Several heritage organizations in the area are partnering on an exciting digital offering for the public: The Great Douglas County History Hunt. From October 30 to November 8, the public can take a GPS-enabled tour of county historic sites and be entered in a drawing for valuable prize baskets.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the crisis recovery center will be at noon Friday, October 23. The center, 1000 W. Second St., will be located on the Treatment and Recovery Campus of Douglas County and will serve adults and children with serious mental illness, substance use disorders and addiction issues.

Douglas County’s Education Unified Command, which provided support and developed guidance for local K-12 schools and higher education in recent months, will move into a broader Unified Command structure that will continue to guide the community’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson today announced the Sexual Assault, Response, Investigation, and Prosecution: Victim Centered, Trauma Informed, and Offender Focused training hosted by the District Attorney’s Office is set to begin October 6th, 2020. The training, originally scheduled for April 2020 had been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will be presented in a virtual format with the assistance of the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence. 

As the Douglas County Building Codes Director, Tina Rakes describes her work as life safety.

She ensures that homes and businesses are built to be safe, sustainable and resilient structures that meet the International Code Council’s standards.

“I primarily help people who want to build something whether it’s commercial, residential or an addition,” she said. “My goal is to establish a working relationship and to help people accomplish their goals.”

Dale Beaulieu had been through graduation ceremonies before. This one was different.

And not just because it was conducted via Zoom.

This graduation was the most meaningful.

Douglas County announced today its continued commitment to reduce the number of people in the Douglas County Correctional Facility who have mental illnesses by participating in the newest initiative from Stepping Up, Set, Measure, Achieve - a nationwide call to action to reduce the prevalence of mental illness in local justice systems.

The multi-year effort will focus on creating measurable reductions to the Douglas County Corrections Facility population with serious mental illnesses (SMI) and achieving:

Starting September 21, Route 7 (East 1125 Road) will be closed to all traffic just north of North 1876 Road, for a culvert repair project. The project is located at Lakeview Lake, just north of Lawrence. The project includes superstructure and deck replacement with pre-cast concrete box beams. Douglas County Public Works anticipates construction will be completed in November. No signed detour will be provided.  

Douglas County is one of 13 communities in the country to receive the first Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction Grant from the USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and has been awarded nearly $90,000 to work on food resource recovery.

Douglas County Commissioners endorsed the proposed governance structure and bylaws of Behavioral Health Partners, Inc. during their Sept. 9 meeting. Behavioral Health Partners, Inc., a nonprofit partnership between LMH Health and Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, will provide leadership, clinical oversight and operational management of the crisis recovery center on the Treatment and Recovery Campus of Douglas County.

District Court Judge Mark Simpson and Data Analyst Matt Cravens provided a presentation about arrests for failure to appear in court during the Sept. 8 meeting of the Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. They talked about how these arrests impact the Douglas County Correctional Facility.

Simpson began the presentation by explaining the different types of bonds and how bail is set for municipal and district courts.  He also reviewed how the state statutes direct the courts to apply bonds.

The State of Kansas has approved Douglas County’s plan for distributing $24.9 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds to the community. The plan includes funding for 153 programs ranging from coronavirus testing and personal protective equipment to small business grants and Lawrence Community Shelter improvements.