Douglas County Consolidated Fire District No. 1, with assistance from the Kansas State Fire Marshal, has determined that an ember from an old, unattended campfire sparked the approximately 200-acre fire in Douglas County on Friday, March 14, and has classified it as accidental.

Firefighters from multiple agencies in Douglas County and the surrounding area fought several grassfires on Friday, March 14, including a more than 200-acre fire east of Stull, near North 1600 and East 400 Roads. That fire was declared under control this morning, Saturday, March 15.

Firefighters encountered near hurricane-force wind gusts during the extremely dangerous fire. An evacuation notice for the area was in place for about two hours beginning at 5:12 p.m. Friday. No structures were lost, and no injuries were reported.

Grant Misse, a senior at the University of Kansas, recently joined the Douglas County Sustainability Office as a Local Food Fellow. 

Grant will research and analyze Point-of-Sale (POS) systems and third-party processors that cater to small food enterprises, such as farmers, CSAs, and independent grocers, with a particular focus on improving SNAP/EBT accessibility. His goal is to identify affordable, user-friendly solutions that empower these businesses to accept SNAP/EBT payments with ease.

Douglas County offers drop-off recycling for residents who live in the unincorporated areas of the county.

Due to illegal dumping, the location at Stull Community of Faith Church, 1596 E. 250 Road, is scheduled to be permanently closed on Friday, March 14, and no longer available. The site has been a concern for many months.  Large unaccepted items and loose bags of waste have been left at the site. The church grounds and adjacent properties have been frequently littered with windblown materials. This site has been heavily used, but it has also been misused.

As Craig said, “I did a lot of stupid stuff.”

There were outbursts and altercations, antisocial and antagonistic behavior.

But also, depression and panic attacks, family and personal trauma and jail.

He was good at hiding what he was feeling, until he wasn’t. It all became too much for him to handle. He lost his job as a nurse, he lost his home, and eventually he lost his freedom.

“I wasn’t functioning well,” he said. “I was in pretty bad shape psychologically.”

The Douglas County Appraiser’s Office will mail Change of Value notices for real estate properties for the 2025 tax year on Feb. 28. These notices will also include an informational insert about the valuation process, an overall market snapshot of residential and commercial value changes, and the appeal process.

Douglas County District Court and the Douglas County District Attorney's Office are closed today, Feb. 18, due to the winter storm. All other Douglas County government offices are open.

Public Works is accepting applications for the 2025 user-fee dust control program. The deadline to apply is Friday, March 7.

The program consists of applying liquid calcium chloride or magnesium chloride to rock roads typically in front of houses in an effort to reduce dust created by vehicles. Both products consist of a "brine solution" found naturally in various regions of the United States. The products have been found to control dust by attracting moisture from the atmosphere causing dust to clump together.

Douglas County Government buildings and offices and District Court are closed today, Feb. 12, due to the winter storm. The County Commission meeting is also canceled.

We want to thank our public safety and public works staff for their work to keep our community safe.

The Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) unanimously adopted a three-year strategic plan during its meeting today, Feb. 11, at the County Courthouse.

The plan outlines four priority areas:

Seventh-grader Daniel Dao and ninth-grader Lawrence Dao, of Lawrence Virtual School, received first place in the 2024-2025 Douglas County Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge on Feb. 7 at the Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center. The brothers received a $1,250 check and now qualify for the state competition in April in Manhattan. Their business idea, “Don’t Panic AI Tutors,” offers tutoring and workshops that aim to demystify AI, spark curiosity and equip students with the skills they need for a tech-driven future.

With jury trials scheduled to begin the week of Feb. 3, parking will be significantly limited in the lot south of the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center at 111 E. Eleventh St., due to ongoing construction. Potential jurors, attorneys, and anyone with court-related business at the building should plan for extra time to find parking.

A map of public parking in the area is available on the county website.