Celebration Fund program. 

The recipients and award amounts are:

Douglas County and the City of Lawrence, in partnership with the Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition, have launched a public dashboard displaying data on homelessness in Douglas County. The tool, updated monthly, offers real-time insights for those working on the community’s five-year strategic plan to end chronic homelessness, A Place for Everyone. The dashboard is available at dgcoks.gov/aplaceforeveryone.

On May 1, the Douglas County Appraiser’s Office will mail 6,600 Change of Value notices for personal property for the 2025 tax year. These notices will include appraised and assessed value information for property such as mobile homes, commercial machinery and equipment, off-road motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, worksite utility vehicles, race cars, camping trailers and watercraft.  
 
Personal property owners should notify the Appraiser’s Office if there are any changes such as:

Douglas County Public Works is set to launch two projects on Monday, April 21, resulting in road closures within the county.

Weather permitting, North 1100 Road will be closed between East 1600 and East 1700 Road for a bridge repair project. This work is expected to take approximately four weeks to complete.

The Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council announces the recipients of the 2025 Natural and Cultural Heritage grant program after receiving approval from the Board of County Commissioners on April 16. A total of $210,000 was awarded to 12 projects.  

The projects are expected to be completed within two years.

The Board of County Commissioners declared a state of local disaster emergency for Douglas County on Wednesday, April 16, due to two large grassfires that are currently under control and contained. The declaration provides access to state resources.